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Musical and Eisteddfodic Notes.…
Musical and Eisteddfodic Notes. (BY MAELGWYN.) Welsh Adjudicators at the Pontypridd National Eisteddfod. The deliberations of the Musical Committee of the Pontypridd National Eisteddfod have not been carried forward with marked unanimity of late. Six adjudicators were in the first place deemed to be sufficint-oue to be appointed by the South Wales Brass Band Association. It goes without saying that they will select some- body like Franz Groenings, whose very name seems to be a powerful magnet to the bands in the North of England. The two other adjudica- tors selected with practical unanimity were Mr A. C. Mackenzie, London, and Mr George Riseley, Bristol. This selection will with- out a doubt recommend itself to all, and it shows that in some things at least the Eisteddfod Committee know what they are doing. The three remaining adjudicators were to be Welshmen, as is only right and proper they should be. Mr John Thomas (Pencerdd Gwalia) was selected without any serious opposition. But having done so much good work, the majority of the committee seem to have gone all astray. They chose two gentlemen who, whatever their abilities may bo, are practically unknown in South Wales. The minority, naturally wishing to raise the standard of the National Eisteddfod to something like dignity, voted for the two best known of all our Welsh musicians, but they wer&outvoted. It seems ridiculous on the face of it that men like Dr Parry and Mr David Jenkins should be thrown "overboard in order that others, who are all but un. known and untried, should be put forward. Now, men of Pontypridd, rise to the oooasion by selecting the best possible men. You have selected Englishmen who stand in the front rank of musicians. Do the same where poor little Wales is concerned. Porth Eisteddfod. There is every indication that the great eisteddfod to be held next Whit-Monday and Tuesday will be phenomenally successful. The sturdy colliers of the Rhondda. are taking up the matter in the most enthusiastic manner, and already several thousands of tickets have been sold. The colliery managers, no less than tho men themselves.aro doing what they can to secure the success of the eisteddfod, and tickets, I am informed, are being or have been sold at the pits' mouth. The choice of adjudicators is admirable in every respect. In the musical department there are two Welshmen and one English- man. That Englishman is an experienced choir leader—just the kind of man who ought to bo selected to decide the claims of the various choirs and soloists. Brass bands, too, will be adjudged by a practical bandmaster, and there is every reason to believe that competitors will be as thoroughly satisfied with the awards as they were wont to be when men like poor John North decided their claims. In the chief choral competition there will be two prizes of the respective value of 100 guineas and 20 guineas, and to the conductor of the choir that wins the first prize will be given a gold medal of the value of five guineas. The test pieces are "Hark the deep tremendous voice" and Now by day's retiring lamp." The selection of this last piece is about the only serious fault that can be found with the Porth Eisteddfod programme. It is right and proper that cboira should be tested in the rendering of refined works as well as in that of heavy dra- matic music but surely it is a terrible drop from the awful grandeur of Haydn's chorus to the flimsy jingle of" Bim, borne, bell." Such a composition, however pretty it be, is altogether unworthy of a first-class choir. But since it has been selected the committee will do well to insist upon having it sung. It is said that five choirs intend competing. The male voice competition will be the first important struggle in which Mr David Jenkins's last and best male voice chorus, The War Horse," has been chosen as the test piece. There are two prizes of the aggregate value of 50 guineas. There will be quite a hast of brass bands. The Association is straining every nerve to make this competition a memorable one in the history of the Eisteddfod. I understand that Mr T. C. Edwards, the ever busy secretary of the Association, has been in communication with the Eisteddfod Com- mittee with a view of inducing them to have the competition taken on Tuesday, the second day of the Eisteddfod, in order that it may not clash with the contest at Caerphilly, which will be taken on Monday. The Porth Committee will most likely accede to this request, if, indeed, they have not already done so. Brief Notes. Musical prodigies are not confined to Germany and America. We have at least one of them iu Wales. The four-year-old son of the Rev J. Jones, Penrhiwceiber, is a prodigy in his way. The little fellow's head is scarcely higher than the keyboard of the pianoforte, yet he always runs to the instrument and has got on so well in his unaided studies that he can play several hymn-tuues. That boy will perhaps develop into a new Mozart Miss Ceinwen Jones, the eldest sister of this prodigy, will no more be the terror of alto singers who want to win eisteddfodic distinction. She has decided to compete no more, and since her entry into the Royal Academy of Music she has gone in for hard study and plenty of vocal practice. She has been invited to sing at the Welsh National Banquet given by the Lord Mayor, and I expect she will accept the invitation. By so doing she would give the Welsh in London the opportunity of hearing a voice that, once heard, cannot be forgotten. Miss Jones has also been informed by the authorities at the Royal Academy that she will bo expected to sing at the miscellaneous concert to be given during the ensuing term by the students. The bestowal of such an honour upon one who has been only a couple of months at the Academy is something to be proud of. The Mardy Brass Band will make their first public appearance as eisteddfod competitors at the Caerphilly Eisteddfod on Whit-Monday. Mr Howe, the accomplished leader of the Femdale Band, is training them. Here is one more proof that existed for the formation of the South Wales Brass Band Association. The Ferndale Male Voice Society is coming to the front, and if they manage to hold together this year we may expect to hear of their accom- plishing some great things. Just now their singinc is exceedingly good, and their friends anticipate that they will make a good show both aji Qaerphilly and Porth. The cpnductor is Mr Enqcfc^I^wis. Their annual, banquet took place on Wednesday evening week at the Rhondda Inn. Mr John Thomas, the late secretary of the Llanelly Choral Society, has been appointed conductor of that famous body of singers in suc- cession to Mr R. C. Jenkins, who resigned after the Swansea Eisteddfod. The choir will compete at the Llanelly Eisteddfod in September, and possibly too at the Bridgend meeting in July. The committee, who are carrying forward the arrangements for the great Eisteddfod at Llanelly, have failed to secure the services of ISignor Randegger as principal adjudicator. An effort is now being made to engage Mr Wm. Shake- speare to discharge the duties.
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A CALL FOR PROTECTION.—A. police officer tells a good cat story. He says he was walking down a street, approaching a corner, when he saw a cat coming across, picking her way carefully to avoid several wet places. At the same time a dog came up the street in the opposite direction to that in which the policeman was moving. A second dog was coming along the other street, and turned the corner behind the cat just as she reached the side- walk. They thus had the cat in a pocket from which there was no escape but the prospect of a fierce battle. The officer stopped, and was turn- ing on his heel to see the fun he thought was coming, when something caught his coat. and, scrambling up his back, sat on his shoulder a very much frightened cat. The officer was hardly less frightened, for the assault was utterly unexpected. The cat regained her composure in a few seconds, however, and curled herself down contentedly, while the dogs ran around sniffing and whining, wondering where their prey bad vanished to so suddenly.
Songs for the People. ..
Songs for the People. Andrew Fletcher, of Saltoun, in a letrer to the Marqjiis of Montrose, wrote I know a very wise man that bebeveel that if a man were permitted to iniike all the ballads he need not care who should make the laws of the nation."
HOW EASY IT IS.
HOW EASY IT IS. How easy it is to spoil a day The thoughtless words of cherished friends, Tho selfish act of a child at play, The strength of will that will not bend, The slight of comrades, the scorn of foe, The smile that is full of better things— They all can tarnish its golden glow And take the grace from its airy wings. How easy it is to spoil a life— And many are spoiled ere well beg-nn- In some hie darkened by sin and strife, Or downward course of a cherished one, By toil that robs the form of its grace And undermines till health gives way By the peevish temper, the frowning: face, The hopes that go and cares that stay. A day is too long to be spent in vain. Seme good should come as the hours go by— Same tangled maze may be made more plain, Some lowered glance may be raised on high, And life is too short to spoil like this, If only a prelude it may be sweet; Let us bind together its threads of bliss And nourish the flowers around our feet.
The" Poor Welsh
The" Poor Welsh Apothecary." The twenty-sixth biennial festival in aid of the funds of the Royal Medical Benevolent College, Epsom, was held in the Whitehall Room of the Hotel Metropole. The Lord Mayor (the Right Hon. David Evans) presided. He was accom- panied by Mr Sheriff Foster. On his right sat Sir Andrew Ciark, Bart., Sir A. W. Hemming, K.C.M.G., and Mr Wakley, F.R.C.S., and on his left Sir Richard Quam, Bart., President of the General Medical Council, and Mr Thomas Bryant, President of the Royal College of Surgeons. Among those who were prevented from attending may be mentioned Lord Derby and Lord Gifiord. The company, however, was a large and representative one, numbering con- siderably over 250 persons. The object of the gathering was to assist the Council of the institution to provide funds in aid not only of aged and disabled medical men, bus also of the children of those medical men who, from death or misfortune, have been unable to provide for their families. The pensioners who receive annuities of £21 each, with furnished rooms in the College at Epsom, must be legally qualified medical men, who have been registered for five years, or the widows of such. They must not be less than 60 years of age at the time of their application for admission, and their yearly income, independent of any allowance by tha College, must not exceed £60..1,- was with a view of aiding the funds, in the first place, of this charitable institution, and also of assisting in collecting the sum of to enable the Council to carry out a scheme for permitting the removal of the pensioners from the precincts of the College, and, by giving them increased allowance in lieu of furnished rooms, to enable them to reside in their own part of the country instead of at Epsom, that the biennial festival dinner was held. In the course of a speech, proposing the toast, Success to the Roj'aiiMedical Benevolent College, Epsom," the Lord Mayor referred to the poor Weisrvapothecary," thefounder of the institution. Hesaid :—But to mcthere is an additional interest. It is that the founder, the actual founder of this institution, was a Welshman, and I, needless to say, am a Welshman myself. I come from the county of Glamorgan, and the founder of this institution came from the adjoining county of Cardiganshire. He was but a poor Welsh apothecary. I believe I am speaking in the presence of his son here to-night, but I do not in any way imagine that this reference, even the term "poor Welsh apothecary," will in any way upset the son's respect for his father. At all events, this Welshman, for a Welsh- man he was, founded this institution. But for his initiative, we should not have been called here to-night, and all the immense good recorded of this College would have remained un- recorded. For what purpose, then, was it I founded ? It was founded to provide an asylum and pensions for aged medical men and the widows of medical men in reduced circum- stances and it does not come within the range, unfortunately, of the knowledge of the majority of us that there are practitioners, many of them friends of ours, others known to us, who have be- come reduced incircumstances, notinthe majority of instances through any mistakeon their part, but through the sheer force of circumstances. I have myself, when a youth in Wales, watched many hard-working practitioners 1U the county of Glamorgan and I have seen many of them- having more especially in my mind one—called out in the middle of the night to saddle his horse, when the rain was pouring down and the wind blowing cold across the mountains, to visit some suffering pa.tients. And attached to that. what ? A large fee ? No a, very small one, and in all probability an uncollected fee. That is not an overurawn picture. Though we are speaking new in London, these experiences which I have recounted are not limited to Wales; and there are medical men much nearer, hero in the Metropolis, of whom very similar tales of devotion might be told. This institution, then, was founded for that object, and in addition that there should be a school open to all classes, but offering special advantages to the sons of medical men. fifty of whom are foundation scholars and in addition to which on the pensioners' side, there are fifty pensioners receiving annuities of £21 each. On the question of pensioners there is a slight, and certainly an unfounded, impression abroad that tho con- templated scheme for the enlargement of the accommodation at the College would bring with it an amount of injustice to the pensioners. Nothing of the kind is thought ot or contemplated. It is not pro- posed to remove a single pensioner now resident. That would be wrong, unless they consented. But it is proposed that as they die out no more should be admitted. As to compulsion, there is no com- pulsion, for if the pensioners do not desire to live in the College it is true that they donot get thair house accommodation or their clothes. Nothing of any kind could be done by the Council without receiving the approval of Parliament, anv that would be a guarantee that it shall be in 110 sense an unjust arrangement. This College was founded in year 1851 by the Welshman, John Propert. On the 25th of June, 1855, it was formally opened by H.R.H. the late Prince Consort, who on that occasion was accompanied by the Prince of Wales.
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TOMBS OF ROMEO AND JCLIRT. — In 1888 Monsieur Victorin Joncieres, the distinguished composer and musical critic, a visit to Verona, and he states that the tomb said to be that of Romeo's sweetheart, which is at the end of a garden in the old cloister of the Franciscan con- vent at that place, is absolutely in ruins. Above it, in a kind of a niche in the garden wall, which is of brick, is a basket full of decayed and weather-stained visiting cards. Hanging on the wall near by the niche is a wreath with a card attached bearing the name of Mme. Talbot Shakespeare," whom Monsieur Joncieres puts down as a descendant of the bard of Avon. On the wall to the left is a portrait of Friar Law- rence. Romeo is buried at Mantua, and it is said that his tomb is in a much better state of preser- vation than that of his lady love. It is to be hoped that persons who take an interest in his- toric Italian monuments will see to it that the memory of these two famous lovers is for eve. kept green.
ECHOES FROM THE CALENDAR.
ECHOES FROM THE CALENDAR. MAY. 15. SUNDAY.—Fourth Sunday after Easter. 16. MONDAY.—Yendome Column destroyed, 1871. Mrs Kemans did, 1835. 17. TUESDAY.—Revised New Testament ISSUED, 1831. Kin of Spain born, 18S6 18. WEDNESDAY.—Czarevitch born, 1868. Charles Per ran It died, 1703. 19.—THURSDAY.—James Bosvrell died, 1795. Revised Bible published, 1885. 20.—FRIDAY.—Columbus died, 1506. 21.—SATURDAY.—Mutiny at Oawnpore. Sir Lyon Playfair born, 1819. Rapin and his History. The huge, voluminous history of England, by Rapin, kept a certain hold on the public favour. It was thought to be more impartial than other histories of England, the supposed fact being at- tributed to the country of theautbor. But, in reality, Rapin had his twists like other people. A refugee from France under the Edict of Nantes, he bore away a sense of wrongs extending back through many generations of his Protestant family, and this feeling expressed itself in a very/odd way. In regard to the famous quarrel between Edward III. hond Philip of Valois, be actually advocates the right of the former, which no Englishman of his own or any later time would have done. Rapm came to England in the expedition of the Prince of Orangre, served the new king in Ire- land, and afterwards became governor to the son of William's favourite, the Duke of Portland. Perrauit. This name calls for a brief passing notice as one associated with pleasure which we have all enjoyed in childhood.' It is but little, and even dubiously knewn that the universally diffused Tales of Mother Goose, Blue Beard, Tom I humb, Cinderella, &c., were a production of this cele- brated French writer. After having spent along life in more or less profound studies, and pro- duced several learned dissertations, it pleased him to compose these fairy tales, probably to amuse a little son who had been born to him in advanced age. It was in 1697 that these matchless stories were given to the world at Paris not, however, as the production of Charles Porrault, the accom- plished and esteemed scholar and critic, but as the work of Perrault d'Armancourt, his son, who was as yet a mere child. They have since been translated into nearly every language. Perrault died in the 76th year of his age. James Boswell. Boswell gets but hard measure from the world. We owe to him the best, because the most com- plete, account of a human being—in short the best piece of biography—that the world possesses, and yet he is seldom respectfully spoken of. Even the completeness of the life of Johnson, proceeding as it does from his extreme veneration for the man, stands as a fact rather against than for him. True, Boswell did not exhibit in life many solid qualities; he failed in his profession as a counsel, both in his own country and in London and he clouded his latter days and cut them short by dissipation. Surely many estimable men have done no better. True, also, he was vain, fickle, frivolous to some extent; but have not many been so without forfeiting the regard of those who knew them? Perhaps the best defence that can be made for Boswell is to cite the regard in which he was held by his con- temporaries-Johnson. above alL Invariable tradition represents him as the most pleasant of all pleasant companions. His high spirits, his drollery, his pure, self-revealing simplicity made him the delight of his friends. Surely, if a man had these good qualities, was at the same time honourable in his social and domestic relations, and possessed of the literary power and industry of such a book as the" Life of Johnson," he could not be quite a despicable bciog. Mrs Hemans. Felicia Dorotbes, Hemans, an English poetess, was born in Liverpool in 1794. She first appeared as an authoress in 1808, with a volume entitled Early Blossoms, which was followed in 1812 by hor more successful volume, The Domestic Affections. In the same year she married Capt. Hemans, who, however, left her six years later. She then devoted herself to literature, winning public notice by her poems entitled The Restora- tion of the Works of Art to Italy, The Sceptic, Modern Greece, ;md Dartmoor, the last, in 1821, gaining the prize of the Royal Society of Literature. In 1825 she took up her residence at Rhyllon, near St. Asapb, where she wrote her "Lays of Many Lands," "Forest Sanctuary," "Records for Women." She subsequently pub- lished "Songs of the Affections," "Hymns for Childhood," and "Scenes and Hymns of Life." Her death took place in 1835, closing a sad life at the age of 42. Her poetry is essentially lyrical and descriptive. The strain of sentiment in Mrs Hemans's verse was associated with domestic feeling the sad undertone was a real note of life in her.
A WELSH PILGRIM EFFIGY.
A WELSH PILGRIM EFFIGY. An interesting effigy, hitherto, it is thought, undescribed, has been observed by Mr T. C. Evans, a well-known local antiquary, in Llaudy- fodwg Church, Glamorganshire. The figure iù carved in low relief upon a stons about 6ft. long, and represents a pilgrim, as may be seen by the scallop of Com postell a upon his right shoulder, and his wallet and staff but he 'wears a tunic instead of the cloak, and a bood, apparently of fur. instead of the usual hat nor do evidences of "sandal shoon appear. At cither side of the head is carved a small Maltese cross, and at the left side crossed keys, emblems which may denote pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome, On the breast are three other keys of unknown mean- ing, and the left hand holds a baton and a twisted object, like a thick whip-lash, but which termi- nates in a knot or tassel. No inscription is to be found, and portions of the stone are so abraded that a portion of the outline cf the body haa disappeared. The execution, though careful, is rude, and appears to be of the fourteenth century. Pilgrim effigies are rare, and this instance may be unique so far as Wales is concerned. -Daily Graphic.
THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.
THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS. The first four months of 1892 have been a trifle wetter than the same period of 1891, but decidedly drier than the average of the half century. With regard to trade, English wheat has mended some- what, but, sample for sample, it is feared tbore lip-s not been more than 6d improvement. At Mark-lane the most saug-ume would not say more than Is. The price of foreign wheat is very little changed from a week ago. The spring dorn trade shows that seventeen barley markets out of twenty-seven have slightly favoured holders 23 oat markets out of 26 16 markets for pulse out of 21 and 27 markets for maize out of 30. These figures, however, are not Vtory i-eliabit;, ;im the markets for oats is cheaper forward, though firm on spot and for pulse for summer shipmeiu extremely low prices are known to have accepted in the cargo market. The one article which is really firmer on the week, both cn »pob and forward, and for wholesale and retail, maize. Linseed is 6d better from tbt; extreme de- pression with which the month began.-Mark. lane Express.
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HARD AT THE BOTTOM.-lrs Power O'Don- oghue, in her "Ladies on Horseback," quotes a letter which appeared in a certain journal, con- taining the following remark about her There are few men in Irtland-if one—worth beinsr called such who would not willingly lay down thi-ir own lives rather than imperil the safety of one So'" universally beloved." Whatever tho men would do, a boy in Ireland imperilled her safety with less hesitation. The hounds run over a bog, and he called out to her to go on as it was hard at the bottom." She had not gone far when her horse got stuck." As her struggling steed was momentarily sinking lower," she shouted to the boy in tones of bitter remonstrance —" You told me this was bard at the bottom." So it is but you're not half way to the bottom yefe," replied the boy.
-------GOSSiPS' CORNER.
GOSSiPS' CORNER. Mr D. Ffranggon Davies, the Welsh baritone, has been engaged by Sir Augustus Harris for his season of Italian opera. My spirit will," Mr Labouchere avows, depart in peace if, before I die, I am able to say, Thank God, we have no House of Lords. The Turner Gallery, Penarth. is open to the public every Wednesday and every Sunday after- noons. It is not open on Saturdays, as wac erroneously stated. Mr D. L. Moody has been touring in Palestine. He preached two Sundays on Mount Calvary to crowds who gathered. Mr Moody expects to bt back in England early this month. The oldast magistrate in the county of Cardi- gan, so far as appointment is concerned, » Mr J. M. Davies, Penpontpren, who qualified it 1&38. Mr R. J. Davies, of Cwrtmawr, is lying seriously ill at his residence. Mr Davies is well- known and highly honoured in Welsh Noncon- formist circles. For the fifth time in succwssion the Right Hon. G. Osburil Morgan, M.P., has been appointed one of the Chairmen of Grand Committees on Law and Trade Bills. A marriage will take place on June 14th between Captain Douglas Gaisford, of the South Wales Borderers, and Esme, second daughter of General Sir Archibald Alison, Bart,, G.C.B. Sir W. Lawson's latest on iaot is that a Good Templar was invited to the funeral of a licensed victualler, and, being unable to be present, wrote "that he could not attend, but he quite approved of it." When it is outside of Ireland it is full of ability and full of information, but when it a proaches Ireland it writes like a maniac is delirium." So said Mr John Morley of the Timet at the N.L.C. An opera by a Welsh collier has just been pro- duced and performed to large and enthusiastic houses in the colliery districts in South Wales. It is worthy of note that the scenery was painted by a collier who works every day underground. It is a noteworthy fact that just at the present time one or two Cardiganshire Methodist minis- ters are fulfilling engagements to preach at one of the Welsh chapels belonging to that body at Birmingham. Is this a ruse de guerre ? We pause for a reply. A new edition of Mr Gladstone's Impreg- nable Rock of Holy Scrj pture" is in preparation, and will be issued very soon. Mr Gladstone has revised the book thoroughly, and added a great deal of entirely fresh matter. This will be the third edition of the Impregnable Rock." Sir Henry Parkes, G.C.M.G., who has been five times Prime Minister of New South Wales, is about to issue an important historical work, which will probably be entitled Farm Labourer to Prime Minister Chapters of Autobiography. Fifty Years in the making of Australian History." Hers is a gem from the public meeting held on Wednesday by the Pontypridd masons :—" I have been called upon to address this meeting rather unsurprised, and therefore I am not pre- pared to speak." The speaker's meaning may not have been very clear, but the applause that followed was deafening. Dr Angus is about to resign the Prineipalship of Regent's Park Baptist College, after 50 yeari* service. Previous to accepting this position he was secretary to the Baptist Missionary Society. One of his daughters is a missionary in India, and one of his sons is Professor Angus, of the Univer- sity College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the current number of the Musical Time* Mr Joseph Bennett points with triumph to the establishment this year of the Cardiff Musical Festival, as one amongst many instances that may be brought forward to prove that oratoric and the German school of music is more popular than it has ever been in this country. Alderman James Jones, of Swansea, owes muck of his popularity to the fact that he is a Welsh- man—he was chairman of the Executive of the last National Eisteddfod—and yet all his horsee entered in the May Show bore English names. Here's something for investigation by the Cvmmrodorioi:. Mr T. C. Evans (Cadrawd), who has discovered an effigy in Llandyfodwg Church, presumably of the 14-th century, has made a special study of things antiquarian for many years. "Cadrawd" is an admitted authority on subjects of Welsh folk-lore, and his mind is a storehouse of anecdote and story on various aspects of life in Wales. Dr Clifford, the well-known Baptist minister, is putting the young men of this generation to shame. Many years ago he had a class to study the Greek Testament before breakfast, and now this past winter he has had another to study Ruskin's Crown of Wild Olive," meeting from 7 to 8a.m. on Wednesdays. Mr John Thomas, Llanwrtyd, the author of some of the most popular glees and anthems twer composed by a Welshman, and who is also widely known as conductor of Congregational musical festivals, is unable to fulfil his public engage- ments owing to the death of his father, which took place at Blaenanerch a few days ag-o. Miss Jeannie Rankin, the new contralto, was born in Manchester in 1870, and educated at the High School, Brook-streer. Her father, who belongs to musical Scotland, has a grand baritone voice. The late Mr H. Wilson, with whom Misn Rankin commenced to study at the age of 14, expressed the opinion that her voice promised to be the finest he ever trained. The inhabitants of Pontrhydycyff, Maesteg, are iDdienant that a national school is to be erected instead of the present British school. The site has been marked, and the contrae given to Mr Evan Evans, Foel. It wat thought that the school would be undenomin* tional, but as the local clergy appear to managw matters, the people regard the proposed new school as a Church school pure and simple. The death is announced, in his 82nd year, oil the Rev Robert Hughes, of Uwchlawffynnon, South Carnarvonshire, a well-known Calvinistis, Methodist minister. The deceased was a self- taught portrait and landscape painter. On on* occasion the late Lord Newborough who was hit personal friend, sat to him, and the portrait froir the easel of the old Welsh minister adorns tht little Dissenting chapel erected by his lordship 011 Bardsev Island. David Cox frequented for more than 40 yean an inn at Bcttws-y-Coed, in North Wales, called the Royal Oak. It was from here that he sallied into the Vale of Clwyd. Once he painted a sign-board for the old inn. The latter has long since disappeared, and given place to a hotel erf considerable size; but the siarn painted by Cox is still to be seen preserved in the hall. It has bcon made part of the freehold.
A SATURDAY SERMON.
A SATURDAY SERMON. Wherever we look, we see that all the resources of art, infantine or full-grown, are most fully employed in the service of religion. Painting, seulpture, music, the thousand minor arts of decoration and dress, all combine to do honour to the pods of the country. From the West African fetish, through the Polynesian shrines^ the Indian topes, the Chinese pagodas, the Mexican and Peruvian temples, the mysterious colonnades of Egypt, the massive architecture oi Babylon or Nineveh, the Hellenic parthenons, the Italian capitols, to the modern mosquee of Islam, and the towering cathedrals 01 Christendom, we find the highest artistic handi- craft of every age and race lavished upon the dwelling-place of the national deities. The few traces of aesthetic feeling in the Hebrew Scrip- tures are connected with the workmanship of the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the hieratic dress. I have pointed out elsewhere how large a part the religious sentiment has borne in the genesii of the sublime it must here suffice thus briefly to hint at the impetus which it has given to the kindred feeling of the beautiful. Whether w* look at the endless painted images of Karnact, or at the stained windows of Salisbury, we innsi recognise the enormous influence of religion in the growth of disinterested aesthetic feeling. Gsurr Aifttg,
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WORKMEN'S TOPICS.
WORKMEN'S TOPICS. i BY MABON, M.P. CONDITIONS OF LABOUR IN GREAT BRITAIN. Workmen's Dwelling-houses. Legislation dealing with workmen's dwell- began in 1851 with an Act on the Well-ordering of Houses," followed in the same year by the Labouring Classes' Lodging-houses Act." The first was amended in 1853, and the second in 1855, by the Labourers' Dwellings Act." These Acts refer to the dwellings of the poorest tlasses. Others were passed in 1860, 1864, J866, 1867, 1868, 1874, 1875, 1879, 1880, *882, and 1885. All this legislation aims at preventing the overcrowding of houses inhabited by the working classes, and improving their Unitary conditions. It has not, however, Succeeded in its object, although some Progress has been made. And we are in- armed that English workmen in the great ^ties, especially in London, lodge according 60 their means, in three ways. • « (1) Those who a.-e best off have a cottage for Jttemselves and family in a workman's quarter of district. The facilities And cheapness of {^comotion by omnibuses and special workmen's P^Os enable these men to live a certain distance "ODI their work. (2) The greater number of workpeople hire a or two in a bouse close to their work. There a large number of these houses, called "tene- houses, sub-divided into separate rjditfngs of one or two rooms each, which the Proprietor lets to families of workmen. In of this kind the overcrowding is often Peat; for instance, eleven families may be found in eleven rooms m the same house, each room having not less than seven persons in it. to(3) "Model buildings" have been constructed to a certain extent, that is, buildings of large Jze, constructed specially for poor workmen.\e.g., he Peabody dwellings and the buildings of such companies as those of Northampton and West- minster. But this kind of workmen's dwellings Js an exception, and, moreover, it is asserted that *hey faii jn their object. Their rents are too high I? be paid by the poorest workmen. Moreover, workman, whenever it is possible, prefers to *lve in a separate house, even although he and his family, as frequently happens, only occupy the basement of it. Under these circumstances it is not sur- prising that the public report in 1885, which followed an inquiry into the condition of workmen's dwellings, did not record any real progress. A new law, remodelling and Modifying all previous legislation,was pacsed 1-4 1890. The following are some of its pro- ^sions:— Inspection districts musb be made from time time by order of the local authorities, to dis- Coer if any houses are in a dangerous condition, tti a 8^a^e unfit for habitation and injurious to 0~? Public health. The local authorities have ?ers to proceed against the owner or tenant of reported to be in an unsanitary condition, Jwh the view of closing it. If, after that local authorities consider the continued of the house to be dangerous to the public or to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, the proprietor declines to take immediate to rectify it, the local authorities have P°Wers to order the demolition of the House. If, however, the proprietor undertakes at once the *We>«ry repairs, reasonable time is granted him r? complete them, but if he fails to do this within appointed period, the local authrities oxder the House to bedemolished. closing orders, can be issued against oJ?°USe if npon inquiry it is proved. (1) That in Jj*»er to add to the rent received the number of Persons dwelling in a house has been increased, contrary to law, and so as to render the honse Wealthy. (2) That the house is defective in its tor?l<*ry arrangements. (3) That the house is ^inhabitable; and an indemnity will be slanted:—(a) In the first case, based the rent balance of the house, if number of its inhabitants has kept within the legal limits; J -In the second case based upon the estimated of the house, with a certain deduction e 'or necessary expenses in rendering the habitable, (c) In the third case, based Pon the value of the land and the building Material of the house. anil —e C°unt;y Council advises the local uthorities that a certain house is unfit for th Qlan habitation, and the latter neglect to take Necessary steps, the County Council will act atif u and the powers of the district 'booties will pass to the County Council. Building Societies. lawding Societies are the result of Mutual *ck Societies. Building Societies owe heir origin to Acts 10 of George II., c. 56, 4 of William IV., c. 40, whose aim was encourage the employment of capital in construction of houses for the "Friendly °cieties." But the first Act which deals Pecially with Building Societies bears the Jgte 1836 (16 and 17 William IV., c. 27). "*8 has been modified by 14 different Acts Passed from 1836 to 1886. All these laws Aere consolidated and amended in 1874 by cts 37 and 38 Vict., c. 42, which was modified in two points in 1875. a ]aw passed in 1890 on stamp dutIes has granted certain exemptions building Societies. Members of Building ocieties may pay a monthly subscription, Qd they can borrow on mortgages 011 the °uses subject to repayment by monthly Qstalments in three, fifteen, or sixteen years. The number of such societies in 1887 48 2,197. At the same time the securities their shares, deposits, &c., were valued "t £ 53,760,215. These Building Societies re bound to address a report to Parliament each Year. Cost of Production. The cost of production, in spite of the Ofciparatively high rates of wages and the horter hours worked in the United ^ftgdoai, is less here than in any other gantry. This, we are informed, is due to he following combination of circumstances (1.) The excellent plant and the economical Processes employed in the principal branches of (2.) The skill of the workman, resulting from ^Practice and the good management of work- ^•) The supervision of work by competent anagers and foremen. 5 W-) The energy and perseverance of workmen n all branches of industry. M. neraHy speaking, the cost of living is neaper than formerly. Bread, te&, sugar, 4,ld other commodities are cheaper, and so are clothing, furniture, and domestic Utensils, Meat, on the other hand, i$ fearer, aud rents are very much .^gher, especially in towns and Industrial villages. And, as is well ,n°wn, on the other hand, wages have risen considerably. The prices of several icicles of food rise with localities and in r^ondon it differs from master to master, lost industrial centres have poor people's Markets, where various articles of food are at a cheaper rate than in shops. South ^ales may be considered somewhat back- ward in this matter. The adulteration of °°d and the use of false weights are punished severely when detected but here agaIn inspection is inadequate, and coii- sequent detection not frequent. It must be admitted that even this is gradually im- proving. Friendly Societies. The Friendly Societies of Great Britain ?re not only mere benevolent associations, ut their aim is to infuse a love of justice and a feeling of community of interests ^ng all their members. And the history Friendly Societies shows how the people this country have acquired the practical Usuiess abilities and the love of order ,^ich have become national characteristics, here are altogether no less than 32,000 elf-governing groups of Friendly Societies i! United Kingdom. These are sub- sided into four different classes :—(1) The anihated Orders which exist all over the uutry and in the Colonies; (2) the Federal and non-Federal Societies (3) local Provincial Societies, confined to one or two counties (these include the Burial Societies) and (4) the purely local associa- tions.
WELSH GLEANINGS.
WELSH GLEANINGS. By Lloffwr. Six Favourite Welsh Books. In Cyfaill yr AelwyA for this month the first in- stalment of lists of Six Favourite Welsh Books" is given. The replies, as might be anticipated, are as interesting as theyare instructive. Thefirst favourite seems to be the Mabinogion, and among the older poets Dafydd ap Gwilym is almost the only one mentioned; while the honours of modem poesy are divided between Goronwy Owen, Islwyn, Ceirlog, Hiraethog, and Emrys. The literary and theological essays of the late Dr Edwards (Bala) hold all enviable position while the memoir of John Jones (Talysarn) has no rival in biographical literature. In belles-lettres the Bardd Cwsg comes first, with Drych y Prif Oesocdd and LZVPY 2ri Aderyn (if W¡. may so classify this unique book) to follow. Of course. Bhys Lews is, to all seeming, the one romance of Welsh literature. It may be noted that the favourite edition of the Mabinogion is that edited by Prof. Rhys and Mr J. Gwenogfryn Evans (Oxford). Among those whose replies arc given this month are:—Mr T. E. Ellis, M.P., Owen M. Edwards, Daniel Owen (author of "Rhys Lewis"), Prof. Rhys, Dr Emrys Jones, Arch- deacon Howell, Dr Herber Evans, Prof. J. E. Lloyd, Lleufer Thomas, Cranogwen, Dyfed, Dr Edward Roberts, and some 20 others. Interesting to Welsh Bards. Welsh bards will be interested to know that at the Coneours de Felibrige Latin, which is to be held at Montpellier this year, the competition for the piece on the discovery of America by Chris- topher Columbus will be open to poetical com- positions in the Welsh language. The competi- tion has this description in the procramme:- Une piece (ceuvre dramatique ou lyrique, poeme, choix de sonnets ou petits poemes detaches), relative a la decouverte de l'Amerique par Christophe Colomb) 1492)." As at first arranged there was no mention of Welsh in the pro- gramme, and Welsh bards arn indebted to Mr Hubert Smith (Amgeiniad Ellan) for tho privilege now accorded them. Mr Smith com- municated with the secretary of the Felibrige, with the result that the committee decided that the competitions for ""Christopher Columbus" should be admitted from Wales as well as from Brittany. The compositions must be sent in to M. Brun, secretary of the Felibrige Latin, at Montpellier, before 15th June next. We may explain that Felibre is the term applied to troubadours of modern time who compose poetry in dialects and languages derived from Latin, and Folibrige is poetry and literature of thfc dial ects of the Latin language. —Oswestry Advertiser. The Clergy Discipline Bill. All sections of the English Press, Liberal as well as Conservative, have united in reprobating the conduct of the small band of the Welsh members who opposed the Clergy Discipline Bill. Mr Lloyd George and Mr Thomas Ellis, who led the opposition, are, however, not to be daunted by the criticisms to which they have been subjected; and in the Qcnedl Gymre-Lg this week they express their intention of opposing the Bill in Committee and contesting it line by line, Mr Gladstone saw in the conduct of a handful of Welsh members only the display oi a factitious spirit for a purposeless object. Hence tie speech in which he repudiated their action and threw all the weight of his great authority on the side of the Government. A notable characteristic of Mr Gladstone's speech was an emphatic and distinct pronouncement in favour of Welsh Disestablish- ment; and satisfaction at thjs unequivocal declaration has served to mitigate the annoyance with which the Liberal leader's uncere- monious throwing over of the Welsh mem- bers is regarded by some of tho vernacular journals. Mr Ellis's Celtic fire has evidently been aroused by the scathing criticisms of which he and Mr Lloyd George have been made the objective point. Herein is to be found the actuating motive of a passage in his speech at tho Liberation Society meeting, when with fiory energy he declared that" Wales will not be dictated to from Hughenden, Hawarden, or Hat- field, either by a brilliant novelist, a Homeric student, or an amateur chemist." While sym- pathising to some extent with Mr Ellis's position in regard to the Clergy Discipline Bill, we cannot but think that this outburst was hardly discreet. To dismiss Mr Gladstone, the most illustrious of living statesmen, with a contemptuous snort, as a "Homeric student" whose opinions carry 119 weight, is surely a rhetorical extravagance. Representation of Cardiganshire. The embroglio in which the Cardiganshire Tories find themselves involved is subject for comment in the Tarian, which regrets that Mr William Jones has permitted Mr Chamberlain to make a cat's paw of him. Mr Jones is much too good for his present company. He must marvel himself at his new associates. The Tarw/n won't be surprised to bear that he has thrown up the sponge.—The Bancr asks how Mr W. Jones can hope to succeed where Mr David Davies, of Llan- dinam, failed. Women's Suffrage. The Barter, an enthusiastic advocate of female suffrage, expresses satisfaction at the smallness of the majority by which Sir Albert Rollit's Bill was defeated.- Y Celt marvels at opposition to the enfranchisement of women coming from so- called Liberals. It speaks of Mr Samuel Smith, the leader of the opposition to the Bill, as a man sent to Parliament by a Welsh constituency, but who is as alien to tho opinions of the Welsh people on the questions of the day as though be had never addressed an assembly of Welshmen or been brought into association with one of them for an hour in his life." Et Cetaera, The Siren deals at length with the Baptist Union meetings, and rejoices in the affirmation of faith which the Union adopted in view of recent incidents in Liverpool. In the Tyst there are some suggestive remarks on the College question. The necessity for unity of purpose on the part of the different denomina- tions is enforced. Dr Pan Jones, in the Celt, has a ludicrous article in disparagement af Mr Gladstone, full of ridiculous statements and disfigured by unman- nerly gibco. Tbo Tarian speaks of a National Union of Welsh County Councils as a project fraught with important consequences to the Principality. The ilyst, in an allusion to the Royal laotel case, Cardiff, says, It is tbo old story over again." It is always against the grain of the Torios to punish the publican. Dr Emrys-Jones, the well-known oculist, of Manchester, has been prevailed upon to accept for another session the presidency of the Welsh National Society in that city. He has also been honoured by being selected as the president for the year of Undeb y Brythoniaid, Birmingham, a post that has been occupied in previous years by the Venerable Archdeacon Howell and Lewii Morris, the poet.
AN IGNORANT WOMAN.
AN IGNORANT WOMAN. AUNT FUKBY Low (reading): Here's where two men went down in on'" of the city sewers and were killed by sewer gas. What do they want gas in a sewer for, I wonder? UNOLE SI Low (in deep disgust): To see by, of course. Do you think sewers have winders in. the'-
A Festival Rehearsal. .
A Festival Rehearsal. HOW IT 18 CONDUCTED. [BY AN ONLOOKER,] LL men have heard of Chorus Rehearsals, but there are few who know how they are managed. Thero is a general idea that there is a Conduc- tor with a stick which he waves about, and that the Chorus singi, that he shouts at them, and in the end they all go away with angry hearts. Let me at once remark that this is dis- tinctly not a Festival Rehearsal. Some idea of the magnitude of the Car-1 diff Triennial Musical Festival may be gathered from the fact that the Rehearsals alone cost j35 a week. If the Chorus thoroughly appreciated this, perhaps their attendances would improve. The Council have a right to expect some adequate return for this lavish outlay. Let me not begin with blame, however. For the chorus is worth listening to even at this early stage. Its quality, its compass, its balance are all excellent. Such weaknesses as exist will be effectively cured before the great day of trial comes. We will suppose, 0 Reader, that you are anxious to join the choir. It is not enough that you sing well, and are acknowledged a fair reader. There is a grim tribunal before which you must appear. You send in your name to the in- defatigable he tells you in reply to attend at the Lesser Park Hall at 3.35 p. oL on Saturday, bringing with you some sacred song that you know. You attend in due course and find the indefatigable" alone with an accompanist in the deserted hall. He bids you strike up, and in consequence, with something of timidity you make the place re-echo with the strains of Honour and Arms." You have worked up a grand travura when—ting ting! a cracked bell suddenly breaks in, and the indefatigable wildly waves his arms in sign that you are to stop. Then, for the first time, you become aware that there are three or four judges hidden in a little room beyond you who think no more of cutting a fine crescendo in two by the tinkle of a bell than a crnel lad of hacking to bits a worm with a jagged stone! There is nothing but to obey, however. A piece of music is put in vour hands which you have never seen before. You are asked to sing it. You commence—" La fa so la to do!" The accompanist stops suddenly and looks con- fused. Ah, I pitched on the wrong key-note," you explain with quaking; "I'll try again." And you try again, and if you are lucky and not too nervous you pass, and are henceforth con- stituted a member of the Festival Chorus. You are then on a par with convicts: you are knowu by a number. 1 he Rehearsals are held usually in the large lark Hall. In front of the orchestra, on which the chorus sits, the conductor of the evening— there are three, Dr Parry, Mr Aylward, and Mr bcott—sits, hko a baby, in a high chair, exalted on a pedestal. You are a baritone, and there- fore take iirafc bass for you most observe there are two divisions in each voice. To the right are the first contraltos, behind them the second contraltos, and behmdithese again the first bass. In the gallery. to the right, are the second bass, bimiiariy to the left are the first aud second sopranos, the first tenors, with the second tenors in the balcony. In the middle, looking seren4 amid his troubles, sits the patient accom- panist, Mr J. E. Deacon, whose unusual bril. liance on the piano is not without its effect in the moulding of the yet unshaped chorus. It requires but a chance look around to see that the ladies are in strong muster. They have not so many smoking con- certs and important engagements at night; and they have the knack of sticking at a thing thoroughly when once they begin. There are many who have not missed a single rehearsal since the start, although there have been two every week since January But the men are abominable. Whether from pride in the grand volume of sound which they are capable of emitting or not, the basses are fairly good at attending. But the tenors are simply disgraceful. There are times when out of 45 tenors there are only 10 present. Ac- customed to being primos and chief personages in operas and oratorios, they give themselves airs. But let them tremble this shall not go on for ever. There is talk of getting fresh tenors in from without and excluding the worst delinquents. And such a set of gossips Let there be a lull in their parts, and the noise would rend the heavens. But then, tenors always were nuisances since Adam first sang his evensong—or, no, it was the stars that sang together you may be sure they were tenors, and fell out as to who should lead Now you are all in your places, and your parts are given round. It must not be supposed that the Chorus sings from the score. There are special parts printed for each particular voice. Thus the first bass has a first bass part, which only gives him those notes which are sung by the first bass. It is not an easy matter singing from music of this character. You have, perhaps, 40 bars rest, which you have laboriously to count; then come a few bars printed in small type to indicate how the other voices go before you come in; then, in large type, you start off on your own hook. No clioralist has the slightest idea where or when any other voice comes in; he has simply to follow bis own copy with fidelity. Apart from expense, the reason is obvious. It keeps the singer's attention fixed, and teaches him to come in strictly in time, and not from an observation of what the others are doing. His attention would be bound to wander if he were able to follow the accompani- ment. Then these copies are marked with letters here and there, so that the Conductor can with ease send his choir back to a certain point. "Go back to B, he will shout, and the black lettering on the copy makes the way easy. One very notable feature about the Festival Choir is the fact that it sings from sight. Such a work as Berlioz's Famt, for instance, which has one of the most difficult choruses ever penned, was rehearsed on the same night that the parts amyed from London. It speaks volumes for the efficiency of the Chorus that they did so well; singing both with taste and accuracy all the choruses that were not more involved than usual. A here are many Choirs which cannot read at sight, and it needs a Conductor ready to ruin his voice in singing to them, if they are to be made really effi- cient. Dr Parry has had ample experience of this. But then he is graced with a rich baritone voice, and he loves nothing better than to join in the choruses. There is a rap with the baton on the music- stand. Attention Now, ladies and gentlemen, letter D." They start, with occasional exhortations from the Conductor, who beseeches them to sing more softly, or morequieltly. Suddenly a bang on the stand. There is a dead pause. Second sopranos, you are quite wrong. We must take you alone. Go back to D." And then, amid a depressing silence from the rest of the chorus, the second sopranos sing their part solo. The conductor picks them up by the way and rebukes them for mistakes. Corrected the whole chorus chimes in, and every now and then another section is stopped and taken solo till the whole begins to gather artistic shape.' Occasionally the ladies will be dismissed early" and the men kept behind for a rehearsal by themselves. There are, of course, humours of rehearsal • singers who will insist on trailing along a single thread from the woof, which the conductor's baton has cut sharp in two singing calmly by herself when the whole chorus is silent and amazed. O dear, O dear' exclaimed the conductor one night, when he had been sore tried, when yon have a conductor with bis head on his shoulders be won't allow you to do this sort of thing." There was laughter and applause but he was only referring, in somewhat ill-chosen terms, to the promised advent of Mr Joseph Barnby. Sometimes the conductors have to get angry and make sharp speeches. Each has his own different style, and I am not going to discrimi- nate amongst them. Dr. Parry is sometimes childlike in his entreaties. "Bass," he once pleaded, leaning over his music-stand when they were rehearsing a stormy passage in his Scntl of Tonus; "Bass, now, come, t# that an earthquake ?" The basses looked ashamed, and proceeded to bellow. Tho rafters shook; but the Doctor smiled in sweet content. A regular method is adopted in rehearsals which loads to excellent results. The chorus is not carfully taken through the work the first time. At first it is better to let them have a roujyh idea of what the work is like. They are far better able to appreciate the kind of effect that is to be expected from them and they are infi- nitely more interested in what they are doini; Aftor this rough run through, there is a carefoi and conscientious rehearsal of difficult passages. Few will conceive the laborious care necessary to train a large choir in a difficult work. Two hours are as nothing. But in the end. labour tells. At present the Chorus is ripening into excellence. The training it has received makes difficulties easy, and no who bears it now in one of the more advanced works would doubt their qualification as a Choir in sooh a splendid Festival as will be beld at Cardiff next September.
FARM AND GARDEN.I
FARM AND GARDEN. I Work on the Farm. The past month has been very cold, and frost and snow have impeded vegetation. Still, bright sunshine and drying winds have given a better chance of preparing the ground and sowing oats and barley than we have had for a long time. Although the soil appears dry, the young crops show a good start, which, in the case of spring- sown crops, goes far to ensure a good harvest. There need be no crops choked with weeds this summer, as there never was a better time for cleaning the land. Pastures are still very bare, while hay is rising in price every week. Many farmers are buying, and when such is the case it always rises in value. We have now had two severe winters, followed by barren springs no wonder hay rick3 have given out. Everyone will do well to mow all he can this year, so as to be prepared for emergencies. Notwithstanding the severe winter, stock is generally healthy, so that by tiding them over a few more weeks with extra food the grazing season may prove a (rood one. Push on with the sowing of mangels, using 6 lb of seed per acre in fine soil, roll lightly, and keep the rooks away. The long red dces well on j strong clayey soil, but the yellow globe does better on lighter soil. A few acres of swedes may bo sown by the middle of the month in early districts, but the main crop should not be got in tilt two or three weeks later. May is the month for hoeing. Use the horse hoe where practicable Get any potato planting done as soon as possible. Set out cow cabbage and thousand-headed kale plants as soon after rain as may be. Top dress any cereal crop that looks sicldy. I do not, however, expect this will be found to be necessary in many cases this year, owing to the spring being so dry. Store stock still requires attention. Depasture cattle towards the middle of the month, and bring the animals gradually to their new food. Give some prime hay with the more succulent grass throughout the month a feed of hay in the early morning often prevents colic, hoven, or blown which are liable to result from too free feeding on young grass, especially on frosty mornings. Feed dairy cows liberally on some extra food, since grass alone is not sufficient of itself to keep up a good milk flow. Dry off old strappers rendy for fattening, as there is some difficulty in getting rid of the milk when there comes a flush of grass presently. Finish buying in store cattle and sheep before the month is far advanced. Keep up the condition of ewes and lambs by feeding cake and corn. Lambs make great demand on the ewes just now, but the extra food may be stopped as soon as there is a good bite of grass. Sheep-washing may be begun after the 20th. Wherever it is practicable, let the sheep have a change of pasture, and the wider the range the better, as large fields give a much greater variety of herbage than do small ones. Foot-rot is still prevalent in some parts, but car- bolic dressings act well, as they both effect a cure and disinfect while the cure is being made. There is no longer a doubt about the disease being very contagious, therefore lame sheep should be sepa- rated from the sound ones.—"Farm, Field, and Fireside." Bath and West and Southern Counties Society. At a CouncilSaeetmg heldat the Society of Arts, London, Sir T: F. Lennard, on behalf of the Dairy Comfoittee, reported that arrangements had been made for lectures, explanatory demon- strations, and discussions in the Working Dairy in the showyard at Swansea., for which the help of Professor Carroll, Professor Long, Mr F. J. Lloyd, L!r T. Rigby, and others had been secured. There would also be butter- making competitions each day, and the most re- cent dairy appliances would be shown at work. The adoption of the report was agreed to. The secretary submitted the proposed programme of the proceedings of the exhibition week, which will commence on Wednesday, June 1. On the motion of Sir J. F. Lennard, seconded by Captain Best, it was unanimously agreed to request the Mayor of Swansea to open the exhibition. The Departmental Committee appointed by the Board of Agriculture to inquire into the ques- tion of the adulteration of manures having invited the Council to furnish evidence on the subject, Mr W. Ashcrofc, fr C. R. Knt lJys, and Dr. Voelcker were appointed to represent the society. The Garden- lant Scarlet Runners and Dwarf French Beans in quantity, also see that good supplier of Marrow Peas to meet all demands are put in. Do not plant either peas or beans thickly, either in the rows or by placing the rows too near to each other. Put sticks to peas early in their growth, first drawing up a ridge of soil on each side. Peas on sunny borders will be benefited by a mulch of manure. Early potatoes must have shelter as soon as through the ground. Evergreen branches and dry ferns will keep off a good deal of frost and break the force of the cold winds. Sow turnips liberally now, as the bulbs will bulb better, and not be so likely to bolt. 0001, moist land is the best for summer turnips it is true we must all make the best of the circum- stances, but it is possible almost everywhere to find a bit of partially shaded land for things which are likely to bolt in hot weather. The seeds of peas, beans, and most kind of vegetables may be planted a little deeper now than would be desirable early in the season. Cuttings of sage, thyme, and other herbs will strike now in a shady position kept moist. Prepare the hills for vege- table marrows and ridge cucumbers. Do not plant just yet, unless the hiils can bs covered with hand-lights and be further sheltered with coverings at night, Harden off tomatoes to be ready for planting out end of month. Tomatoes under glass are growing very freely now, and will need almost daily attention in removing side shoots and thinning fruits. Avoid a stuffy atmos- phere, and do not use the syringe; the latter is not required in a freely ventilated house. Window Gardening. Outside boxes will soon b? cleared out to be in readiness for the summer display. If any of them require repainting this should be attended to now, so that the paint may get thoroughly dry. Boxes of annuals have a pretty effect, and they cost but little. A few penny packets of suitable seeds, a little fresh soil, and a littlo- time given up to the work, will keep the boxes always present- able. Convolvulus major sown along the front of a box will fall gracefully over. The canary creeper will also do good work in clothing naked walls. A small group at each end of the box will be useful for training round the window, or to festoon anywhere. Some of the annuals adapted for filling boxes are asters, stocks, dwarf rockets, larkspurs, godetias, clarkias, convolvulus miuor, mignonette, &c. Thoy are beat sown in the boxes in which they are intended to flower. Foliage plants inside the' house, stich as aralias, India-rubbers, &c., will for the moment be at a discount. There is a wonderful wealth of blossom in the old-fashioned stage P^argouiums, and though for tho time being fashion is dead against them, they are largely bought as window plants. The one trouble with them is their liability to insects.—" Gardening, Illustrated." The Blue Cornflower. Of all the many annuals m cultivation none are easier to grow than this. Tho seeds may be sown wher- the plants are required. Perhaps failure has resulted from a practice that is too common. The contents of a packet of seed of many annuals are often sown upon a space of a square foot, a hundred plants more or less spring up and linger where one alone w-ild thrive. Whether cornflowers are in patches or beds, litt oach plant stand one foot from its neighbour, and if the site is open and sunny, and the soil fairly good, the plants will not be long and straggling, but healthy bushes, producing hundreds of fine flowers.
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PROVERBS IN RHYME.
PROVERBS IN RHYME. The lily, with ten tongues, can hold its peace; Wilt thou, with one, from babbling never cease? How shall the praise of silence best be told? To speak is silver, to hold peace is gold. Thy word, unspoken, thou any day Speak, but thy spoken ne'er again unsay. The world's great wheel in silence circles round, A housewife's spindle with unceasing sound. 0 babbler, couldst thou but the cause divine, Why one tongue only, but two ears are thine. What mystic roses in thy breast will blow, If on the wind their leaves thou straightway strow ? While in thy lips thy words thou dost confine, Thou art their lord once uttered, they are thine. Oh seize the instant time none ever will With waters that have past impel the mill. Boldly thy bread upon the waters throw And if the fishes do not, God will know. What will not time and toil ?—by these a worm Will into silk a mulberry leave transform. There is no ointment for the sore eyes, Like clouds of dust that from the sheep arise. ARCHBISHOP TRENCH.
ATTRACTIVE RUINS.
ATTRACTIVE RUINS. MR FTGH Never saw such a crowd at our chwrch before. MES PCQU New minister? Mn PUGH No; it was burned down last Dit.
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Mrs Brown Might I ask if there is any need for you to raise your hat to the housemaid !-Mr Brown: Well, my dear, if we didn't take any notice of ber she'd throw up her plaoe; and she's too stylish just to nod to, and you'd hardly like jne to wink at hw; 8D whftt am 1 to dot
IMen and Movements of the…
Men and Movements of the Day. [BY 6ALEX.] No. 12.-Rev J. B. PATON, M.A., D.D.,and the National Home Reading Union. The National Home Reading Union owes its origin to Dr Paton, of Nottingham, and a little group of men and women whom he succeeded in influencing. The society was formally consti- tuted at a meeting held in the music-room of the Earl of Aberdeen's London residence, and under his lordship's presidency, on April 30th, 1889. Among the speakers at that memorable little gathering were the Bishop cf London, Arch- deacon Farrar, the Rev Hugh Price Hughes, Dr Percival, and Mr George Howell, M.P. Dr Paton had noticed with regret that of the thousands of young people leaving the elemen- tary schools only a very small proportion indeed were met with in classes and institutions making efforts to continue their education which was only commenced in the public elemen- tary schools. He accordingly drafted the scheme of the National Home Read- ing Union-which is to some extent modelled on the wonderfully success- ful Chautauqua move- ment in America- and the reportsofthe first meeting created a widespread in- terest in the move- ment. The objects of the Union are to develop a taste for recreation and instructive reading among all classes of the com- munity, and to direct home study to definite ends, so as on the one hand to check the spread of pernicious literature among the young, and on the other to remedy the waste of energy and lack of purpose so often found among those who have time and opportunity for a considerable amount of reading." The Rev J. B. Paton was born in ovember, 1830, at Galston, Ayrshire-the home of the Covenanters. He bears the name of a Covenanter, and spent his early days in the village of Nenmilus, where he attended the United Presby- terian Church. His first acquaintance with England was in 1837, when he paid a visit to his uncle, the Rev Moxton Brown, at Poole. He worked for ten months in the printing office of the KilmarnocJ: Herald, and during this time organised three temperance and literary societies. In 1845 he visited Cheltenham, where he met Dr. Henry Rogers, who persuaded him to enter at Spring Hill College, Birmingham. Two years later he entered college, and took bis B.A., London, in 1850. In 1854 he made a brilliant scholastic record at London, taking a double M.A. (now not permissible, but seldom, if ever, done with this exception), a gold medal in philosophy, and 3rd in classics. He left Spring Hill and preached in fi re Churches, from each of which he received a call." He chose Sheffield, and commenced a ministry in that town which he carried on for nine years with remarkable success. He left Sheffield to become the head of the Congrega- tional Institute at Nottingham, where, for many years Le has supervised the training of Congrega- tional ministers. Dr Paton has been an exceedingly hard worker, and has given his help and sympathy to numerous movements for the betterment of mankind. He was closely associated with Prof. Stuart and the university extension movement, and was largely instrumental in securing the new University College for Nottingham. He aided in starting the Morley House Temperance Insti- tution-so called after the late Mr Samuel Morley, M.P.—and allied himself with the Old Catholics of Germany, addressing the Conference at Cologne in 1872. He also founded the Re- creative Evening Schools, a system whereby Board SCQOOI education's continued and expanded in evening classes, where instruction is made attractive, bright, and varied. Of late, a good deal has been written and spoken about the "Civic Church," but Dr. Paton's "Inner Mission'' preceded this move- ment, and for years be has advocated the duty of the Christian Church to deal with the evils of poverty, ignorance, sickness, vice, and crime. He was also the means of bringing about the Langham-street Conference between English Churchmen and Nonconformists for the purpose of removing, as far as possible, the present misunderstanding and suspicions which separate Christian communities, and the establishment of a more than nominal brotherhood in the worship and service of God. For two years Dr Paton edited the "Eclectic"— a Congregational periodical—and he has written many articles for the British QuarterJy" and Fortnightly Review. It was to the British Quarterly" that he contributed his Review (since published in book form) of Renan's "Vie de Jesus." For some years he was also co-aditor with Mr Percy Bunt- ing, of the Contemporary Review." His views of religious matters are very moderate. and he is tboroughly catholic in spirit. His friends and co-workers are as much Roman Catholics and Anglicans as Nonconformists. His catholicity of spirit is well-known by his personal friendship with all kinds of persons of different rank, opinion, and learning, such as General Booth, John Morley, the late Samuel Morley, M.P., Frederick Harrison, the late Cardinal Manning, Dr Percival, Professor Tyndall, W. T. Stead, Dollinger, and others. Ever restless to devise some means for the bene- fit of the people, he founded, with the help of others, the National Home Reading Union—some account of which will appear in these columns shortly in connection with the Summer Assembly at Weston—which has be-m a great benefit to the country. It has within it the germs of a great and important National Institution. But this additional work terribly taxed the physical strength of Di Paton. All through his career he has never spared himself where he has seen need for reform, and though July 16th, 1889, was a memorable day for him, and a dny marking another of the many successes of his career-a day which saw the National Home Reading Union safely launched at its first summer assembly at Black- pool—it practically marks, so far, the end of his career as a reformer. Unfortunately, he broke down soon afterwards, and since the autumn of 1889 he has, practically speaking, been unable to do anything. Naturally such an active man finds an enforced holiday extremely irksome, and his progress towards re- covery has been slow indeed. The fertility of his brain is shown by thb number of his undertakings and th.!ir variety his character by their useful- ness and the purpose which is in them all. Still faithful to his duties at Nottingham, he sought a wider field wherein to better the condition of the people—physically, mentally, and spiritually. He is the personal helper and friend of working men and poor people, and many a young man has he helped by his lofty ideals and unbounded enthusiasm for progress and tho advancement of all that ennobles and beautifies life. At the same time he mingles with the upper classes, asking their advice, seeking their support, and stirring their sympathy on behalf of the less fortunate than themselves. Dr Paton is one of the few men that the world can ill afford to lose, and all who know him and have seen his excellent work earnestly desire his return to health and influence. NEXT WEEK.-— [Rev BENJAMIN WAUGH and the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.]