The Aberdare Leader

Letters to the Editor. THE VICAE OF ABERDARE AND CRITICS Sir,—Preceding his sermon at St. Elvan's on Sunday evening, the Vicar remarked that there was mush critic- ising prevalent just now with regard to the music used ill the Church. There ¡ were two kinds of criticism—one based upon ignorance, the other I Upon proficiency. The former had no ground to stand upon, and was there- fore wrong. The other kind was justi- fiable to a certain extent. A lady from England came to him on the Mondav after Trinity Sunday, and told him that the singing of the Choir was beautiful the previous day. H id this lady been in Church at the 11 o'clock service on Easter day she would have made a dif- ferent comment. the music sung.(l'al- estrina) was far above their heads, and should be sung only by those who know how to sing.-I aru, OLD NOTATION, THE VICAR OF ABERCYNON, THE REV lVI, JENKINS AND THE REV J. R. HUGHES. Sir,-It is not my intention to say a Word respecting the di>cu-sion now pro- ceeding between the above, from the Disestablishment or Non-Disestablish- ment; standpoint. But I intend to say a Word or two to both the Rev M. Jenkins and the Rev J. R. Hughes, respecting the Wales for the Welsh tone of their letters. I thought that every sensible; patriotic Welshman had aban- doned that cry long ago. Mr Jenkins suggests that by the VIcar ignoring tbje Welsh" language in his services he forfeits the Church's claim to be called National But does the Vicar ignore Welsh ? To a Welsh u ember he always administers the com- tnuhion in Welsh, and bo has arranged Welsh services, but his Welsh members J.ersist in coming when his services are held in English. But even if the Vicar does ignore Welsh, the "national" language of Abercynon is indisputably English, Mr Jenkins is all at sea on this point. He himself is the pastor of a church which carries on everything (from the sermons to the reports) in English. Anticipating his retort that his church does not claim to be a National Church, I contend that if he is going to adopt a Wales for the Welsh." or Welsh 'for Wales tone, he mu-t be prepared to Use and foster the Welsh language in all his services. He uses English because English is the "national" tongue of Abercynon Coming to the Rev J. R Hughes, out of his own mouth will I judge him. He understands full well that the national language is English. As I write I have before me, Humour Sanctified." the little book of which he is the author. This he had printed and published in English, and in bringing out a second English edition, he says, There is, moreover, a great demand for a Welsh edition and John Jones shall be at- tended to a week or two after John BuJI." Shakespeare evidently had 8oixiebody else besides the Vicar of Abercynon in his mind, when he wrote the line quoted by Mr Hughes, to thine own self be true," Mr Hughes objects to the Vicar em- ploying an Englishman as curate. Now, Mr Hughes, is not the tone of Aber- cynon more English than Welsh? Is not the language of the Law Court, the schools, business, and the Press of this district Engli-h ? Tell me, were there not six popular "Lectures for the- people" delivered in English at the Abercynon Workmen's Hall last winter, and only one in Welsh ? And is it not a fact that because that one Has 111 Welsh, it was the most poorly attended ? Would the Vicar have supported and fostered the Welsh language by employ- ing a curate a Welshman, who in his daily round of visiting, would have to 8peak fifty words of English to one of Welsh? And Mr Hughes knows that a Curate who spoke only Welsh would be Useless in this English-speaking district. The cry of Wales lor the Welsh suggests a cry of England for the Eng^ bsh," and I do not belittle the rev gentleman's prowess as a preacher or a scholar, when I say that if all the Welsh- men who are preachers in England had to troop back to Wales, the results would be disastrous to Mr Hughes. He refers to the Cymrodoiion society. A prominent member of that society is Mr Rhys Morgan, M.A and yet he con- cludes an address on Education, in sub- stance (for I am quoting from memory) like the following, 1; Welshmen must get rid of that narrow cry. "Watesforthe Welsh," and for it substitute Wales for the world and the world for Wales." I sympathise with all efforts put for- ward to maintain the Welsh language, but until it is so commonly spoken that the Cheap-jacks in the Market place use it, and the Football Echo is published in Welsh, English is and will remain the national tongue. English is the language of progress all over the world, and Wales, in using it, is simply losing her life to find it, and that more abundantly. The curate required for such an English- speaking district as Abercynon, is an Englishman or a Welshman that speaks English.—Yours, CELTICUS. "TRIUMPH OF, CHRISTIANITY." Mr Editor.—In your last issue Christianity has an exponent. But this Christian friend, in dea ing with the above subject, loses entirely the chief point under discussion, namely- What moral influence has Christianity had on the human race in Christendom ? Has it brought about better mutual affections among individuals or amongst nations ? Has it reduced the crime, vice, poverty and destitution that existed before the Christian Era ? Has it given better social conditions to the masses ? Has it ever given a better lesson during the 2000 years of its control of European education ? Has it ever given man a better precept of his duty to his neigh- bour ? These are some of the questions Mr Davies should answer. Was not the golden rule taught by V the Egyptians 6000 years ago, when, according to theologians, civilisation was not only unknown, but the earth itself was without form and void ? As to Secularists selecting excres- ences of true religion," is it not by its fruits that we are to judge the tree ? Let ILe tell Mr Davies that Secularists, as a rule, are well informed.in the history of Christianity and its influence upon humanity. In regard to his metaphors re sweet doves and loathsome vultures, they are simply useless, as Secularists are quite as sincere in their search for the true and the beautiful as the aver- age Christian is. In the time that Christianity held sway over Europ", the Rmnaii and Spanish Empires fell, and what was Europe given instead ? A power, which cau-ed more yto mankind than- any government known to exist This power known as the Papacy, was at its zenith about the time known as the Middle Ages, and so great was its power that it gave lis the contemptible Dark Ages, Wltai. whs it 'that started th" riots in Alexandria in the fifth c< usury,. «hich cU'mi¡¡fLLdi in the cruel death oi Hypatia? Was it not the influence of Christianity What gave rise to those scenes of ignoratice, brutality and vice known as the Crusades ? Also the Inquisition, the burning of heretics and of witches? Can any honest and Unbiassed person deny that it was not the direct influence of Christianity is a., his- torical religion and must be judged his- torically. Let any honest enquirer read up its history by Gibbon, Dean Milman, Hallam. Mosham. Lecky, Gortiu, and Drapt-r-a.11 ecclesiastical historians. One t'nmg is ceitain and that is that Christianity 's losing its hold upon the masses. The very tact that the clergy wish to enforce the old Puritan Sunday Observance Act is absolute proof. The clergy have only to solve one problem to save Christianity, and that is, to find out how to turn back the whole tide of civilisation, and to recreate the mental and social conditions of the dark -Yours etc., J. L. WILLIAMS. Aberamanv Sir-I am sorry to observe in Mr Davies' letter in last week's issue an appeal for assisiance from some person who is more able to manipulate the pen than he. But the twisting of words by the pen or the splitting 01 words by the tongue will never capture the unfettered student of nature. Mr Davies' concep- tion of humanity shows that he is not very intimate with social problems, or he would not exhibit such flagrant ignorance by supposing a physician instituting a museum composed of phys- ical wrecks and naming it Humanity." If I wanted to use vague arguments for my disbelief in Christianity I could say, 1, Look at the luxurious rich on the one side and the poverty-stricken on the other, what an emblem of Christianity! He (Mr Davies) asserts that the philoso- phy of Christ is perfect. Let me see, Resist not evil, if smitten on one cheek, turn the other." Is there any wisdom in this ? Love your enemies." Is this possible? Did any human being love his enemies ? Did Christ love his when he denounced them as whited sepulchres, hypocrites, and vipers ? H Take no thought of the morrow." Can we live without taking thought for the morrow ? To plough, to sow, to cultivate, to harvest, is to take thought for the morrow If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out,' If thy right band offend thee, cut it off" is there any wisdom in putting out your eyes or cutting off your hands ? Mr Davies, I wish to call your atten- tion to the statement penned by you, that I wrote to the effect that Christian- ity had brought all the evils in the world with it. That I'll deny, but this I'll de- clare, that all the evils that now exist are simp-y the outcome or reflex of our social disorganisation, and Christianity will never render them obsolete, because its kingdom is not of this world. Mr Davies, I beseech you to read history, and not accuse me of not doing so. Trace the evolutionary scale from the Monad to Man, read the account of the Old and New Stone Age, then the Cop- per Age and from there to the Iron Age Then you won't have the audacity to tell me that we have not descended from the brute You, Mr Davies, boast of your asylums and Hospitals I contribute as much as any Christian of equal footing. I don't do it for religion's sake, but for humanity's. I am not in concordance with your Christian prisons and work- houses. A prisoner cannot be socially ameliorated from degradation by drud- gery and cell confinement, any more than a pauper can elevate himself by being a victim of a workhouse environ- ment. Mr Davies refers to some Dr Dennert who has brought forth some testimonies disproving the Darwinan theory. The scientific world must be grinning when those were published, and Darwin's bones must have shuddered in the grave. To talk of the decadence of Charles Darwin's work is equal to saying that he was never buried at Westminster Abbey. Although he is dead his works to-day undermine all the churches endchapets and crumble them to dust. Mr Davies. evolutions is not Darwin's theory it is talked of in Greek history by a person you mentioned in your own letter. Evolution teaches that the Universe and man did not always exist in their pres- ent form, neither are they the product of a sudden creative act, but the result of innumerable changes from the lower to the higher, each step in advance being an evolution from a, pre-existing condition. Special creation satisfies the unthoughtful, those whose brains have not developed from childhood. How could an infinite being possibly have been the creator of all things'? If he is infinite, he is everywhere, if everywhere, he is in the Universe, if in the Universe now, he was always there. If he were always in the Universe, there never was a time when the Universe wa3 not, therefore, it could never have been created. Further, before we can recognise the soundness of the position taken by the advocates of speciajj creation, we have to think of a time when there was no time, of a place when there was no place. Is this possible ? If it, were, it would be inter- esting to learn where an infinite being was at that. particular period, and how, in no time, he could perform his I creative act ? Evolution, therefore, although unable to supply the solution to every problem presented to the student of nature is, so far as can be discovered at the present day, the truest theory of man and the Universe, and is sufficient for a,11 practical purposes. further, it the intellect as no other theory does, and is assuredly more reasonable than-that of special creation. I am,— SECULARIST. A REPLY TO THE REV. CYNOG WILLIAMS. Sir,—Would you kindly allow me to contradict a few statements or rather mis-statements made by the Rev. Cynog Williams in a sermon given at Heoly- felin Baptist Chapel, and reported in your issue of June 12. In the first part of his sermon he falls foul of the Welsh pulpit. Next he has a go at the preach- ers, comparing them with Nero. 1 re ferred to Cassell's Cyelopaeha, and this is what it says about Ner): His whole reign was characterised by licentiousness, brutality, and cruelty." Nor very flat- tering to the preachers that the rev. gentleman refers to. 'ihen he refers to the drink demon, and says that he found himself in very bad company on W L it- Monday night—9 out of every 10 were drunk. If he had stopped home on Whit- Monday and attended the Sports at the Ynys Field lie would have been in the company of 19 out of every 20 who were sober. Then he says that religious leaders were interesting themselves in criticism. Quite true, and the Rev. Cynog often- times criticises without a shadow of truthfulness, and makes cowardly state- ments, such as lie uttered in the course of this sermon. If this is a sample of his preaching no wonder nhat a large num- ber of the members of Heolyfelin Church left, and spent money as he says in his sermon, on bricks and mortar, and built a chapel of their own. In the course this sermon of criti- cism he stated that there was a light in the Aberdare Market Hall. Wrong again, Rev. Cynog. There was nothing of the kind. He says further that I had been approached on the matter, and that I said that I was compelled to allow such entertainments in order to make up any rent. Cynog, you are in the wrong once more. What I said in my letter was that it was a financial loss to me, which it is. Then he goes on to rake up a very pain- ful event which happened at the Consti- tutional Club 4 or 5 weeks ago. 'Cynog tutional Club 4 or 5 weeks ago. 'Cynog says he know the parents of this poor girl. If he does he has very little regard for their feelings. According to the re- port as given in. the Leader Cynog I said that the girl was permitted or com- pelled to go back to the Constitutional Club, and that her blood was on some- body's hands. What a cowardly and dastardly insinuation, and this by a man who calls himself a Minister of the Gospel! Then he goes on, "Was there a.n investigation? No, everything was stifled." A deliberate falsehood, as I am going to prove. There was a very minute investigation; everything con- nected with the case was gone into thor- oughly. I happened to be one of the jurymen who served on the inquest. The Coroner called the following witnesses: The father, the little servant who was in the girl's company last, her employer and his wife, and last Dr. Trevor Jones, who was with the poor girl when she died. The last word she uttered to the doctor was that she had shot herself, and that she had the cartridge in her pocket for 9 or 10 days. After the Coroner's sum- ming up the jury retired to consider their verdict. We were nearly half an hour discussing the case. We called the Coroner to help us to clear up some de- tails that were not quite clear, and we had also the girl's employer to- explain other matters, after which we gave a unanimous verdict. Might I conclude by respectfully sug- gesting to the Rev. Cynog Williams a very good text for a sermon, viz., Psalm 15, 1-3, or else take the third chapter of James.—Yours, etc., Cowbridge Arms. DAVID JONES. SUNDAY OBSERVANCE. Sir,—In your issue of the 12th I notice several references to this subject. by way of reports and correspondence. I am of the opinion that the originators of the circular referred to, and the gentleman wtio made it the subject,of his discourse in. Aberdare, lose sight of several points, with regard to the rigid observance of the Christian Sunday. These gentlemen, with others holding the Game opinions, desire to bring about a radical change in regard to Sunday observance, and among the things itemised are the following: The cessation of the Sunday delivery of letters, the abolition of the so-called Son- day newspapers, Sunday trains, and Sun- day trading. They claim that these things act detrimentally on the morals of the people. And your correspondent would evidently have your readers believe that all societies, other than Christian churches and chapels, are opposed to the idea of one day's rest in seven. This I may say is not true to fact. Secularists are fully in favour of the one day's rest in seven, and further they advocate that the French policy should be put into practice in this country. That is, that all employers of labour of all kinds should be compelled to give their employees one day's rest in seven. But, inasmuch as the economic conditions under which we live preclude the idea of a universal day of rest every seventh day, those who are compelled by circumstances to work on Sunday should be given another dav for rest. Now a few words as to the Sunday delivery of letters. Are these gentlemen aware that the postmen, who althousrh state servants, are but poorly paid, would, by the cessation of the Sunday delivery of letters, be robbed to the ex- tent of one day's pay per week, which is, I take it, the reason why the postmen themselves do not ask for the discontinu- ance of the Sunday delivery. How long have these men to work on Sunday? About three hours; for this—I am in- formed—they get one day's extra pay If tins so-called reform is carried through, the postmen would lose one day's pay per week, and would have to deliver the let- ters on Monday morning. Would that be just to our postmen? Next is the buying and selling of Sun- day newspapers. Are these gentlemen aware that papers sold or delivered on bunday are out of the printers' hands be- fore Saturday mid-night ? If these gen- tlemen are sincere in their protestations against Sunday labour they should ab- jure the Monday morning paper, for this is printed on the Sunday. Then we have their cry against Sunday trains, Sunday trading, and the detrimental effects of the same on the morals of the people. We may take it for granted that the bunday service of trains are necessary to the.public, for as Mr. Kinsey points out, it the service did not pay, the company would not keep the trains running. Who uses the railway on the Sunday? Why, the majority are workers, who take thid means to get a little change from the ordinary routine of life. So what these gentlemen aim at is to prevent the work- er to obtain this change. This would have a more det', e :tal effect upon the morals of the people than the existing state of things, as to Sunday tr; d- ing. We all knc-.v there are many poor people, many of the widows, whose sole means of subsist; Lee is the profit derived from little shops y selling refreshments, mainly Oil Sunday. io deprive tnese people of their livelihood would be the ,eans of tin-owing taein upon the rates, which is acknowled ged to be—under our present system of a'_ inistrating poor re- lief—morally detri ental to the recip- ients. Are not these ministers guilty of Sunday trading in the same way as the small shop-keepers. Do they not earn I their living mainly by preaching on a Sunday: Now ;.s to the moral effect of the existing state of things upon the I people. Since the Sunday Closing Act has been in force, drunkenness has in- I creased in our locality tremendously bctn in the home and in the public highway. And this state of things has been brought about by those gentlemen who decry Sunday letters, Sunday newspapers, Sun- day trading, etc. If they want to raise the moral tone of the people let them throw open all the public and semi-public libraries, museums, and art gallaries, and thus give the people a distinct change of environment on a Sunday. This is the only thing likely to bring about an im- provement in the morals of the people. When the ministers of religion cry out against Sunday amusements and i ecre- ations, they are only uttering a profes- sional cry. How much longer are the people going to bear the insults of the men who continually tell them they are rtlorally worse than they really are? Let us have more light on all things, ior more light means more knowledge —I am, etc., GEO GARRETT. 14, Albert-street, Miskin. THE. VICAR OF ABERCYNON & THE REV. M. JENKINS. Sir,—I have now arrived at the last stage of my lengthy correspondence with the Rev. M. Jenkins. and wish it to be clearly understood that the whole affair arose entirely on. account of a statement devoid of any historial foundation what- ever, made by the rev. gentleman at a meeting of the Abercynon ':Free' Church Council—a statement relevant to the Church in Wales being an Alien Church. I claim that- I have clearly demonstrated with abundance of undeniable proofs that such is not the case, as the readers of the "Aberdare Leader" by this time very well know. Sir Philip Sydney says, Weigh not so much what men say, as what they prove." Your readers will recollect that I have once and again asked the rev. gentleman for historical proofs derived from indisputable authori- ty respecting the matter at stake, but to no purpose, as Mr. Jenkins has clellbc-r- ately and purposely evaded the questions. I will now proceed to furnish your many readers with a concise and definite sum- mary of legal facts dealing with the question referred to in my previous letter, viz.: "Does Parliament legislate for the so-called 'Free' Churches of Eng- land and Wales?" Let the late Rev. Thomas Moore. M.A., Rector of St. Michael Royal, College Hill, E.C., reply. (Mr. Moore was a Nonconformist minis- ter prior to his ordination as a deacon and priest in the Church of England. In his book entitled, "The Dead Hand in the 'Free' Churches (pages 108 and 109) he states: "The 'Free Churches' are legislated for by special Acts of Parliament, passed with exclusive reference to them in their capacity as religious societies that have separated themselves from the commun- ion of the National Chure,i The various denominations called 'Free Churches' are, in external matters, legally recognised, protected, privileged, and to a certain extent, internally regu- lated by Acts of Parliament. By the powers given them by Acts of Parlia- ment (1) Nonconformist bodies acquire sites for their chapels. See Places of Worship Sites Acts, 36 and 37 Vict., c. 50; 45 and 46 Vict., c 21. (2) Certify them for worship, and re- gister them for the solemnisation of marriages, under certain limitations and restrictions. See 18 and 19 Vict., c. 81; also 61 and 62 Vict. c. 58. (3) They are protected from disturb- ance during public worship. See 55 Geo. III., c. 155, s. 12; 23 and 24 Vict., c. 32. (4) When certified for worship their chapels and endowments are exempt from the operation of the Charitable Trusts Acts. See Charitable Trusts Act, 1853, 16 and 17 Vict., c. 137, s. 62. (5) Their chapels are exempt from parochial rates and taxes so long as they are used exclusively for public religious wJtship. See 3 and 4 Will. IV., c. 30. (6) No meetings can be held in them fo.r religious worship with closed doors. See 52 Geo. III., c. 155, s. 11. (7) If put in trust, their trust deeds are required to be enrolled in the Su- preme Court. 51 and 52 Vict., c. 42, s. 4. (8) The Charity Commissioners may appoint and give advice to trustees under their trusts, and pay all the legal, costs incurred by that proceeding. See 13 and 14 Vict., c. 28; 16 and 17 Vict., c. 137, s. 16; 32 and 33 Vict., c. 110, s.s. 14, 15; 53 and 54 Vict., c. 19. In the face of such undeniable facts as these, well may we again ask wherein dees the "Freedom" of the so-called "Free Churches" consist from direct State control? And further, bearing the above legal facts in mind, and also, the enormous endowments in the possession of Noncon- formist bodies in. England and Wales, I do not think it will be considered as an unreasonable and impertinent thing on my part to strongly advise the mem- bers of the so-called 'Free' Church Coun- cil—the political organ of Nonconformity —to urge on the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer and the Welsh Members of Par- liament, the desirability, in the name of common justice and fair-play, of intro- ducing forthwith into Parliament a Dis- establishment and Disendowment Bill of the Nonconformist Bodies in England and Wales. Should such an event become an accomplished fact in the annals of the history of Nonconformity in Great Britain, it would prove to the community at large the sincerity of the opponents of the Church in clamouring loudly for the disestablishment and disendowment of the most ancient branch of the Christian Church in the land. "Charity," we are constantly reminded, "begins at home," and further, should Churchmen at any future time feel disposed to summon the aid of the members of the so-called 'Free' Churches for the purpose of disestablish- ing and disendowing the Historic Church of Britain, ample and due and timely notice will be given them to that effect through the President of the 'Free' Church Council for England and Wales. In conclusion, allow me to offer my hearty thanks to the many readers of your widely circulated paper for the keen interest exhibited by them in the question at issue.—I am, etc., D. ELLIS JONES. Vicar of Abercynon. _M limp