The Cardiff Times

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WORKMEN'S TOPICS. BY MABON, M.P. PARLIAMENT AND FACTORY LABOUR. THE GOVERNMENT AND ITS PLEDGES. more I think and inquire about the Conference the more absurd becomes ^'onducfc of our Government with respect jit. We left the Berlin Conference pledged tli'i e^ve years as a minimum age at which should commence work. We were, a Nation, not only pledged on the action j °Ur plenipotentaries thereat, but on advice u from the Ministry, which has now, in person of the Home Secretary, gone on the compact we made with the other Co It will be well for the country to ftsider this seriously, and to bring some tessure upon Parliament to act rightly in j e flatter before we not only do this in- to the coming generation, but also' fore we disgrace ourselves-in the eyes of e other European nations. THE STORY OF THE PLEDGE. „ ID the third commission at the conference, .e age at which children should be ad- ll:ûtted to the factories was fixed at 12. The toting upon it was eight for, nine against; there were three neutral, and amongst 6 neutrals was England. Sir John Gorst ,,r°te to Lord Salisbury telling him that all !• °?e from England were in favour of the but that they would be glad to receive 8tructions as to whether they could gPport it or not. To this request Lord answered, "I approve of the j/.lrse proposed in the first and third com- l8sions." Then Sir John wrote that he nderstood he had his lordship's authority • £ the raising the minimum age of child "our to 12 (2) the raising of the minimum °f underground labour to 14 (3) pro- ling four weeks' rest for women after OnBuement. Lord Salisbury made this ply; "You may assent to the three pro- posals." Relying upon this authority, the of Great Britain said to Q,e conference, We can pledge ourselves for ,reat Britain that our Government, faithful i lts action in the past, will conform reso- th *n t^e fufcure* ifc cloes'not go beyond ein> to the benevolent principles of the Terence." Terence." HOW THE PLEDGE IS TO BE BROKEN. « jhis pledge given on clear and explicit Auctions, and upon the credibility of the Jjffi has so far been violated. The other wons have carried out the arrangements unless the House of Commons yet comes Dl rescue, mil stand condemned as F.e<%e breakers and deceivers of the worst it -will be ridiculous for the Govern- c enfc to hide itself behind the request of a vl* Parents. Had other governments done '\t at none of the improvements now enjoyed is auld have ever been accomplished. This l' a national matter, and as such we were Presented at the conference, and as such e should make our words good and in ery constituency -the working classes must j> instructions to their members of 'men*' *° vo^e aoains^ this disgraceful. T WHAT WE MIGHT GAIN. 'ji the now try to point out what we °uld gain if the Berlin programme were carried out. «■Sunday Labour—In no country on e continent except Switzerland is Sunday i "°ur prohibited to adult males, nor even S ^omen, except under 21 years of age. conference recommended that one J*y of rest should be guaranteed to all **ctory work people, and that this day of be Sunday." 2.—Female Labour-In seven of the Ufttries represented at Berlin there is at no limit at all to the working hours two ^le h°urs women are /^icted, but in three countries only Switzerland, Austria, and the Nether- ^las) are the hours of work tt. UH grown women limited. In these 0ftee cases the limit is eleven hours per day, sixty-six hours per week. The recom- <<endations of the conference were that the Actual work" of women should not ex- eleven hours a day, and that it ^°uld be broken by rest of a total duration '«, °ne and a half hour at least," and that they should not work at night." • s- Children and Young Persons.—The °«rs of these classes vary very much in Jufferent countries. They range from 36 to j Per week. Night work and Sunday "OUr in a few cases only are prohibited. /8&in the recommendations of the confer- ee under this head were as follows :— That children below 14 years complete **°uld work neither at night nor on Sun- their actual work not to exceed six • °Urs per day, and be broken by rest of at lea^ half an hour. l4 f ^hafc young workers of either sex from Oh Q sh°uld neither work at night nor Sundays their actual work should not °eed ten hours a day, and be broken by a. ^t of a total duration of at least an hour 'nd a half. to 3. That protection should be given f young men from 16 to 18 years as as concerns a maximum day's labour, lght work, and Sunday work. keverai recommendations of a minor or Pecial character may be added to this turtle. Now let me point out :— t (1) That all these new regulations do not our standard, but \2) That they are an immense improve- OI a^vance upon anything that has herto been attempted on the Continent OIl the whole, and (3) That if through the influence of the e J'ference these reforms can be substantially J^ klished by legislation in each of the ^ountries which joined in recommending this country beyond all others would r^nefit by their adoptien abroad, because it *^uld at once reduce the disadvantages ^der which our industries labour in com- petition with rivals, owing to the greater we exercise over the physical, social, intellectual well-being of our people. ENGLAND'S DANGER. It is not my intention here to raise utoerous considerations which might be of1°^ in favour of raising the minimum age a ^'timers from other standpoints. I III How dealing only with the national as- Pect of the question. The Berlin Confer- marked a great step forward in the ettlement of the labour question. As re- factory workers, its unanimity was re- ^^tkable. Its influence on our future ought very great, for it has provided that re- Pofts as to what legislation has effected in county are to be issued every year, But if it be at the starting as it were, when the various Governments exchange information and notes that England, the foremost Industrial country in the world, at the bidding of a few parents among the factory operatives, a class which, to some extent, ^pports Tory Government, and whose Merest and well-being the conference was sinimoned to consider and protect, refuse to indorse the conclusions and recommenda- toons of its own delegates, backed up by the fecial approval and sanction of its own Government, a deadly blow will be struck at the whole edifice. Unless the Govern- ment will pause in this matter before it is too late, doubtless, it will have reasons for *jl time to come to remember the present factories Bill.

Moee Schaumburg and his clerk, Ike Silverstone, J^ere walking on Austin-avenue last Sunday when ''hey met Solomon Schwindlemeyer, who is not on Sood terms with Mose Schaumburg. Silverstone took off his hat very politely, whereupon Mose s&id angrily "Votishden dot, Mister Silver- stone? Y c.u vaSmyglerk,and you takes off your hat to a man who has swindled me my money oudt." I dakeo off my hat to anypoddy who i?h ,'able to Kchwmdle you, Mister Schaumburg. I have great reverences for any man who vas schmart enough to schwindle Mose Schaumbu; Dot is jy I dakes my hat off to Mister Schw^dlemeyer. Ho was a Nopoleon of finance."

Current Notes on Agriculture. By a Practical Farmer. The Hay Harvest. The hay-making season is drawing near, al- though there is very little hay as yet to be seen. During the month of May, with its variable temperature, bitter cold predominating, it made but little progress, and to present appearance the harvest will be very late this year. Most farmers have a habit of grazing in the spring time the land kept for hay growing. This spring they were compelled to utilise every blade of grass on their holdings to feed their half- starved stock, and this had to be continued, farmers generally having allowed their stock to run over the hay land much later this spring than usual. The result has been that, so far, the hay crop is only a name and not a reality, and, even with favourable con- ditions of weather, we shall see the latter part of next month before haymaking becomes general. During the month of June preparations are made for the harvest, such as overhauling machinery, &c. Now that ensilage is gaining ground and favour with farmers, those who have not tried this system of preserving fodder should now, when they have leisure,study the matter carefully -its advantages and disadvantages, its cost re- latively to haymaking in all weathers, its feeding properties compared with the latter. The ques- tion is well worth the consideration of every farmer. A good many of my acquaintances tried it last year for the first time, and in every case they were thoroughly satisfied with the result of their experiments, and a large number of them mean to go in to it this year on an ex- tended scale. For economy in feeding they praise it highly, the stock-especially cattle- doing well on ensilage with much less meal than by the old system of haymaking. Another con- sideration which will weigh with farmers is that much coarse stuff which would be worthless as fodder if attempted to be made into hay in the ordinary way, can by this mode of preservation be made palatable to and relished by the animals. The present is the time to con- sider whether or not to try it, and prepare accordingly. Ensilage-making to-day is greatly simplified from what it was some years ago. The expensive silo can be dispensed with entirely. Mr John Wrightson, writing in the last issue of the Gazette on this question, says:— We are more convinced every year of the sub- stantial advantages of ensiling green fodder. Nothing can be simpler than the process. It is much' easier than haymaking, less risky, less expensive, less worrying, and less dilatory. The simplicity of ensilage xs one of its great points. You really cannot spoil it, if you only spread the stuff well and uniformly over the heaps, and keep adding weight in the form of fresh grass. When a good-sized heap, or clump, of grass is to be put together for silage, it requires no bottom, for the work is commenced on the bare, ground. The grass needs no preparation, but is simply chucked out of the carts fresh off the scythe, and spread about a little. It is true the sides of the heap must be kept vertical, and the middle level, but this is always done on a midden, and is readily fallen fn with by the labourers. The ground from which the grass is drawn is at once cleared, and the aftermath be- gins to grow, unchecked by the swaths of holf- made hay. When a field of grass is cut for hay no one can tell what the end will be. It may be that among the chances and changes of this tran- "sitory life a good rick of hay will rise up, green and sweet. It may be that five or six Sundays will come and go, that time wll be wasted and tempers lost over a lot of black dusty rubbith, scarcely worfh putting together when the time comes. But with the success of ensilage all is reduced to a certainty. The farmer can cut and carry when he likes, and ha may rely upon a store of valuable fodder in the coming winter. Why, one even learns te like the smell of it. At one time we thought it was horrid, but, whether from custom or because we nojV make it better, or possibly from both causes, we prefer the slightly acid, spicy, and full fruity flavour of silage to that of hay. And how the cows enjoy it Let about 501b. each cow be carted out into their pastures on a winter's morning, and see them supporting a long quid extending from their moving jaws almest down to the ground. Slowly they merle it up, but never stop the jaw move- ment until they have finished their allowance.

The Stock Market. The state of agriculture at the present moment is not a very cheerful one. Trade in all varieties of store stock is almost at a standstill. As the year advances and the cold weather continues, with a general deficiency of keep stocks are more depressed in price every week. For store cattle there has been but very little demand, with declining prices. This is the natural outcome of the climatic conditions of the past few months. Prospective buyers have no keep and prefer to let well alone and wait, whilst sellers are in the same predicament as to keep, and gladly avail them- selves of an offer when they get one and effect a sale of a part of the stock at a sacrifice that the remainder may have better treatment. What has been said about the cattle trade is applicable to the trade done in store sheep, whilst store pigs at this period of the year have not been so low in price for a long time. I have seen pigs, aged 12 weekg, sold at fairs within the past few days for 8s to 10s each, whilst the price of these 12 months ago would be 20s to 22s. Although trade at present is in a very depressed state for all class of store stock, there is not the least doubt with growing weather, warm winds and sunshine much of this gloom will yet be dispelled. The Weather and the Crops. the Mark-lane Express of Monday says :— Rainy weather has prevailed during the past week, but the low temperature of Whitsuntide has given place to ordinary May warmth. The growth of the more moisture-!ovinfc forms of vegetation has been satisfactory, LVt wheat is going off colour for want of sunshine. With regard to wheat sales the average price'is 6s 4d above what it was in May, 1890, but there is no such promise of a still higher quotation as would be likely to Induce a strong holding. The recent markets in the more agricultural districts have been firm from Chelmsford tosBerwick. At the Midland markets, such as Derby, Nottingham, and Leicester, value has been stationary at as nearly as possible 40s per quarter. The price of fine white wheat at Lincoln on Friday was 46s per 661b. samples, at 44s per 631bs., while not much red was to be had nnder 42s per quarter. The price of foreign wheat has changed very little since a week ago. Spring corn trade has been weak for maize, which must be quoted Is mwer. Oats are active, but a trifle dearer. Beans and peas have declined m value. Linseed, od lower.

A MIRACLE. \0), Brer Johnsing, does you believe in miracles ?" Does I believe in miracles? Suttenly I does. Didn't I just hab one ob lemdown at my house?" "You? A miracle down at your house?" Yes, sah, dat's what I said. Dey wos jest foah chickens in my coop when I went to bed last night, and when I woked up dis Inorning-" Dey was eight?" Eig]{t? No, y'-foolman ? Dey vfasn't none. Done stole." "\Hranph Whah's de miracle ?" De coop wos lef. From Judge.

While making a-personal canvas for anelection, in 1774, Edmund Burke and his friends entered a house where the wife of the owner was reading. the Bible. I have called, madam," he said, to solicit the favour of your husband's vote and., interest in the present ejection. You, I per- ceive," placing has finger on a passage that struck his eye, H are-tnaking your calling. and ^election- ure." i»

WELSH GLEANINGS., By Lloffwr. In fulfilment of my promise last week, I give another sheaf of personalities this week. A correspondent, who styles himself Golden Rule," but who does not always act up to the ruime he has assumed, writes as follows to a Cardiff contemporary :— Aberystwyth College, it is well known, stands head and shoulders above Bangor or Cardiff in scholarship. That the principals of the sister colleges are Dr Edwards's equals in mere mental culture I doubt not, but Principal Edwards pes- sesses a weight of character, a moral culture, a mental force, which indeed are rare and cannot be purchased with money. His! students have turned out, not mere scholars, but sterling men—men with character, with energy, destined to make their mark in their age and country. A few of them have entered Parliament, and have already out-distanced all; tho other Welsh representatives. Tom Ellis and Sam Evans cannot be said to excel their Welsh? confreres in the House of Commons in either, scholarship or eloquence, but they have a certain.: indefinable quality, a distinguishable ring, a moral earnestness which lifts their words from the rut of common-places—in a word, they have the. Aberystwyth earmark." t- The reference to Welsh Nationalists in the5 foregoing paragraph reminds me of what another special correspondent has just been saying in the South Wales Star. The remarks are good enough to be reproduced here :— Readers of your paper will be glad to hear that Tom Ellis has returned, looking, so far as appear- ance went, completely restored to health. The honourable member has thoroughly enjoyed him- self in Africa, and has been properly lionised.. He has dined with Cecil Rhodes, and has observed' with pleasure how completely the Welsh boss everything, especially the railways, at the Cape. I asked our young leader what he thought of the future of Welsh nationalism; whether he still believed that we shall see (to quote his own words at Y Bala) the national Parliament elected by the womanhood and manhood of Wales and respon- sible to them alone. I am, he answered, more convinced than ever of our certain victory. All things are working in that direction; imperiaj, politics that necessitate closer federation, t<6 tess than local needs. After all, he added to me, I am, in a certain sense, only a straw carried away by the stream. It is our new writers which are bringing to the minds of the Welsh peeple that they have a part and are a nation who are in truth doing the work. I wish, Ellis added, that we could infuse into the robust democracy of South Wales a little more of the pure poetic nationalism of the North—that it could be made to enter more fully into the spirit of historic nationalism. To bring this about, Mr Editor, should be your work." Tom Ellis's favourite authors are Mazzini and Thomas Davis, the Young Ireland Patriot of Welsh descent, the noblest of the band of Young Irish patriots, who founded the Naiion newspaper and rescued Irish nationalism from the domination of priests. It is an interesting fact that as far back as 1845, Davis affirmed the right of Wales as well as of Ireland to self-government. Mr Gladstone quoted Davis' Home Rule plan in Midlothian last year as indicating the lines on which the next Home Rule Bill will be based. Speaking for myself, allow me to express my disgust that the author of "Looking Backwards" in your 'last number so blandly ignores North Wales in his prophecy of the future of the country. Not a place does he reserve in the cabinet of our national Parliament for the statesmen of the north. There is a place for Mr Bowen Rowlands, Q.C., but none for Ellis of Cynlas. Does he intend to put us of North Wales under a perpetual Coercion Act ? Far be it from me to speak one word in disparagement of the great services that many of your South Welsh members have rendered to the cause of Welsh nationalism. Yet, still the hero of the movement does not come from South Wales. As in the fifteenth century, the champion of Welsh nationalism against the foreign misrule and the tyranny of the marcher lords came from the poet land of Meirion. So in the nineteenth century the asserter of our national liberties, in a form suited to a modern age, against an alien squire- archy and an unnationalised church, comes from the same county, and almost from the same district. There is another parallel between Glyn- dwr and Cynlas (as we love to call him), which should not be forgotten. Glyndwr was not only a Welsh chieftain; he was also a European statesman. It was because he had studied the politics of other countries that he was able to utilise the foreign politics of other countries for the interests of Wales. The same is true of Ellis. Ellis (pace the Western Mail) is no mere dreamer who has evoked his political ideas from his inner consciousness, or from the society of Y Bala. He has been a careful student of the politics of modem European countries that possess the right to live their own life such as Finland and Switzerland. He has also studied colonial ques- tions carefully, and they taught him that national Home Rule is the best and only way to secure Imperial Federation. When the gang of ignorant squires and place-hunting barristers who still form far too large a part of the political repre- sentation of Wales will give one-tenth of the attention to the subject that Ellis has given, their veiled scorn or sneering patronage of Welsh nationalism will be the more easy to tolerate. When at last the goal of our aspirations is reached, and we are a nation with a national Senate our own, and our patriotic M.P.'s, Mabon, the friend of labour, A. Williams, the local government reformer, who knew how to construct the machine of our local liberties, and Samuel Evans, the Welsh Rupert of debate, will all receive the thanks of a grateful nation. Our place-hunting barristers will also, no doubt, receive the county- court judgeship for which they pine, and the oblivion which they merit, but what Davis said of Grattan, who won Ireland's independence in 1782, that Wales will say of the purest-hearted of all our patriots, who bids fair to be at once our Davis and our Grattan :— When Cynlas rose, none dared oppose The claim he made for freedom. Thee knew our swords to back his words Were ready, did he need them. Thee let us raise to Ellis praise A proud and joyous anthem.' And wealth and peace and length of days May Heaven m mercy grant him. And now to devour time and space at a bound. The following was awarded a prize at Utica (America) Eisteddvod as the best translation of a Welsh article descriptive of the genius of the eminent Welsh poet Caledfryn:—On a frosty morning in the month of March, when the feeble rays of the sun appear as if they failed to keep themselves warm, and the breeze is so hasty that it has no time to idle in the woods, it will not do for the invalid to think of enjoying himself by taking a slow walk. It is a morning for the healthy heart and the agile arm, a morning when the sound of walking feet is hearA from afar. The spring conceals itself in the buds of the trees, and keeps its flowers carefully with their gray coverings. It is not a day for the indolent—to walk about thougntlessly and unconcernedly; one must have a quick step and a healthv heart to face the edge of the breeze. But after be- coming warm edge to edge with it, what feeling can be more pleasing ? T{le gellius of Caledfryn is like a frosty mormag. His poetry and his criticism are clear and keen. How different is his pootic diction from the gentle fancy of Emrys —how far from the meditative regions of Islwyn His mind is under a view to despise every inflated style, to lay his hand heavily on.all vulgar pyrotechnics. At least one of his kind is wanted for every literary age. Every literature— especially after a period of genius—is so prone to run after empty embellishments, that it is neces- sary to have some critical Austerity to keep literature from spending time to gild the edges of the leaden penny. RiO" empty words were very popular among- Caledfryn's con- temporaries empty words, and horribly lifeless thoughts. If the critics' tongue is bitter, it had tasted unripe fruit. There is something in the life of Caledfryn from begin- ning to end that is very painful to anyone who would admire him. We almost think that his mind was bruised when young by some misadven- ture, and that the mark remained ever after. His history and his character remind me often of the life of Carlyle. It is the rough aspect that is most apparent in each—like a rock formed by fire, with the scars of the heat remaining on its face for a thousand ages. Carlyle seems oftentimes to go out of his way to say hateful things. We know for all that there are hidden springs of tenderness in his mmd under all the sarcastic utterances. This is equally true of CaJedfryn- rough as is his way and sharp as is his criticism, under all is found the fidelity of the bost friend, Many a poet possesses more of the sculptor's imagination than of the painter's imagination. The painter uses colours; he can 'attain to many fine effects through lights and shades; he can show the tints of distant mountains and the charming skies. But in the cold marble correct delineation is everything. It was the imagination of the sculptor that Caled- fryn possessed. He does his entire work in Sluiak sentences. Precision of thought and language that is Caledfryn's power; and the same pre- cision is seen in his use of metre and rhyme. He had comprehended the golden rule in melody— that different themes require different forms. Ho knew that metres and rhymes were not poetic accidents, and took care that the theme and the form were suitable to each other. And there was doubtless a place for Caledfryn's clear and refined 'ideas in the great world of the Muse. Like the snow that makes tho air healthy and gives Nature a clean heart, Caledfryn's efforts were against every kind of coarseness and inaccuracy. He laboured bravely against Anglicising the literature of his nation. In his age the pulpit also was disfigured byiow imitations of Christmas Evans's romantic imagination-by a. false logic and drawling ideas and if hi3 tongue wag bitter, ^Jswridrcule waan^w jwwau

PRINCES AMONG PREACHERS, it (WELSH SERIES.) The Venerable Arch-deacon Griffiths, Rector of Neath. The- personnel of the subject of our present sketch is a familiar figure to the generality of Welsh patriots throughout the length and breadth of the IIJ."d; for at our National Assembly—the Eisteddvod—he has during the last 30 years nearly always been to the fore, and no one can have failed to observe and notice his genial, open, Cymric countenance, his pleasing, unostentatious manner, coupled with his fine, manly figure, which at once stamps him in our mind as one born to govern and be a leader of his fellow-men. On every occasion that he has been called upon to address the vast assemblies which gather at our annual national festival — and these occasions have been of frequent occurrence of late years-his enthusiastic patriotism and spirit-stirring and eloquent speeches are so convincing that they have in- variably carried all before him, and the vast audiences at once recognised that the speaker is indeed one of the princes of the platform and of the pulpit. j We are well aware that the innate modesty which always accompanies true merit will cause the venerable gentleman to de- precate the attributing of the title of "a prince' of the Welsh pulpit" to one whose multitudinous parochial duties, con- scientiously, faithfully, and effectually fulfilled, so occupy his time as to preclude him from giving the requisite time and labour to the careful study and composition of elaborately-worded sermons. The numerous and varied duties devolving on the vicar or lCctor of a large parish like that of Neath militate against that concentration of thought which is essential to the production of a. sermon, essay, or lecture which can face criticism,, or raise its author to a pinnacle which will command fame and secure special admiration. In most Welsh districts the clergyman is ex- pected to be conversant with both Welsjrand English, to preach on an average at least three sermons a week to the same people. His pastoral duties, if he is conscientious in their discharge, are not only heavy, but generally extend to all. He is expected to take cognizance, and in one sense to take charge of the general sick and desti- tute of his parish. He can never return to his study and feel that his pastoral work has been finished, and that he can, without interruption, proceed with what may be called his literary work—his reading, his steady composition of sermons. This is the case with the ordinary clergyman. He asks that he may be informed of all cases of destitution and sickness that may arise in his parish—class, or creed, or denomination are not supposed to be allowed a place or thought. He gladly obeys the call, giving it a prior place to any other demand, however iproprtant, on his time and attention. Then thg recfttf or vicar of a parish is open to claims oVl a see rch.ara-cter. He has often to take a leading part in such matters as affect the general interests of the community around him. We may also mention the supervision of elementary schools, and in too many cases the pecuniary responsibilities that attach to the successful management of them. No considerate person will for a moment deny that these varied distractions which must all occupy their fair share of a clergyman's attention militate against the concentration of thought that is considered essential before anyone can hope to acquire fame and renown as a composer and deliverer of powerful sermons. Wales in its educational advantages, in its literary resources, in its helps, in its encourage- ments, in its stimulatingsurroundings, in its contact with great minds, holds a very inferior place when compared with England. England has a large area. from which to choose its great men. Genius, mental powers, peculiar capacities for peculiar work find in Nonconformity an easier development than the system that prevails in the Church of England sanctions. Nonconformity seeks early for promising bwds, and when it finds them never loses sight of them, but encourages their development at any cost. But though clergymen labour under these dis- advantages to attain fame as public orators in Wales, we occasionally find sons of Cambria in' the Established Church so gifted with eloquence and the enthusiasm of the Cymric race that they in time surmount all difficulties and demolish all barriers, their fame and popularity gradually extend as they become letter known, and almost unawares to themselves they awake to the knowledge that they have become famous and popular, and are regarded as being among the princes of the pulpit. It is to this class that the subject of this sketch belongs. We often find that a popular speaker is not necessarily one of great renown, and on the other hand not every renowned person is popular in the common acceptation of the term popular." The wisest of men remarked that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill." Solomon also saw servants on horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth." Men of mediocre talent, inferior intellect, bigoted and narrow-minded, are placed in high posi- tions, while superior men, of great mental power and high merit, are doomed to occupy and remain in very inferior positions. This incongruity is perhaps more manifest among the clergy than in the ranks of Nonconformist ministers, and we attribute it in a. great measure, if not wholly, to the system of preferment which prevails in the Established Church, where thé) appointments are generally at the disposal'ofi'1 single individuals, some of whom are often in* fluenced by motives of family or other interests when choosing persons to fill lucrative or dis- tinguished positions, and thus true merit is fre- quently ignored and passed over and allowed to remain unrecognited and unappreciated in obscure Positions. We have no hesitation in maintaining, and wtM are confident that a great number of our readers will readily endorse the assertion, that the Vener- able Archdeacon Griffiths, the RmidentiaryCanon of LlandaS, is fitted by natural gifts and mental culture to grace and adorn a much higher ■ecclesiastical.position evon than he has attained. He wa» born at Parbyneuadd, .near Aberayron,^ in'Cardiganshire, about the year 1822. The,), family, on his father's side, belonged to Pem- brokeshire, and had found a place tbere-for .centuries. It was once-powerful, anctoccupied an advanced place among the families of the county. Its chief residences were Penybenglog, Maencloohog, and Olynderwen. Some of them; served as squires to the Norman lords. (See j "Pennant's Pembrokeshire," under the word 'Tenybenglog.") His grMMimother, on-tbe. father's. side, was, a Picton "-and her mother was & daraghter of Llwyndyrus, in Cardiganshire. Ojv the renowned family, for his mother belonged to the famed iWans of Llanddowror. When at the tender a.ge of five years, John s, of Parkyneuadd, was placed under the uitmn of a private tutor at Tyglyn, and had for I scoo ellows the iJwynnes, of Monachty, and tha Alwoods, of Penygareg, Aberayron. When thirteen years old he was sent to the Cardigan Grammar School, where he remained four years, wnen he entered St David's College at L.an>pcter. There he was elected a scholar, and took a place in what was then called" The First Class." the college being divided into Classes or Forms. He wat ff Zn m°re than two whcn he ?! mastership of the Endowed n' -'nT ? °? Cardigan, where, two years LOP t ri BEEN A PUPIL This post he accepted on the recommendation of Dr Olfi^nfc, ■p. Pn"c'Pa o the College, and afterwards Bishop of Llandaff. He held this appointment ful inUr*r 6ar%i, ur'?° whieh time he was success- SchoGl from a very K>w condi- tion to that of a successful one. In 1S45 he was admitted into Holy Orders on a T V10ar of Aberystruth. i»Mon- orders when l" 1844 he was ^ed to full Nantv'fflo wh presented to the vicaiage of Wantyglo, where he remained for two ye>rs, at ToterS'Pi0" °f Whi°h' on the nomination of Sip- ;nto?L?a^y, °f Glanusk- he was insftt^. Glamorgan! °* Llansann°r, in the county 1 hriwrhM time an incident occurred which speaker a^ gavf NOWN^DPOPT^°H SK6 0RAT0- R6~ ^out tw^ yeaiSi Jas smce a?quir!d- j oars after he was ordained,* new few mil<V/r 4- in a neighbouihood a thpnr««Vi ,ia ant from the parish in which he Trm«. 1f6 '-r?nd Canon Jones, then known as mJSJ «,Vaynor' undoubtedly the greatest preacher ofhis tame in the Church of "England, T. anncmnced to preach the opening sermon. name the renowned Jones of Vaynor, it would attract a large crowd to the opening services of the new church, and these ex- who we^JT fuIly reaIised- AmO0S others Griffith* Way thither was the Rev J. thitbl i' SUbiecfc of our sketch- *>is road 1 ay across a couple of mountains, he lost until '?nd did not reach 4116 church nvw ^5 introductory service was nearly On his arrival he found the eaihce crowded, and it was with diffictllty he could get within the building. Having got inside, he pushed on for the chancel where the clergy were. As he neared that portion of the church, he could 500 that there was great commotion Wl??S clergymen who occupied the chancel. i e the congregation were engaged in singine one of the old Welsh hymns, some of the clergy present drew the attention of the vicar, an old and very deaf man, to the new arrival who was pushing his way towards them. The old vicar had made the acquaintance of the young clergy- man some time previously, and, recognising him hemshed towards him, surplice in hand, and ou y said, "Mae rhywbeth wedi dig^y^ ,ones* j Mae'n rhaid i chwi bregethu yni ei le. "Na, na," was the reply, "nid ar un cyfrif, tra mae cynifer o henaf- yn. bresenol." These words, rendered i English, are—"Something has happeneci ones, and you must preach instead of him." "No, no," was the reply, "not when there are deaf*17 ?lder cIerSymen present." Being so no old gentleman could not understand the words of the reply, but might have judged by "tK*6818^11^ a^itude of his young friend when, wi out any ceremony or waiting for his consent, 0 gan investing him with a surplice. The S!"ranger still displayed unwillingness to officiate instead of the absent Jones of Vayilor> an could not be prevailed upon to ascend the Pulpit The old vicar, however, would take no took him forcibly by the atm and y shoved him into the pulpit. Huncjreds of eyes were fixed on this extraordinary scene. The vast audience had assembled in the expecta- tion of hearing the renowned Jones, of Vaynor, and now this young stranger was unwillingly and un- expectedly thrust forward to occupy his place. To render the position more trying still, be had not brought any sermon with him. But, happily_ he had during the previous week given care to the preparation of a Weleh sermon, which he de- livered the following Sunday. He thought he could not do better than repeat, as far as he could, the substance of that sermon, accontmodat- ing it to thfj occasion. With a silent prayer for elp he resolved to do so, and this help was forth- coming in his hour of need. He felt himself nerved with a power not his own, and preached with a freedom and unction he had never before experienced. The people's sympathies were with tho lad. I His eloquence soon electrified them. The fire of enthusiasm broke out-" Y dyn ieuanc-pwy yw e 0 ba Ie daeth e' ?" (Who is the young man? Where does he come from 1) Such were the questions when the service was over. He gained a name, his fame soon spread, and his popularity induced him to labour more than ever. Tho venerabla archdeaoon eften refers to this episode, when addressing his younger brethren, asanillustration of the advisability of being ^prjipared for an emergency. Jrr*6 year ^Mowing bis appointment as Rector *|t Llansannor he was, on the nomination of Sir Thomas Aubrey, instituted into the vicarage of St. Mary Hill. These two livings he held for nine years; and in 1853, on the nomination of the trustees of the Marquis of Bute, he was insti- tuted into the Rectory of Neath, with Llantwit, where he has remained ever since, a period of thirty-eight years. In 1861, however, he was nominated by Bishop Thirlwall to the bvings of Llanbadarn-Vawr and Aberyst- wyth, but after some months given for consideration he declined the bishop's offer. Hisfirat work at Neaih was the snpply of the means of elementary education. This resulted dn -the erection of the large buildings known as Alderman Davies's Schools, affording accommo- dation for 2,000 children, and completed at a., 'Coet ofrmore than £3,000. When commencing Shis labours at Neath, no provision was made ''iorfthe W^lgh- speaking portion of the inhabi- tants, nor had there been any for nearly a' ►century. His patriotism could not brook that "things should remain so, and he resolved that cthe Welsh should have' their rights restored-to them, and thati the services in the parish-Church • should be conducted in the vernacular. This i necessitated the erection of a plaee-of worship fortfhe English portion of the inhabitants, and was ecocted, which js now-known as St. David's, Neath, and is one of the largest and handsomest modem erections in the Principality. It affoKH sitting accommodation for 1,200 persons, and was built by public subscription at a cost of £11,000. At the same time the old Parish Church of Llantwit was restored. It may here be mentioned that the parish of Neath supplies a striking instance of the power of Voluntaryism in connection with the Church of England in supplying the necessary material for its work. During the time that the present Rector (the Venerable Archdeacon) has officiated as Incumbent of the parish—-a period; as stated above, of 38 years, the sum of thirty thousand pounds has been- raised by voluntary subscrip- tions, and spent in the erection of new churches, restoration of old churches, and erection of school- rooms. One great aim and effort of his life-has been, in the first place, to yield recognition of worth and importance to the labours of Nonconformists, and to promote united action on their part with the Church, without sacrifice of principle on either side, in the support of Scriptural truth, and Evangelical doctrines based on that truth, and thereby secure the maintenance of the great privileges of freedom and religious liberty. This policy, undeviatingly followed, has borne good fruit, which is evident in the hearty co- operation and friendly feelings—with no spirit of rivalry or jealousy—which exist in the parish be- tween Churchmen and Nonconformists. This harmony of feeling was strikingly illustrated in connection with the Education Act of 1870. A great meeting of Nonconformists and others was held to consider the advisability of having a school board in the town to carry out the pro- visions of the a.ct, and the decision arrived at was "That no school board was necessary during the incumbency of the present rector." There is no school board in either of j the pa,rishes-Neath or Llantwit. The number of children under education every year is not less than 2,000, while there are 1,200 on the f the Sunday-school registers of the Episcopalian churches. His interest in the cause of education --has never ceased or even diminished from that day to this. Wherever the educational interests of Wales have been involved there has Arch- deacon Griffiths ever been found to the front. We shall later on refer to his connection with the national colleges, but we would remark in passing that he has bean one of the guiding spirits of the movement which as for its object the due recog- nition of the nativeH^nguage of the Principality in its system of e cation. The evidence he tendered on this subjecK^efora the Royal Com- mission four years ago wa^qost valuable. The members of the Society for Utilising the Welsh Language have shown their appreciation of his services by electing him for five years in succes- sion the president of that successful and benefi- cent organisation. I We may here mention another perfectly unique incident which occurred some years ago, and which proves the universal esteem and venera- tion with which he is regarded by all classes in the parishof Neath. A dispute occurred in one of the large Nonconformist chapels in Neath which threatened at one time to cause a rupture m the church, and they could not find one person in the whole body of their denomination who would be acceptable as an arbitrator. Finally it was decided to ask the venerable arch- deacon if he would arbitrate in the matter. He consented, took a month to examine rules and bye-laws, individual members, numbering hundreds, as well as registers and records, and finally sent in his decision, which pleased both parties, and healed the breach. I In 1861 the Rector of Neath irook a prominent part in the great temperance inovement that at that time commanded the attention of the Princi- pality in a remarkable manner, and with very (/5orpurkable success. .-The previous year pre60) he became identified the revival of the National Eisteddvod. The movement for its revival commenced in 1858, but it was at the Denbigh Eisteddvod in 1860 ¡ that the patriotic Rector Griffiths first took active part in the promotion of our national festival, It was at this eisteddvod that he made the acquaintance of the late Sir Hugh Owen, with whom he was thenceforward closely associated in a variety of work to the close of that patriotic life. It was entirely by accident that Rector Griffiths was at JDenbigh on the first day of the eistedd- vod. Re sac among the audience in tourist cos- tume, when Talhaiarn, who was the conductor, stated that the appointed orator of the day had failed to put in an appearance. He added that somebody had whispered to him that there was present a. well-known gentleman from the South "—the Rector of Neath. He himself had not the .honour of his acquaintance, but would be glad if someone would point him out to him. This was done, and in spite of many protesta- I tions, pleading want of preparation, novelty of the subject, total ignorance of eisceddvodic pro- ceedings, &c., he was urged to ascend the plat- form, the observed of all that vast audience, practically all of whom were strangers to him. Sir Wat kin was in tho chair, and there, under such trying circumstances and un- precedented difficulties, hu had to address I the eisteddvod. He soon acquired seif-con- fidence, and, as he himself expressed it, soon got ¡ into the swiai, and delivered one of the best speeches ever delivered from an eisleddvodic plat- form. His eloquence electrified the audience, I his enthusiasm was infectious, and he received a splendid ovation,-and became the hero, not of that day only, but of the three following- days of the eisteddvod. V Next day, walking out of the pavilicn, arm in I arm with Sir Hugh Owen, a conversation took place that led to the many changes which have I since been effected in tue old institution. Sir Hugh Owen remarked, What a pity that such enthusiasm should so soon evaporate, and that no permanent result follow.—" Can nothing," added the good man, be done to secure for our fellow countrymen some lasting good ?' They agreed to summon the bards aud leading sup- porters of the eisteddvod to an extem- porary meeting that evening.—A few attended. A committee was named to take into its hands the management of the eisteddvod, and steps were taken to establish a social branch to the institution. This committee were to decide on the subjects for competition, and on the social subjects on which papers were to be read. The whole institution was remodelled, at the cost of much time and no small expense to the com- mittee. The Rector of Neath was chosen for its president, and for twelve years the committee met twice a year at Shrewsbury, and on each occasion nearly two days were spent in deliberat- ing on the best mode of lending reality and per- manence to the institution. The committee started with the Aberdare Eisteddvod, and there suffered considerable loss, but a loss which was com- pletely covered by the liberality of Alaw Gocb, the father of the present owner of Miskin—Judge Gwilym Williams. They put forth all their strength the next year to make the Carnarvon eisteddvod a succese. It wa& n. great success, but, unfortunately for the committee which was re- sponsible for the expenses of the eisteddvod, the local committee took possession of the favourable balance of J3800 and appropriated it to local pur poses. Nothing daunted, the National Eistedd- vod'Committee arranged for the next eisteddvod to be held at Aberystwyth the next year, and secured, as they thought, the presence ot Lucien Bonaparte. He was announced to be the presi- dent of the first day's meeting. The weather turned out favourable to their hopes. Thousands of all classes came to the celebrated Welsh water- ing place. The morning of the eisteddvod the committeo received information that the Prince was unable to be present in consequence of illness. They were now in a dilemma. to get one to fill the presidential chair for the day. Attempts were made to get one of the" great men" who were present to take the place of the absent prince, but no one had the courage to do so on such short notice. The com- mittee then declared that their president, Rector Griffiths, must mount the breach, however unprepared he might be. He was obliged to consent, and'his natural eloquence and enthusiasm served to extricate the committee and himself from a trying position. His address at Aberyst- wyth, as at Denbigh, was such as to stamp him undeniably as a prince among the orators of Wales. The audience, who were at first disap- pointed at the non-appearance of the French prince, whom they had hoped to see and hear, were more than compensated by listening' to the soul stirring eloquence of the princely Welsh orator and patriot. The vast gathering was moved to the highest pitch of en- thusiasm, and his address was received with tremendous applause. There is no man living that knows better than the Venerable Archdeacon the history of the eisteddvod for the last 30 years. He has been honoured by being elected to till the presidential chair on six occasions during that period, in- cluding the occasion at Aberystwyth above men- tioned. Sir Hugh Owen and Rector Griffiths both refrained from taking a prominent part in the working of the eisteddvod after the Chester Eisteddvod, when they were unkindly dealt with. Five of the members of the committee had to suffer loss to the extent of nearly a hundred pounds each, the blame for which must rest on other shoulders. It was then that the National Council or committee, over which the Rector of Neath had so ably presided for 12 years, ceased to exist. We believe that he is the only earviv- ing member of that noble band of patriots whose memory and many .virtues are held in deep re- spect and affection by all who knew of their many sapeifisds and self-denials in endeavouring to pro- jiiot^the interests of Cymru lan, Gwlady gan." 'From the time of the extinction of the National /Council, Rev. J. Griffiths, of Neath, became associated with Sir Hugh Owen in the establish- ment of the University College at Aberystwytb. For years they were only a small band-facm1; [ discouragements of no ordinary character..The' day at last dawned when they were able torejoice at seeing their labours crowned with success. Reverting to the eisfeddvod, we may con- fidently assert that the Archdeacon is a firm believer in its usefulness, for he has* stuck to it, through good and evil report. We be- heve it would be well, in the interests of the institution, and to render it of greater use to the nation, were the National Council of the Eistedd- vod revived, to co-operate with the Eisteddvod Association. We will conclude our remarks by stating briefly the preferments and honours conferred on him after being instituted into the Rectory of Neath In 1872 he was appointed chaplain and Welsh examiner to the late Bishop of Llandaff. The same year he was made Rural Dean of Groneath and Prebendary of Llandaff CathedraL In 1877, Archdeacon and Residentiary Canon of Llandaff. The same year he was elected governor of Christ's College, Brecon. In 1881, Welsh ex- aminer at St. David's College, Lampeter. In 1882, chaplain and Welsh examiner to the present Bishop of Llandaff. The same year he was also appointed Welsh examiner at the University College of Aberyst- wyth. He is also a member of the council of both Aberystwyth and Cardiff University Colleges. The duties of these numerous offices he ably performs, and brings his characteristic energy and enthusiasm into every field of labour where he can find vent to his usefulness. May he continue for many years to serve his nation, and the high. esteem and veneration in which he is held by all classes be ever increasing. Cambria cannot sPfre him for many a year.

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS BY DR JOSEPH PARRY, University College, Cardiff. For one week of each month in the future I shall hope to have a list of the musicians, the anniversary of whose birth or death falls in the current month, together with some interesting and educational notes respecting them, their styles, career, charactistics, &c., and we shall start with June. ROBERT SCHUMANN. This great composer and critic was born on June the 8th, 1810, at Zwickau, Saxony. He died in July, 1856. His music masters were Kunsel, Wieck, and Heinrich Dorn. His parents intended him for a lawyer, but he was destined to shine in the Jaws of rich harmony and sweet melody. He wrote much for the pianoforte. He, like many other great composers, made a great change in his style,and his change was in 1840,and this dates the dawn of his classical period. Herein comes his symphony in B flat. Op. 38 also his C major and D minor symphonies, and his cantata, I •" The Paradise and the Pen." He, as a song composer, comes the next to Schubert, and there- fore ranks as the second best song writer of the musical world. His songs number at least 150, the words of which are mostly by the great*Heine. He wrote also the E flat" Rhenish Symphony." He al^so composed magnifi- cent miisic to Manfred, Faust, Genovevay and Julius Casar, also some magnificent chamber music for string quartettes, &c. Alas his mind now began to be troubled with disorder, and a gloomy insane asylum chamber music for string quartettes, &c. Alas his mind now began to be troubled with disorder, and a gloomy insane asylum became his sad home, and the world lost there, in the death of this great genius, scholar, and critic, Robert Schumann, at the comparatively early age of 46. We revere his gifted widow, the inimitable Madame Schumann, for devoting so much of her artistic life to introducing to the world her husband's great works for the piano- forte, and even yet this composer's music has not reached its deserving appreciation. JOACHIM is also another great artist of this month, born June the 28th, 1831, a.t Kittsee, Presburg, Hungary. He began to play the violin at five years of age by twelve he was a fine player. His teachers were Shervacsinski, Boehm, and David, also Mendelssohn at Leipzig. He came to England first in 1844, and has visited this country periodically ever since. He is also a great teacher and has composed some fine music. The charms of hi& style are purity, truth- fulness, and loftiness. His Hungarian violin ooncerto, Op. 11, G minor concerto, Hamlet and I Kleist overtures are some of his musician- like works. His labours in behalf of chamber music areimmense. Our two great B.'s, Bach and Beethoven, never bad a truer interpreter or mediator between them and the listener than this Hungarian and king of players upon the the king of instruments. 5^ GOCNOD. Here, again, wefindagreat FrenchJuneartgiant, born on the 17th of this month, 1818. His mother was his first teacher. He entered the Conserva- toire at 18 under Halevy, Paer, and Liesneur. He there gained two prizes by his cantatas, Marie Stuart and Femand, which enabled him to go to Rome. He there studied Palestrina, and himself wrote two masses in the same style. A Stabat 1 Mater, Redemption, Dc Profundis, several symphonies in D and E flat. He is a born genius, lofty and majestic in style. His devo- tional Messe Solennellf was brought out in 1851, his opera Sapho in 1851, Nonnc Sanglante iu 1854, La Medicin in 1858, Faust 1859, an immortal work La, Reine de Srwa, 1862, Mirelle 1864, Polyeucte 1878, Mors 11 Vita six years ago. His onee in- tended step to the priesthood accounts for the intense devotion felt, even in his operatic produc- tions. He is a great master of orchestral as well as of harmonic colourings his creative genius is greater than his contrapuntal, musical, sum-like, scholastic workings. RAFF. This fine composer died June 25th, 1382, at Frankfort. He was born on May 27th, 1822. at Lachein. In his youth he was very poor, and earned his living as a schoolmaster. Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Bulow were the artistes to discover, recognise, and encourage his genius. It requires genius to feel genius and to sym- pathise with children of genius. Raff belonged to the modern German school of composition he was most versatile. He treated melody and harmony as twin goddesses. His prolific genius produced ten symphonies, three operas (King Alfred, Dame Kobold, and Samson), several overtures, concertos, the C minor, Op. 185, being a very fine one. His sonatas are also fine. His scores are no less than 250 in number. Many of his works are popular in England, thanks to our able L^ion Crystal Palace conductor. OTHER JCXE MASTERS. Pleyel was born June 1st, 1757, in Austria, and was one of Haydn's pupils, Offenbach and Lccocq. —-These two able French- men also are June birds. The former was born on the 21st June, 1819, at Cologne. He was an an able contrapuntist, but served Mammon rather than art, and Lecocq was born in Paris June 3rd, 1832. His muse belongs to the same light, spark- ling, and effervescing school, and his musical flowers, like those of his compatriot Offenbach, bloom and soon decay. Grieg.—Our goddess gives birth to another genius during this month in Norway, and gives us this remarkable composer. He was born June the 15th, 1843. He belongs to the nationalistic school of composers. His pianoforte, vocal, and orchestral creations are very numerous, and are I full of individual characteristics and charms. Having so recently dwelt upon his music and personnel, having met him lately, we shall say no more here. Vicuxlemps, the great violinist, Eberlin, the able fuguist, Sontag, the renowned singer, were also born in June. Time and space prevent my elaborating upon these and some others. I trust that this slight diversion the first week in every month may rouse my young readers, and create 1U them a healthy desire to know more of the gifted sons and daughters of our art all the world over. II

No luxury is more costly than bad temper. A man lately missed an excellent situation because he had spoken hasty words to one (of whose influence he was not aware) who could have procured it for him. Another case is that of a person who tore up, unopened, in a rage, a letter received from one who had displeased him. The letter contained a cheque for one hundred pounds. Besides causing us to make all kinds of mistakes, and so marring our lives, bad temper may be said to kill us pre- maturely by wasting our vitality. A certain lady teaches women to ease their nerves and study "repose." This professor of calmness says that nothing is so conducive to wrinkles as losing the temper." Talking of "losing the temper" re- minds us of the old gentleman who said that he wished he could lose his temper, "for I confess," he continued, that itis avery bad one." Printers sometimes make funny mistakes. A lady teacher ordered an advertisement to be in- serted in a. newspaper, which spoke of the reputation for teachmg which she bears." The printer omitted the which," so the clause was made to announce to the world her. reparation for teaching, she bears,"

A Day in Darkest I England." WHAT IS BEING DONE. Under these headings, Rambler writes as follows in last week's Christian World How far has General Booth got with his grand scheme of social redemption ? What manner of men has he gathered around him ? Has he be- gun to make any real impression on tho Sub- merged Tenth? Is he spending his £130,000 to the best advantage? HOY.' many irons has he already in the fire, ancP how many more is be preparing to put there ? These are some of the questions I put to myself when, a dav or two ago, I started on a tour in Darkest England. The best way to satisfy my curiosity, I thought, was to go and see some of the stations already planted on the "Way Out." Well, I went. It was a long and tiring day. and then I had not finished. The truth is—must I confess it ? —what I saw was so intensely interest- ing, and the officers of the Social Wing were so overflowing with good fellowship, and so charged to the brim with thrilling stories of personal experience, and of the men and women under their charge, that it was difficult to tear oneself away. Some of the Officers. And who are these otticers ? It is difficult to realise that this splendid "captain," with his frank blue eyes and honest face, who stirs to the hearts a motley company in the Whitechapel "Lighthouse," was, five years ago, a ne'er-do- well in an Australian gaol, where the Salvation Army found him. His wife in England had long cast him off, and had been supported with their child by the guardians. Now they are reunited, and as the captain tells his audience for the benefit of a poor fellow who has bsen picked up in a state of despair and has just told how his wife and son left him through his bad conduct—the reunited family are "as happy as the day." I learnt, too, that the captain, out of his very few shillings a week, is voluntarily repaying the tfuardians the expense to which they were put. .Then notice .that doorkeeper, with one glass eye, whom my companion cordially salutes as "Wally." He is a treasure. Cerberus himself was not more vigilant. Wally is invaluable at keeping order. He it was who, though short and shm, not long since "took all the conceit" out of a big bully who wanted to tyrannise over bis fellows. Well, Wally has been one of the most daring and expert burglars in London. The last time he left gaol the despairing chaplain told him he would give him a glass eye if he kept out of gaol for a fortnight. In a very few weeks two Salvationist officers accompanied the redoubtable Wally, a new trophy of the Army, to the gaol, and the chaplain nobly redeemed his promise. There is a barman, too, one of the most useful men engaged at the food and shelter depots. He would work day and night for us if we would let htm," I am told. This man is not twenty-nine, but he has spent over thirteen years in gaol. All these men, and others like them, are gentle, obedient, aflame with zeal, ready to go anywhere and do anything at a moment's notice for General Booth. The Submerged at Work and Resting. My first visit is to Hanbury-street factory, the mother factory of the City Colony. Hanbury- street is in the heart of the Whitechapel murder district. It is narrow and dirty. It seems to be the fashion for the women of the district to go hatless and bonnetless, while the little girls are bareheaded as they go to school. Three names out of four over the shop windows are Polish, German, or Jewish. I notice 011 a wall i bill about a poor law guardians' election in three languages — English, Hebrew (Yiddish), and German. When I reached the factory the men have just ceased work for dinner. I cross a large yard stacked with timber. A few men are having a quiet smoke, but, guided by the çound of singing, I enter a I large shed, where some sixty men and youths are listening to an officer conducting service. The midday rest is an hour and a half, of which the first half-hour is devoted to a service which the men attend or not, as they think proper. Most do attend, and I do not wonder. Could their lives be written, what a collection of tragedies would it be Here are men from 70 to 17, and the majority of them are evidently not of the labouring class. It is easy to pick out the faces of educated men who have lived refined lives, and I learn afterwards that among them are once gentlemen," and professional men of high I attainments who have held posts of honour and large profit, but—but—well, there was a but. and 1 brought them to the state at which they leaped at the chance of chopping firewood or making baskets in Hanbury-street. They J listen, some in painfully shiny black coats, to the cheering helpful words of the chaplain." After the dinner—a solid meal, in which steak puddings, haricot beans, and such fare figure largely—I saw the men at work. Eyes brighwned and faces beamed as the chaplain went about addressing a kindly word or a cheery inquiry. It is a busy scene at Hanbury-street, as some are sawing timber, while others are fashioning into furniture, such as seats for halls, cabinets, boxes, and bed frames, for the Army's shelters others are making brooms and brushes which, to my inexperienced judgment. would gladden a Dutch housewife and there are, besides, a tambourine manufactory, a bootlace section, and for the unskilled, until they learn something better, firewood chopping. The hours are from 7 to 5.30, with an hour and a half off. Each man is expected to earn Is 2d a day, which pays tor his food and lodging at the "Lighthouse. If he earns less, which will be his own fault, then he is docked at his meals if he earns more he gets it in cash. Only a day or two before my visit the first drafts from Hanbury-street and Old-street were sent to the Farm Colony at Southend, the second link in the triple chain. The most promising agri- culturists were selected. Homeless Women. Before I proceed to Old-street, I cross the road to two very important "'Darkest England" institutions directly opjjosita One is the W omen's Shelter. It is early in the afternoon, and vigorous scrubbing, swilling, washing, and white-washing are going on, for scrup llous cleanliness is the rule. The three dormitories are an extraordinary spectacle. The largest is a fine hall, with a gallery, well lighted, ventilated, and warmed, as indeed are the others, by heated pipes. The sleeping bunks are long wooden boxes placed side by side. Thebeds are of dried seaweed i n thin leather cases, and the covering is light leather, with a strap to go round the sleeper's neck. Those who sleep on down may not be attracted by the des- cription but then the poor creatures who sleep on these springy seaweed beds would be huddled under some railway arch, or tramping the streets, if they did not get in here. We have to turn hundreds away," says. swarthy Captain Hassan, the superintendent, under whom a staff of sisters attend to the women. "The appeals," he adds, are often heartrending to let them in, for they feel if they can only get inside they are safe." For twopence a woman can have shelter and light and warmth from three in the afternoon till eight I in the morning. She can sew and do work which she may sell next day. For a penny she can get a pint cup of strong tea, and a round of bread-and-butter an inch aW a half thick, popu- larly known as a "doorstep." Many have no clothing save such as they carry on them, and they are permitted to wash their linen and dry it on hot pipes in a huge laundry, while they can J also have a good bath. A thorough wash when they enter is compulsory. The best influences are brought to bear on thesepooV creatures, most of them belonging to the class whence were drawn the victims of the horrible series of murders, and every encouragement and help is given-to those I' who sincerely desire to return to virtue. The Match Factory. After a description of some "WTiitechapel babies" and details of "a converted brewery," the writer proceeds to an account, as follows, of the match factory :—The old Scotch janitor admits me with an Open, Sesame from head- quarters, after a short parley, and I poon find myself in charge of a very courteous manager, who is not a Salvationist, but a warm hearted Methodist. Experienced managers of match factories are not' born, but made and a man may be never so good a Salvationist and yet an unsatisfactory superintendent and instructor of a factory of Lights in Darkest England." This General Booth was shrewd enough to recognise. A good number of men and girls are already at work, splitting the "skillets," filling the frames—each holding 6,000 double-length match strips, to be dipped at each end and afterwards cut m the middle—shaving the timber, which others shape into boxes* filling the boxes, or brushing on the "friction. Not until a supply sufficient to meet the- first demand has been produced will the matches be put on the market. I open a box and strike some, which burn with a strong, bright flame. They are the verv best "safeties," and no sulphur is used, such as, in the production of cheap matches, affects the workers with terri- ble diseases in lungs and mouth and breasts and face. The hours are eight and-a-half daily the wages are fifty per cent. higher than the wages paid elsewhere; there is a dining-room for the workers; and the factory is light and well venti- lated. It is believed, with all this, that the sales will make a profit. Apart from the benefit to the workers, however, the good influence of the'ex- periment will be incalculable. At the Lighthouse.' Had I'time I should have visited the factory for married men in Fieldgate-street, Whitechapel, where the wages earned are paid in cash, and the men live at their own homes. Instead of this, I spend a pleasant hour at the Lighthouse," in Quaker-street, Commercial-street, out of White- chapeL This is where the Hanbury-street and Old-street factory men are lodged. They are at home" when I call. Some are enioying their tea, others are puffing and chatting and spinning yarns in a smoking-room. Elsewhere, the sound I of a concertina. is heard, and the musician has a merry audience. Upstairs I discover an officer addressing a "converts' meeting," and In the'great ball tyere is a gatherinc that attracts a Uucee u. ber-a sort of religious entertainment and expe- rience meeting. The Farm Colony. I must conclude my sketch. In reply to ques- tions, I was told that the General has secured 800 acres of good land at Southend for the Farm Colony, and sixty men are now commencing pre- paratory work. It may be that the proposed "Whitechapel-on-Sea" may rise in connection with this. When the over-sea colony is wanted, there are" millions of acres, I am told, to select from. In the West-end, premises will shortly be opened as the centre for the Salvage work, tne collection and utilisation of waste kitchen and household stuff. The People's Bank is in operation in connection with the Salvation Army itself and the People's Lawyer may be freely consulted, while inquiries are made for persons wanted, often sons and daughters who have nearly broken fathers' and mothers' hearts. Many happy restorations have been effected in this way. My day in Darkest England thoroughly convinced me that if the great scheme fails it will not be through want of energy and honesty in carrying it out. But it cannot fail if conducted on its present lines. It may not do all that General Booth sanguinely believes, but it will do good that will make the money spent upon it the best ever expended in philanthropic work.

Samuel's Sentiments. SAMUEL ON DINNERS AND DINERS. There was once upon a time, as the story goeIS, an American scientist who came to the conclusion that eating was a mere matter of habit, and, to prove his theory, he experimented on a borse. He reduced the animal's food gradually until the amount of sustenance supplied to the beast of burden was one bean a day. Then the horse died. And so did the scientist's theory. Dinners are looked upon in different ways by different men, and there are as many styles in dining as in ladies' dresses. To one man dinners are a neces- sity pure and simple, to another ihey are an artistic pleasure, to be arranged and prepared for with all the care and attention possible. Which of the two men obtains tfcie moet enjoy- ALWAYS DINES OUT. ment trom his dinners is purely a matter of opinion and taste, and Hodge probably enjoys his simple fare as thoroughly as the greatest epicure his costly feast. And he is far less ]ikely to suffer from indigestion. Hodge and his compeers eat to live, while the epicu- reans may be said to Jive to eat. The Savant Savarin spent his life in cultivating the art of dining, and I have often thought that in the experimental stages of his career he must have been a man to avoid, especially if he had a weakness for in- viting his friends to hif feasts. Fancy a man being made the victim of a menu consisting of gastronomic experi- ments The idea is appalling. The old gentleman who, when asked by a young friend to dine with him at his club, said, Not if I know it, sir. Dining at your club means an hour's gorging and a week s remorse," had probably an extensive and unpleasant experience of restaurant cooking. In which case he had good cause for his cynical reply. The man who said that matrimony and sausages required a large amount of faith for their perfect enjoyment might have added that the man of little faith was hardly likely to gelt through a restaurant dinner without feajrffcfl} Vrembling. DINES LATE. Diners at a restaurant should never enquire as to the mysteries they are partaking of. In the ait of mystery the restaurant chef is far beyond the most talented of conjurors. He can tickle your palate with something that tastes delicious, but which defies analysis. In these cases, as the poei does not say: 'lis better-to have faith galore, Than to enquire what you eat. In this connection it is told of a Parisian epicure that he once laid a bet that he could tell what any dish set before him was composed of. A chef was procured who sent up a most tooth- some mass of matter, which the epicure tried in vain to name. It turned out to be a dish of stewed white kid glovcs highly flavoured. Which proves to a demonstration that ODf. never knows what half one eats is composed of. xnere are iew men who really under- stand the art of giving a dinner. They usually manage to make a slight error in detail which pre- vents the feast from being perfect. The pleasantest feeds are those where the guests are limited in number, and where the conversational powers of the diners are about equal in quality. There is nothing so depressing as a slow dinner. for though the feast be of the best, it is not enjoyed if the con- DINES AT HOME. versation be flat, stale, and unprofitable. A good story told at the right moment will often prevent the guests from feeling that things are not quite up to the mark. Your story-teller is a most valuable adjunct to a dinner party, for good humour is a capital aid to digestion. Many a man has been supplied with dinners gratis from the mere fact that he was able to tell good stories. The difference between an ordinary home dinner and a dinner where the flow of wit abounds can only be appreciated by those who are familiar with both. DINES WHEN HE CAN. It is on sacb occasions as these that di- ners, imbued and influenced by the good things gastro- nomic and con- versational they have been sup- plied with, lay themselves out to be seen at their best. Each vies with his neighbour in being witty, and reminiscences, jokes, and jo- kers are dis- cussed across the walnuts and the wine. Big dinners are as a ruJ400 failures. There is too much ground to cover: and it not un- freauentlv hap- pens, especially at public functions, that you get a baa dinner, bad waiting, and dull speeches, all of which are conducive to bad temper. Nor is it the most expensive dinner that is the most enjoyable. A simple repast with genial cam. panions is just as likely to be remembered pleasantly as a big feed with a city corporation with its real turtle soup and its beat brands of champagne. SAMUEL His SENTIMENTS.

A GOOD TIME CoMmc.—Madison Squeer: I seems absurd to see you reading a comic paper Lord Howlong Oh, come now I say, old fellah. I like a good joke when I see it. Madison Squeer I don't doubt it; but it-takes you suobt deiol of a white to see it.