The North Wales Express

THE WELSH DISESTABLISHMENT MOTION. Mr Stanley Leightoa's (threatened) amend- ment to Mr Dillwyn's motion for Disestablish- ing the Episcopal Church in Wales may be taken as containing in embryo the arguments (that will be) used by the Parliamentary oppo- nents of the measure. Its words have evidently been well weighed, and its terms carefully chosen. Notice of this motion having been given, an opportunity has been afforded of studying it. And the conclusion we have ar- rived at is that it is utterly unsoud. Its state- ments are so far from expressing the merits of the case that if their exact opposites were as- serted the truth of the matter would be brought within measurable distance. Mr Leighton has pointed his three powerful guns at the ranks of his opponents, but they stand on boggy land, and the Disestablishmentarians can easily take them, as at best they cannot be strongly de- ( fended. In this motion the subject is one, the predi- cates are three. To alienate by act of Parlia- ment the property of any religious communi- ties now enjoying the protection of the law within the United Kingdom is (a) contrary to the principles of religious liberty," (b) injurious to the spiritual interests of the people," and (c) unjust to individuals." Notwithstanding the care bestowed upon it, the argument is badly put together, and can be fairly charged with vagueness. For does not the property of every religious commu- nity enjoy the protection of the law ? Would not our laws defend property rights in a chapel as impartially as in a church ? This circunuocution includes too much. Why then use it ? Mx Leighton and bis friends are astute enough to honw that had the motion read "the property of the Church of Eagland" simply, its very terms would have rai««d opposition; whereas general terms read more smoothly, if they do not speak so plainly. Then again the motion does not men- I tion Wales «t all, but "the United Kingdom." This is a parallel move to that of trying to get the redistribution of seats mixed up with the extension of the franchise. It goes on the sup- position that Wales is a part of England, and that oa the question of Disestablishment they i should not be separated. This is what the Church party want, for then they would get the whole vteight of English Churchism thrown 9 into their scale in their favour. But as Mr Dillwyn said the other day, "that only showed how little they knew of Wales." Wales is as distiuct as Irelaud or Scotland. Recent legis- lation has acknowledged this in the Welsh Sunday Closing Bill. It is a sound principle that what the W dsh people want must make the law for Wales. And they have never wanted the English Church establishment. It is not just that the Cflurch of England, so called, in Wales should shelter itself under the wing of the Establishment in England and be foisted on a people who have never asked for it, but who regard it as an alien church. And if there are Churchmen resident in Wales who naturally want church: s of their own communion, let them build and voluntarily support them, as other English-speaking churches do. Why should invidious distinctions exist ? Reducing then the subject of Mr Leighton's motion to terms of equality to the motion it is intended to combat, it would read that "to alienate the property of tlle Church of England" is con- trary to religious liberty," et cetera. There can be no question that this proposition is in- cluded in its vague generality, otherwise there is no appropriateness in it at all as opposed to Mr Dillwyn's motion. With this clear idea before us, let us see whether his predicates hold good. The first statement is that the course the Disestablish- mentarians would pursue is contrary to the principles of religious liberty." We must own to a soothing sense of satisfaction as we read this cool assertion. One cannot help admiring the calm manner in which the bull of religious liberty is seized by the horns. But it will prove too strong for Mr Leighton. It has never stood on the side on which Mr Leighton now stands. It has tossed its opponents in arenas that are now the landmarks of history, though popes and cardinals have entered the lists against it, armed with all the parapher- nalia, the anathemas, and the thunderbolts of their Olympus. And religious liberty will win here, and Mr Leighton, though speaking as the champion of religious liberty, while upholding vested interests, for such is the paradox, will find himself on the losing side. The verdict of history, and the growing power of the people, are both against him. Then, if he hold to the principle he lays down, he must condemn the Church of England during the whole of its career of over three centuries; he must con- demn. the Reformation, for the Church of England was then founded upon the alienated property of the Roman Catholic Church. Let that long reckoning be settled before the friends of Disestablishment arc charged with acting contrary to the principles of religious liberty." The same principle that justified the alienation of property at the Reformation justifies Disestablishment now. The principle of the Roman Catholic Church was in effect the nation exists for the Church;" the new one established three centuries ago was "the Church exists for the nation." Now, to-day we are all theoretically members of the Church of England, as the clergy some- times are willing to remind us by tithe-renting us for their attention to our spiritual wants, an attention that is often ml. It then the Church is willing to recognize us as members, even though we may not attend the services of the Church, when money is wanted from Ug,;4- cannipt deny our right of voice and vote in the affairs of that ecclesiastical organization which exists for the good of the nation. And before they can repudiate our right of voice and vote, as some Churchmen are inclined to do when Disestablishment is mooted, they must receive nothing from the people [from compulsory taxation. A few words must suffice for the two re- maining predicates. To say that Disestablish- ment in Wales would be injurious to the spiritual interests of the people, proclaims either ignorance or bigotry. And we prefer to think Mr Leighton ignorant of Wales. This assertion is equivalent to saying that the spiritual interests of the people are only successfully attended to by the Church. For how otherwise could the spiritual interests of a people, the vast majority of whom belong to voluntary churches, be injured by Disestab- lishment. To this position, so far behind the times that it sounds like an echo of medievalism let the history of Nonconf.)rmity in Wales give the answer, The last position—" unjust to individuals," is the old cry of vested interests. If gentlemen choose to ally themselves with an organization which, as far as the Principality is concerned,every year shows to be more and more unjust iu its incidence on the people, such gentlemen must take the individual couse. quences of the removal of the injustice. It might be bard on those individuals, who do little for the people of Wales and take much from them, but we fail to see how it would be, in any way, unjust, But we do not think it would be hard on them even. We should be sorry to have so poor an opinion of the people who adhere to the worship of the Church of England as to think that if their church became a voluntary one, they would allow their bishops and clergy to suffer. IfjMr Leighton's motion is thelbest that can be framed agaicst Mr Dillwyn's, he and his friends have lamentably small chances of ultimately winning.

The medical profession are now ordering Cad. buty Cocoa Essence in thousands of cases, bs cause is contains more nutritious and flesh torca- ingeleaieut than auy other beverage, and is Pre'era,bJ.e to the thick starchy coooa ordiuarily sold. When you ask for Cadbury'B Cocoa Es- sence be sure that you get it as shopkeepers often push imitation for the sake of extra profite. (lakers to the Queen. Parish Depot, 90, St. Fau- bourg, St. Honore. RNKXPKWSRVR HAIR. RESTORER. LOCKTER'S SCTL- PHOE IIAIERKSTORSK windtrkeagrey Liair, in a faw days bringing back the colour. The effaot is superior to that produced by a direct dye and does not injnro the ftkia. Locky«r's is equal to the most expensive. It- is the beat for restoring grey hair to its former colour. Produces a perfectly natural shade. Valuable for de- stroying scurf and encouraging growth of new hctir. Su.pfcarbeing highly priaed for its stimulant, cle^asinsf, iiealthiiu action on the hair glands, Lockyer's Restorer is atroujyly rccomm-nded. L&rge Bottles, Is 6d. Sold by all Chemists, Hairdressers and Perfumers every- where. •JOHNSTON'S CORN FLOUR IS THE BEST.—•[W'TH milk th", moat perfect food for children). "Is decidedly superior."—Tht Lancet. Sold by most respectable Family Grocers. Take no other o not be defrauded 1. and G. Johnston were the first in England to advertise and introduce Oorn Flour to the English and export markets, and tbeh name is accepted in all parts ot the wo:ld as a guarantee for best Cora Flour. Take no other. Do not be defrauded.

PWLLHELI SCHOOL BOARD. I SIR,—Your able Pwllheli correspondent has certainly attempted a Herculean task ia trying to move the listless" apathy of the ratepayers of this benighted town, and I hope he wiU be successful. Nothing seems to interest them, even the Liberationists failed to raise a ripple on the smooth surface of the place. The fact that no ejection has taken place for several years shows what a state of Egyptian-like darkness we are in as regards the movements of our worthy school board. One of the leading tradesmen told me that he did not even know the time of election had come until he was told that the members had re-elected themselves, and who is to blame but the ratepayers ? As regards the members, they may be well fitted for the offices they hold, but, in this case, we are not in a position to judge of their acts, although for charity's sake, we will give them the benetit of the doubt. One of them most certainly should not be there, being in the peculiar position of husband and manager combined. Again,what are the Church people thinking of. that they have no representative on the board ? Is there no Churchman willing to stand ? There is no doubt hut that he would be strongly sup- porte-3, provided he could dive into their secrets in order to discover the date of election. With regard to the attendance officer, it might naturally be supposed that his duties iu- cluded the visiting of both Board and National Schools, but, as a matter of fact, he has not attempted to obtain lists of absentees from the National School for the last four years. As a lamentable result of the Compulsory Clause not being put into force, children may be seen about the streets at all hours of the day and a prominent townsman assured me that in one street alone he knew nearly fifty children who never attend school. Other parts of the town are almost as bad. No wonder £ 150 are re- quired when so many children are absent, by means of whom grants to a considerable amount might be earned. I venture to say that in no ether town in England or Wales could such a sluggish state of affairs bo found. It is to be hoped that in future the public may be acquainted with the proceedings of the board and with the date of the next election.—I am, sir, yours truly, Pwllheli, April 14th, 18S4. EnERCS. "MOLD NOTES." SIR,—In your last issue Quille Penne" in- dites a paragraph, the incorrectness of which must be apparent to anyone who has a kaow- ledge of Lromfield-row, Mold. He speaks as if, until lately, nothing had been done for this district, whereas the Congregationalists have held a Sunday School and other meetings in Bronifield-row for nearly ten years. More- over, he speaks of this new movement as if it were altogether unsectarian, etc. The circum- stances under which this needless division of labour arose are not such as to edify, by need- less publicity, the general reader; but as QuiUe Penne is in a position to know the whole facts of the case, he should write accordingly, or else be silent.—Yours truly, April 12th, 1884. A MOLDAVIAN. WELSH NATIONALISM (ContimiedJ. I do not intend now to touch upon the causes -for there are cansps-which have prevented, and still prevent, a race of extreme antiquity from attaining national manhood, but the fact is patent that, compared with many races, there is in the Welsh character a notable deficiency in seriousness and steadfastness, more charac- teristic of children than of men. This levity of character is often manifested evea in impor- tant public proceedings, and jars on the ears of sensible men. Again, this imperfection of character is manifested in a more serious aspect by what is regarded in some quarters as a national characteristic, viz., that grave fault, which I had rather not call by its name, but which Mr Homersham Cox recently indicated in terms more forcible than judicial, and which aroused such an outburst of self-righteous wrath, both in Wa!es and in quarters interested, in appearing Cymrophile, if 1 may coin. a term. Mr Cox's remarks were based on facts, and it would have been a more hopeful sign of the success and permanence of the present national movement if those charges had been met, not by loud and heated denunciation and puerile explanations, but by a candid acknowledgment of an indisputable fact, and an honest attempt to remedy the fault indicated. I will only mention one other defect in the national charac- ter, as compared, not with any ideal standarcL but with actual and neighbouring races. I mean the matter of personal and other cleanli- ness. I cannot regard this as a trifle, especially when I remember that a certain high authority hR.3 said that Cleanliness is next to godli- ness." But apart entirely from the weight of that authority, cleanliness is a reliable index of a man's or a nation's character; and as that is thorough or superficial, so is the national or individual character high or low. Here then are three things in which the Welsh character has been found wanting—gravity, openness, and cleanliness. Here are three elements of character, national or individual, essentially necessary to self-respect. No nation can re- spect itself unless it, has that calm and serious gravity of which I speak. Its presence indi- cates the presence of other qualities, of which, indeed, it is merely the outcome. Again, no nation can respect itself which has not the vir- tue of openness And, thirdly, no nation can respect itself which, as a nation, has not the virtue of cleanliness. Here also are three tasks set, and the manner in which these are dealt with will test the reality and force of the new life which just now seems to be bureting into flame It is natural to shout in the exuberance of newly.awakened vitality, We are still a people;" but unless and until these and many, more grave defects in the national character are noted and remedied, you will still be "hewofs of wood and drawel1 of water," and doomed to feel the bitterness of subjection in a thousand ways. I trust sincerely that the leaders of your new life will have wisdom to lead and direct this new movement into a course which will bring you, as a people, into a free and large place, tutored and schooled into the manners and customs of men.-I am, yours, etc., CosM-orOLITAK. SUNDAY CLOSING AND THE BONA. FIDE TRAVELLER. SIR,—Kindly permit me to call attention through your columns "to the utterance of Mr Bishop, the stipendiary magistrate for Merthyr Tydfil, while giving his decision upon the im- portant matter ot the bona fide traveller clause of the Pub'ic House Sunday Closing Act for Wales. Undoubtedly Mr Bishop has given the literal tndcorrcctinterpretation of the clause. The circumstances as published in the South Wain. Daily Vews of the 9th inst. are, that a publicau was IU.MIGHT be'ce him for unlawfully keeping his house opeL forth>?s.ileof beeronSuuday, March < oOth, when the stipendiary obRerved, the de- fai'dant. seemed to think tnat because a person had waiked three miles he was entitled to re freshment. That was an erroneous idea, and he would always hold, until it was otheiwise lai^ down, that no matter how great the distance ¡ traversed, even if it were twenty miles, pro-f vided the ma n went for the sole purpose of ob- taining beer, he was no traveller. A bona fids traveller meant a man going about his busineM, j that; is, doing some work."—Yours truly, I JOHN BoWEN. School House, Merthyr, April 10th, 1884. | TRADESMEN TO THE RESCUE. SIR,- I should like to say a few words to the tradesmen of North Wales through the medium of your paper, respecting co-operative stores and their practices. Aro you content timt persons you employ and pay well, shall con- tinue to get their goods (drapery, grocery, hard- ware, &c.; from the London and other co- operative stores to the detriment of both your- Selves and your towns ? If not, co-operative stores must be met by co-operation on your part as a body. To do away with the cry that it is a saving of money to send away, I challenge the name of a single article that cannot be sold at the same price (if not under; that of the co- operative stores, and y<=-t save carriage from London or elsewhere to the purchaser, by any respectable shopkeeper in Wales, but let it be strict cash as at the stores, aud not six, yes twelve mouths credit. Some argue that servant girls are bribed into giviag their orders to certain shopkeepers. To do away with that, I should suggest that an order be given with the name of the shopkeeper filled in by purchaser. It> has been suggested that a list be kept of all who send their custom from home, aud that the same be boycotted by tradespeople, whether they be doctors, lawyers, parsons, town coira- cillors, town officials, guardians, or any other class of people, both by voice and vote. Let & committee ot tradespeople be formed in every town to protect their own interests against & class of men who love them in profession only, but not in practice. I shall be glad to find s0melmore able 'advo- cate take up the matter, and bring it to a suc- cessful issue. J. B. H. Carnarvon, April 15, 18S1.

AMLWCH. That Easter should come about once a fortnight is a consummation devoutly to be wished for," if only regarded from sanitary considerations. I have arrived at this conclusion after a careful survey of tae salutary renovating process that has been so persistently carried ou hereabouts for the last ten days. Thejwalls of Nelly Jones of No 1, were nor sooner whitewashed than the wholesome infection had extended itself to the court of Jane Jones of N o. 2, in the manner and form of a salubrious blue Wrtah. In fact, two days hter. aad the whole row ot houses from No. 1 to No. had undergone & similarly reactionary operation, The whitewash, muf-t not be supposed to be invariably and essen- tially white. Onr esteemed citizens are far toe enlightened over the effects of contrast by lights and shades to follow such monotonous sameness, and far too proud and opinionated over their in- dividual skill to copy one another. So we have black, blue, yellow, opaque, and green w^fewashea^ alternately and in protuse variety. The effect is charming, and for the nonce we all of us appear great swells. That a new broom sweeps clean" is an oft re. pelted and well accepted truism. Were an addi- tional proof necessary to corroborate the fact, it is to be found in the attention paid to the streets of the Port by our new road surveyor. It is very gratifying to note the great improvement effected on these roads since the advent of Mr H. Williams to the snrvey- orsliip. The town of Amlwch proper wasjgener- all/ well provided for in this respect, bat the port was scandalously neglected. Tne good inhabit- ants of the port were, I believe, not exonerated from meeting their parochial obligations then more than now, but they always lacked sufficient nerve aud stamina to demand their rights and see that they were attended to. The rugged rocks which, adorned these nether roads, however, have dis- appeared uuder Mr Williams's management, and very useful roadmending stuff has he quarried out oi them. The flooded sewers have < eea excavated and restored to efficient working order. We hope our assiduous friend will continue to bestow as much attention to the state ct our roads ia the future as he has dvne in the paet, and he will con- tor a gretit boon on the public, and eventually prove his system to have beeu founded on prin- ciples of most approved economy. By direction ox the Bishop ct Bangor an order of suspension from all duties for six months haa last week been served upon our vicar, conseqaent upon a complaint whitth was addressed to the diocesan as to the conduct of the reverend gentle- mau at the last assizes held at Beaumaris. The Board and National Schools here were v.sited by the Government Inspectors last week for the purpose of examination," and we are very pleased to learn that botu acquitted the en selves very creditably The passes were very satisfactory* and the efficiency of the management i ighly com- mented upon. The piesent educational system, cannot fail to demonstrate itself as about tha moat tfficient that can be estabiisaed for element- ary schools. The masters and monitors have tci- undergo a searching examination, not only fat- learning but for their competency to teach chil- dren in order to qualify for their arduous avoca- tions. No poor lad who is possessed of any latent ability need remain behind in the race of life now tor the waut 01 a good start, and a fall field and uo favor is the only condition which a properly set head now requires. The literary meeting held at Penjarn on Good Friday appeals to have been a great success. Thia is verified in a souse by the great number of papelll contributed on the various sub j acts offered for com- petition, and that a man of Liew Liw) to's attain* mentfi bhould prooouueo eulogistically upon their literary merits 18 a conclusive proof of the useftd.. aess ofth^se meetings The attendance was large, and under Mr T. F. Evans's conauotorship, th4. arrangements were effectively and expeditiously proceeaed with. The terse and searching ad jud- ications of Liew Liwyfo and Gwilym Lcrpwl ware worth listening to, and the edilymg tendency of their remark? must need be of great advantage iCII young and aspiring but thoughtful competitors. Thesingiiig aiioof our old friend aud veteun litera~ tour Liew Liwyfo, we proudly not, gave vsry b:.iasiactury evidence of his lull and continued enjoyment of all his native prowess and faculty. The antiquated little village of Pensarn baa produced some admirable specimens of Welsh, genius, but like other places, it has its fair quota of inflated wind-bags also. The latter are eadiljr recognised by their efforts to make up in abaw what they laokiu quality, but a yellow stick and a monkey collar are only typical of the thrashing at haltering process wbica a oisgusted puolic opinion would consign them to,l such is our contempt ef vanity as compared with worth. Before thebe lines are out of press, a football match between the Amlwcb Club and the Am- lwch Visitors will have been contested. Onr young Colts may be more ot leas unscientific, but their ardour and agility is bound ess. The heavy- weights will accordingly have their work fully cut out for them, and uuiees they display unwonted skill and euergy will cut a sorry figure before tha hurlv-burly is done. Will Sergeant Jones and his eub-offlcei have U. goodness to run in about ten per cent. of the pestering and treepa sing tribe wLich over-run our corn and hay fields now-a-davs in quest of birds' nests. They are a source of intolei&bl* nuisance. Since their parent* are thoughtlesa enough as to condole these cheeky offenders, X .<. r one will call the constable's assistance to teach tnem manners in his back parlour." X.

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OUR LEASEHOLD SYSTElt-f. It is high time that something sh ould be done towards enlightening the community as to the relations existing between owners of leasehold property and their landlords under the present system of leasehold and the inhabitants of the United Kingdom are indebted to no small degree to Mr Broad- hurat for his courage in bringing this matter before Parliament, and thereby proving that a remedy for this unjust system is not only within the bounds of possibility, but that we are within measurable distance of a complete reform in the present outrageous system of land tenure. The debate in the House of Commons, and subsequent com- munications on this subject, have manifested the ignorance of our leaders on the subject of the leasehold system to a pitiable ex- tant. It seems to be taken for granted that its evil consequences are confined almost entirely to large towns, but the fact of the matter is, that there is hardly any centre of a few thousands population that does not feel, and feel keenly, the oppression of land- owners through this system, and the ab- sence of demonstrations against it is not owing to the non-existence of the evil, but because it is believed to be incurable. A very high-sounding argument which is advanced against any interference with our leasehold system is that in doing so we in- terfere with "freedom of contract;" but when we come to examine the circumstances under which leases are generally sought and granted, we find that this argument loses all its force, and it loses its force because the freedom does not really exist. As an instance, let us take the populous districts of Carnarvonshire. Consequent upon the development of some industry and the increase of population there arose a demand for houses, but when the inhabi- tants made inquires they found that the land was owned by some great land- owner, and landowners do not erect houses on their estates. As is very natural, they reason within themselves and say, Well, the people must live in houses, but they have no land upon which to erect them, I therefore they must submit to our terms pow we not sell them !a?»d, but let it on 'ea3e, and thereby, in a little while, the land and houses wiil bceomn ours again." Hence tie lessee has no alternative but to ttocept the hard, unjust, and oppressive terms of the landowner; and these terms in many cases in Carnarvonshire alone are simply intolerable. In some cases the lease is granted upon so many lives, usually three, and of all the conditions of leases this is one of the most mean and despicable. It is difficult to conceive how any upright and straightforward mind could think of embodying such a condition in any contract. Should the lessee fix upon very young lives, the rate of mortality is so high in the young that he runs the greatest risk of losing his property in a very few years, and should he, on the other hand, fix upon lives which have survived the dangers and perils of infancy then. according to the laws of nature, his property cannot belong to him for a long term of years. A straight- forward contract should embody de- finite terms, and not some mean trickery of this description. In other cases we find that the length of lease granted is so short that it shows in very clear light the intolerable extent of the tyranny and oppression which the leasehold system and monopoly of land enable landowners to practice. For instance, who would enter into a contract if he were really free to decline, by which he undertook to erect a dwelling-house worth say £200 upon leasehold land for a term of thirty years at an annual ground rent of £ 1 ? It is to be understood that the ground rent is an agreed sum equal to 5 per cent. per annum interest on twenty years' purchase, or in other words it is the one-twentieth part of the present value of the land. In order to exhibit this contract in its true light let us suppose that the landowner instead of lending the land to thelesee, lends him the sum of £ 20. Now, according to the conditions of the lease, he would have to pay 5 per cent. per annum interest upon the loan for thirty years, and at the end of that time to repay the 99-0 and Y,200 besides as a bonus! That such a contract as this is insane is clear to every- one, and to speak of the attempt to remove this monstrous injustice as an interference with the freedom of contract" is perfect mockery. We venture to state that the present system of leaseholds is a violation of the laws of nature and a disastrous impediment to the free working of those laws which lie at the root of our national welfare. If this be true, then it is the duty of our legislators to remove such impediments and frame such laws as will promote the development and secure the free working of those funda- mental principles of our nature. There is no law, we believe, which has a deeper root in our nature than that which binds us to home and country, and it is npon this principle that every government must de- pend for its existence. Now there is nothing which contributes so much to the fostering of this principle as the simple absolute own- ing of land, whereby the owner acquires a permanent and the most proferred interest in his hon.9 and country, and there is not a class of society which is not affected by the laws which govern the land. It is the ori- ginal source of all wealth and of the whole machinery of human action. But the direct aim of our present land laws is against the development of this principle, and in our system of leaseholds it has attained a point of oppression which is so intolerable that the evil is beginning to work out its own remedy. Lord Randolph Churchill, strange to say. seemed to be alive to the fact when he said in the House of Commons that there was nothing which acted as such a powerful stimulant to Socialism and popular discon- tent as these enormous accumulations of land in single hands. We may therefore feel pretty sure that the day is not far dis- tant when the measure of Mr Broadhurst, or the principle contained in it, will become law. In the meantime, it would be well to gather as much information as possible from all districts as to the working of our lease- hold system.