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. CARMARTHENf UiVDKR THEi…
CARMARTHEN f UiVDKR THE i SEARCHLIGHT. | e.IDe come, and sit on down you shall not bulgs not go, till I setvoii up a pdas?, yoa may tee the inmost part of you." SHAKEAP*AR*. At the Board of Guardians on Saturday —The Chairman You are a member of the Town Council, aren't you?" Mr Thomas j Thomas .1 No, I'm not, thank goodness." Mr Thomas was very good humoured to take such a serious accusation in that manner. m The woes of the heavy ratepayer are indeed, excruciating. For instance, you have ten houses rented at 3s a week. The rates on each house go up 6s 6d a year. You stick 6d a week oa the rent—that is a profit of 19s 6d a lious,3-total profit £ 9 15s a year. That is a pretty fair specimen of the dodge. Still you never hear a word about the poor wretches who have to pay the rates tour times over but you hear plenty of the woes of the oppressed individual who gets a 'commission of 300 per cent for collecting it. Who wouldn't be a heavy ratepayer ? 0" It is a striking fact that the attendance at plaees of worship declines rapidly with the advent of really bad weather. Some- times really fine weather is bad for church attendance, because it is then so fine that people want to go out elsewhere and enjoy themselves, as they call it. The kind of weather which produces big con- gregations in ordinary circumstances is the sort which is ne:ther very good nor very bad -not quite good enough to make people prefer to go iuto the country, and not so Tery bad that they want to stay in the house and toast their toes. A day like Sunday last, when to walk ten yards is to risk being wet to the skin, is not at all conducive to the filling of churches and chapels. W This, of course, proves the number of fine weather members which every denomination counts. There is nothing, by the way, which nowadays suffer more from bad weather than attendance at public wor- ship. It will be a very bad morning which will keep a man in thy house from his work if he knows that by missing his work he loses half-a-day's pay. And if a market- woman has a hundred eggs to sell, she will put up with a lot of bad weather to find a good market for them. People will put up with a tremendous amount of rain and cold, if there is half-a-crown at stake. But the very same people will think the weather too rough on a Sunday if the church is 200 yards off. The fact can be explained away, of course; but all the same it proves that the idea that attendance at public worship is a matter of importance is losing its hold on the public mind. The same fact explains the half-empty or three-quarter empty chapels and churches which are to be seen in the town. People who are yet in the prime of life will tell you that they remember these places beiog crowded. And they would all be pretty well hlled now if everybody in the town went somewhere on a Sunday. But people evi- dently don't. TLey have no particular animosity against the churches; in fact, most people, if questioned, will be able to mention some particular place to which they belong." They simply don't worry their beads about the matter they are not Free- thinkers they simply don't think at all. It is not that there is any proselytising at work, for every body iu the town has the same story to tell, more or less. so* If some reaction does not set in, this kind of thing is likely to grow worse. A good deal might be done by the church-goers themselves in the ordinary affairs of life. Let it become known that a professed Christian is a man who is better than his fellow-men. Let them show that their word can be relied on, whereas that of the heathen is not to be trusted. Lot it be shown that they are more hooest and straightforward in business, and that when you are dealing with a Christian you won't be cheated- Let it be shown also that in ail the relations of life the professed Christian leads a better, cleaner, and more upright life than his un- converted fellows. If that can be shown clearly, then there nted be no difficulty. If Christians are the salt of the earth, the advantages of Christianity will be so apparent that everybody will recognise them. And if they are not, no theoretical statement of the advantages of Christianity will carry much weight. We are now in the hunting season. When the dirty murky day is drawing to a close, and the lamps are being lighted, the streets of the Ancient Borough resound to the tones of the huntsman's bugle, which keeps the wearied hounds together. With the departure of the organ-grinders, this is about the only kind of street music, which we now have. 8M It seems difficult to have the Borough expenditure audited by a Government official. The only legal opinion which has been taken is to the effect that such a ..change is out of the question. However, even with the present system of auditing there is a good deal which can be done. A few weeks ago the report of the Swansea Borough Auditors was published in the Daily Post. The auditors criticised various items at length the whole report, which was a review of the Borough finances, would fill about a column of a newspaper, as far as I remember. The auditors spoke very strongly regarding some expenditure, which they thought ought to be disallowed. Has such a thing ever taken place in Carmarthen ? I don't believe the famous oldest inhabitant himself can recollect anything of the kind. Auditors are appointed, and that is all the general public know about it. They check the aceouuts, no doubt; but they never issue a report, or if they do, it is never published. This is not auditing. An auditor is not a man that checks figures, that is the work of an accountant; a junior clerk could do that work as well as the most experienced Local Government Board auditor. The mere checking of the accounts is a protection against mere crude embezzlement; but that is not the point. Nobody denies that Ahe money is spent the question is whether it ought to be spent. That is where the auditing comes in. It is not a case of getting a voucher for every sum that is spent; that can always be done. An auditor often says, "Yes; this money has been spent; but it ought not to have been spent it is illegal expenditure it is uncalled for expenditure I disallow it." When it is disallowed, the people who signed the cheque have to return the amount out of then own pockets. When something is proposed at the County Council, or at the Guardians, the discussion is frequently brcught to an abrupt termination with the remark that the auditor would never pass the cheque." That settles it. You never hear such a remark in the Car- marthen Town Council. ta Of course you don't. But there is no reason why you should not-if the ratepayers appointed auditors with a direct mandate to ¡ find fault wherever possible. To take a single instance. A bill is put before the auditors for £ 5 for something or other. They know that this stuff could have been bought cheaper. Perhaps at the contract meeting, the highest tender was accepted, cr perhaps the tender was let in a mysterious meoting called the Public Works Committee held with closed doors; or perhaps 1\ it was bought without a tender, or even without a quotation being asked for. At any rate, the auditors as businessmen might know that the £5 need not be more than £ 3 10s. In such a case the £ 1 10s ought to be disallowed. If such a thing happened once or twice it would cure slipshod finance. People would not say, Pooh it does not matter now," and sign the cheque if they knew that the finance of the job might bo dissected, and a portion of the amount disallowed. Yet some such drastic remedies is wanted to bring home to individual members of the Council their responsibility on such matters. The very people who at homo would not pay 21d a pound for sugar, if they could get it at two pounds for 4 £ d, and who would be afraid to trust the charwoman with the key of the pantry for fear she would have an extra slice uf bread, rise above such trivial details, and cultivate a spirit of large-hearted generosity when they are dealing with the money of ratepayers. There is no swindling going on. The whole trouble is due to a lordly contempt for petty finance, and to an unwillingness to make a fuss." But people who are too dainty to make a fuss will never do in public life. You'll never grow cabbages, if you're too nice to sprtnd manure or squash a caterpillar. The Llanelly Guardian is a credit to local journalism, but it would not not be a faith- ful interpreter of the views of its readers, it it did not at least once a quarter grind out one anti-Carmarthen joke. This week in a note about something it speaks about Carmarthen as the "Asylum and Gaol town." Now it is not fair of the Guardian to give the show away like that; that is the whole secret of the antipathy against Car- marthen. The community which goes in for docks without entrances, and streets without exits, naturally feels a personal animosity against lunatic asylums; an asylum in the county is a serious menace to them. 8ft And as for the gaol-well it is a delicate subject. Whenever you see anybody coming down Castle Hill, and wiping away a tear, you may depend he is a Llanelly man thinking of his friend on the other side of the wall. It is no joke for the Llanelly folks; to them Carmarthen is a place where friends have to part for more or less lengthened periods. We in Carmarthen are grateful to our friends up the line. When there was talk of closing Carmarthen prison, they came to the rescue, and decided to send us their prisoners, instead of letting them go to Swansea. The result has been satisfactory for Carmarthen how Swansea likes it, I don't know. 9" At the Assizes on Tuesday, one witness described himself as a "steam trawler cook." A 44 sea cook is a nautical term of contempt, so perhaps the more imposing phrase is used as a euphemism to cover the homelier term. At any rate, it cannot mean the man who cooks steam trawlers. From personal observation, I am inclined to think that when a man uses a knife, a Carmarthenshire jury always finds him guilty. We had such a case at the Quarter Sessions a couple of weeks ago, and now we had a similar case on Tuesday, when the jury not only found the person" Guilty," but found him guilty of the major charge. There is a good sound British prejudice against the knife, which it is to be hoped will be maintained. Now I have never seen a conviction in a perjury case in Carmarthen- shire. Sometimes the case is shaky sometimes it is a case in which you might honestly take either view; and onco it was so plain that the Judge censured the jury for their verdict. No matter; the result is always the same. Sometimes when certain cases are being tried, the Jndge throws out a suggestion t li, ladies should leave the court. They leave. But it is a painful spectacle to go in or out of the court room during such an investigation, and notice "ladies" in the corridors craning their necks eagerly to catch something of -what is going on during the few seconds that the door is open. It is not once or twice you notice this it is a regular feature uf the corridors at Assize time. It is, of course, useless to comment on the subject, for those who can behave in such fashion are fat- beyond feeling anything which can be written on the matter. Mr Walter Spurrell, on being elected mayor on Monday, said plainly that he was not going to subscribe to the various clubs, etc., during his year of office, as his predecessors had done. No doubt, he will come in for a lot of abuse on that account. As a matter of fact, Mr Spurrell deserves to be thanked for being straightforward about it. I don't agree that it has been the custom for the mayor to contribute more or less freely to various local objects. Some mayors have done so some haven't. The disclaimer was quite unnecessary. He might have taken the office, and have said nothing, and have acted as he pleased. That has been done by mayors before now. The only difference is that the present mayor has been honest enough to tell people at the start that he is not going to be bled. That is much better than courting popularity, and keeping people in expectation, and telling the Cricket Club that you are very sorry that you have subscribed to the Ping- Pong Club, and telling the Football Club that you have subscribed to the Cat Fanciers' Society. The number of mayors who have been generous in this respect is very small. In fact the generous mayor is the exception-and not the mayor who refuses to be bled. Mr Spurrell has too high an opinion of his predecessors as a whole. m Still there is no denying that the expecta- tion of backsheesh from the mayor exists —although it is an expectation which is frequently. doomed to disappointment. There is something very hypocritical in pressing a man to accept the mayoralty, and at the same time everybody knowing that you are simply inviting him to stand up and be plucked like a Christmas goose. The fact is that the office of mayor has become associated with the idea of a kind of Santa Claus who will provide everybody with everything. You would think that people of any independence if they wanted to play croquet or quoits would put their heads together, and club up, and buy the necessary apparatus and hire a field for themselves. If they can't do that they had much better go without croquet or quoits, and play marbles, and retain their manly indepen- dence. Instead of that, they often set about and cadge for the means to enable them to indulge in their favourite recreation. They either ask right out for cash, or else they cadge in the more genteel way by asking people to become presidents. You are quite qualified to become a vice-president of a I football club even if you don't know the difference between a centre forward and the second aorist. It is ali a question of cash. If this is to be the standard by which mayors are to be judged, the most honest way would be to put. the office up for auction. If generosity is an essential feature in a mayor, then the most generous man will be the best. So let an auctioneer be appointed and let the office be knocked down to a gentleman inside the Council or out who offers to spend most, money during bis year. When people have bid until they see the Official Receiver staring them in the face, then it will be "going, going, gOlF' and the chair will pass for one year to the highest bidder. This method would have the advantage of honesty. p The proposal to give the mayor a salary which is suggested as being within reasonable distance is quite uncalled for. Salaries are voted to the mayors of large cities, and they usually spend four times the amount. Bu". then there are big social duties to be carried out. A mayor of a big seaport may have to invite the officers of the Channel Fleet to dinner, or he may even have to entertain Royalty on occasions, to speak nothing of Foreign Ambassadors and such like smaller fry. This is worth voting public money for. Why should the mayor of Carmarthen have a salary 1 To enable him to patronize Christ- mas trees, and sales of work, and to sub- scribe to Goose Clubs, billiard tournaments, and the like. That is just a bit too rich. Of course, if the mayor had a salary he would have to produce a balance sheet at the end of the year. Ie would never do to vote a man £ 100 a year as salary, and then allow him to make money out of it. We must certainly have a balance sheet in that case. And if there is to be a salary, then the job must be let by tender—the lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted. It would be no good giving £100 a year if somebody 11 el I tendered at EGO--satisfactiori guaranteed or money returned. And the tender must not be considered in the Public Works Com- mittee but at a full meeting, in presence of the press, so that justice may be done to the ratepayers. There are no expenses of a character, which could be fairly chargeable to the rates, connected with the mayoralty of Carmarthen. The trips up to the Lord Mayor's Ball and various banquets don't count. If the mayor stays away the town won't suffer. Men go up to London occasionally even if they are not mayor of Carmarthen and there is no reason why they should be paid for dancing at the Mansion House or dining with the Lord Knows Who. It is quite enough to have these pleasures without being paid for taking them. Mayors are sometimes salaried for giving dinners, but never for eating them. The only unavoid- able expense is the robe. Well it is doubt- ful if that is necessary it is only Ritualism at the best. Indeed the scarlet cloak is too suggestive of the Scarlet Woman. In any event, a man could buy a red shawl from his predecessor, and sell it to his successor, so that the expense need not be great on that score. Or the Corporation might keep a few robes in stock (as surplices are kept in a vestry), and let those who want them shift with them in case of emergency. Indeed with the reforms I have suggested, I trust that the office of mayor may be so cheapened that (like bicycles, and top-hats and green- houses) it may be brought within the r.:ach of all classes. 9mm A very sincere compliment was paid to Judge Bucknill on Tuesday by a Welshman from a rural district some distance from Car- marthen. He watched the Judge in admir- ation, drawing out the witnesses, and keeping the barristers to the point, and explaining things to the jury. IVell," said the country- rann at last, "he is a very clever gentleman. It is a great pity we can't get him as chairman for our District Council." De minimis non curat lex certainly but all the same it was a heartfelt compliment. ft. I said a good deal when the Corporation decided to sack the steam roller driver who had plenty of work, in order to find a job for a man who had lost his occupation since we have stopped pumping. But the events of Monday were a striking commentary on the change. The man who used to drive had to | give up before the notice expired, on account of illness. The new man took the steam- roller in hand. The resul can be seen. The steam-roller cut some capers in Spilman- street, and wound up by coming against a post at the corner of Parade-road the nett result was a broken post, and the front roller knocked off the machine—which during the week stands a hopeless wreck as incapable of movement as a stranded whale. Some say the roller can be mended for £5. Let us get rid of it before a worse thing happens. *-1* The proposal to hold Council meetings in the evening was nearly carried on Monday. It is almost a dead certainty that it will be carried next November. I hope to say something on the subject next week. ALETHEIA. ■
The South Wales Training College,
The South Wales Training College, A REPLY TO THE REV. W. W. LEWIS. To the Editor of the Carmarthen Weekly Reporter SIR,—May I ask you of your courtesy to admit the enclosed to the columns of your paper as a reply to Mr Lewis's remarks which you printed last week. Yours faithfully, CHARLES G. BROWN. South Wales Training College, Carmarthen, November 10th, 1902. From the recently published annual re- port of the Carmarthen Training College, it appears that the full complement of sixty- two students are now in residence, and that of thirty-two second-year students examined by the Board of Education in July last, eighteen obtained a double first-class, six a first and second, seven a double second, and one a second and third. Sixty first and six second-class certificates in science were issued, and there were no failures, while one hundred and three certificates in Art were granted by the Science and Art Department. Mr Rankine, H.M. Inspector of Training Colleges, in his report to the Board of Educa- tion, states that among Residentiary Training Colleges, Carmarthen stands in the foremost rank," and the Board of Education, in its official communication to the Council of the College, says This college con- tinues to flourish under the enlightened and genial government of Canon Brown. The conduct and bearing of the students are excellent. The staff are men of character and ability, who do their upmost for the students. Physical training and Manual Work are well attended to. The theory and practice of teaching, as treated by h Adamson, becomes a subject both luminous and stimulating. As regards health and home life, all the arrange- ments are satisfactory. Beautifully situated in a romantic district, with fine buildings, where taste is combined with comfort, and producing a thoroughly competent type of teacher, this seems a model country college." I It is a somewhat significant fact that it was from the staff of Carmarthen Training College that the Colonial Office selected its first Principal for the Normal College at C, Pretoria.
Election of Mayor at Carmarthen.
Election of Mayor at Carmarthen. MR. WALTER SPURREL STRIKES AGAINST SUBSCRIPTIONS. IT RANKLES IN MR. WHITE'S BREAST. The statutory meeting of the Carmarthen Town Council was held at the Council Chamber on Monday at noon. The Mayor (Mr E. Colby Evans) presided, and there were also present Aldermen Spurrell, C. W. Jones, W. V. H. Thomas, and H. Brunei White, Councillors Morris Jones, David Samuel. T. E. Brigstocke, Evan Jenkins, George Treharne, Herbert Davies, J. F. Morris, A. Soppitt, E. A. Rogers, Joseph Harry, C. Haydn Williams, William Evans, and D. C. Gower > together with the Town Clerk (Mr R. M. Thomas), the Surveyor (Mr F. J. Finglah), the Superintendent of Police (Mr T. Smith), the Rate Collector (Mr A. Ll. Davies), and the Sanitary Inspector (Mr James Evans). The Mayor said that before he vacated the chair he had to thank the members and the officials for the help which they had given him in carrying out the duties of the office, and mentioned that next year they would have the opening of the new water works. The pressure of the water would then be so great that it would be unnecessary to use the fire engine. He had much pleasure in proposing that Mr Walter Spurtell should be elected mayor for the ensuing year. Mr J. F. Morris seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr Walter Spurrell said that if the Education Bill became law, an additional duty would be thrown upon them. He could not imagine any greater responsibility which could fall on any body of men than the superintending of the education of the young, so that they might be able to fight :he battle of life, which was getting keener and keener every year. He hoped that all members, irrespective of party, sect, or creed, would combine to promote the interests of education. The Mayor concluded Before I conclude there is one other matter-a delicate personal matter—to which I should like to refer. We live in a practical ag3, and we must endeavour to be practical men. As you 3.re all aware, it has been the custom ot the Mayor for the time being to contribute more or less freely to the funds in connection with the various local societies, clubs, concerts, and such like. However time- honoured you may consider this custom, I wish to state now, at the outset of my year of office, that it is one to which I do not propose to conform, and for this reason. There are amongst us a number of gentlemen, who by long service on the Council and experience of its work, are well-fitted for the position that I now occupy, but who are deterred from accepting it on account of the expense that it involves. This year, as is well known, there has been the greatest difficulty in getting anyone to take up the mayoralty. This is bad for the Council and bad for the town. It is, to say the least of it, inconvenient that we have not got ready a succession of gentlemen willing to take up the work of Mayor when their turn come. In any case, the expense incidental to holding office is bound to be considerable, and unless some means are found for reducing it, you will shortly have to consider the question of paying your Mayor a salary, as is already done in so many other towns. In the present state of our finances, I think it well, in the interest of the ratepayers, that this should be avoided, and it will not be necessary this year, at, any rate. Of course, it is a matter that each Mayor must decide for himself I simply indicate what I intend to do. The step may to a certain extent be an unpopular one, but I hope it will not be misunderstood. If it will tend to ease the way for any of my successors, I shall be satisfied, and I can only trust that the good sense of the public will approve of a course that makes for municipal economy. The Mayor then proposed a vote of thanks to the outgoing mayor. Mr C W Jones, in seconding, said that as a member for 33 years, 1:.0 never remem- bered a more pleasant mayor than Mr Colby Evans. The motion was carried unanimously. It was decided on the motion of the mayor, seconded by Mr George Treharne, that Mr E Colby Evans should be elected sheriff for the ensuing year. The next business was to fix the days for the quarterly aud half-yearly meetings. A list had been drawn up of eight days—all Tuesdays, as usual. Mr David Samuel moved that the meet- ings be held at 7 p.m., and that they be held on Fridays. Mr Acton Evans seconded. Mr Samuel said that it would be much more advantageous for business men to have the meetings in the evening. He attended as regularly as anybody, but it was a groat sacrifice for him to attend at 11 a.m. He stated that there was frequently small meetings of the Council but he thought it was the duty of all to attend. The Mayor All the members don't live in town. Mr Samuel: Yes, they do, everyone. Mr Soppitt I live a mile and a half from towu. Mr Morris Jones said that he believed it would be much more convenient for the bulk of the members to have the meetings in the evening. It was a great sacrifice for work- men and tradespeople to attend meetings in the morning. He thought all the meetings of the Council, and of the Watch Com- mittee, should be held in the evening. The meetings were held in the evening in Lon- don, Cardiff and Swansea. Mr H B White asked if the Lord Mayor of London held his meeting at the Mansion House to meet the mei chants who composed the Corporation in the evening. Mr Morris Jones said he was not speaking of the City Corporation, he was speaking of the various new London Boroughs. Mr H B White said that he thought they ought to kbep up the prestige of the Borough and maintain all these old customs. It was a very nonouraoie position to bold that of e Councillor, and it was higher still to be mayor. He asked gentlemen who had not the time to give to the work if, knowing that, they ought to stand for office. There were many members living at a distance, and they did not care, after leaving their offices or shops, to come down town again at 6 30 p.m. 0 Mr E Colby Evans and Mr C W Jones supported Mr White. Mr Soppitt said that it was inconvenient to him to attend at 7 p.m, and he thought he had as much right to consideration as other members. Mr Vincent Themas supported the old system. I Mr Harry said that the Council had a right to fix the hours of meeting to suit themselves. A few years ago it might have suited the then members of the Council to meet at 11 o'clock; but the constitution of the Couoeil had somewhat changed. Mr White's argument, therefore, as to tho former practice was worth nothing. He quite agreed that if people had not the time to attend, they should not seek election. There was a meeting the other day at 11 a.m. Mr White and others left before it was finished, and left a few members to carry on the business. It might not suit Mr Soppitt to come to a meeting at 7 p.m.; but then it did not suit others to attend at 11 a.m. He thought the voice of the towns- people and working-people ought to be con- eidored. Mr White said that he left the Finance II Committee to which Mr Harry referred- If Mr Harry would refer to the four years during which he was mayor, he would find that he (Mr White) had only missed seven committee meetings during the whole time. He liked to maintain the prestige of the towu he was sorry to see the old customs dying down. Although ho would support Mr Spurrell loyally, as mayor, yet some of the remarks Mr Spurrell made rankled in his breast. The mayor had seen fit to refer to the expenditure in connection with the office. There would not have been no difficulty in getting a mayor, aud the chair would not have gone haw king about the town last week, if it was known they could have it for nothing. Loyally as he supported the mayor, he disagreed with him in that. It was decided by 10 votes against 7 that the meetings be held at 11 a.m. Mr Gower voted in the minority. Mr Colby Evans proposed that the four following should be the representatives of the Council on the Fishery Board :—Messrs H B White, D E Stephens, E A Rogers, and Owen Norton. Mr Harry proposed, and Mr Evan Jenkins seconded, that Mr George Treharne be appointed in place oi Mr Norton. Mr White I don't like to see Mr Norton knocked of in his absence. Any gentleman can have my seat if he likes. There is no expense attached to it. The four proposed were elected.
Municipal Election at Carmarthen
Municipal Election at Carmarthen On Friday, (31&t ult.) a meeting was held ait the Towiihall in the evening in support of the candidature of the Liberal and Non- formist nominees for the Town Council. The chair was occupied by Mr John Lewis, J.P. (who presided in the. absence of Professor D. E. Jones). In opening the proceedings, the Chairman said that this was a fight between Estahlishment and Disestablishment did they who were in a majority in the town intend to be represented by a minority on the Town Council ? Rev W. S. Jones, in moving a resolution in support of the candidates, said that, it was the duty of the electors to return them. They were not, fighting their own fight, but OUlIis (hear,, hear). He did not know how they were working, but he thought they ought to work together. If any candidate came to him and asked for a vote without mentioning the others, he would not, think much of that man (applause). There was some disturbance in the room, and the Chairman appealed Jo those present to give the speakers a fair hearing. There had been a Conservative meeting in the hal] a, few days previous, and nobody had inter- fered with the speakers. All they asked was a fair hearing. Rev A. Fuller Mills: I shall ask one thing more-that is, if there is any Conservative inclined to make a disturbance that he wii. come to the front, till I have a fair shot at him.—Mr Mills then went on to say that tlu Conservatives had spoken twice through their doughty champion Mr Brown. Mi Brown was a gentleman whom they all re- spected. He. had had the pleasure of meet- ing Mr Brown many times, and working with him on committees, and also in the discharge of some social functions.—" He is f. gentleman of a kindly, sympathetic nature, generous, cultuired, refined. His nature wa: not, made for the arena of controversy. I will venture to say that, when he entered the arena, of controversy, he entered it against his better reason. I may be wrong. I be- lieve if he had his choice, he would never have entered into the defence of this Educa- tion Bill, and against the rights of Noncon- formists. His urbanity will never be our salvation. If you put. your neck in the gullotine and let him draw the bolt, or stand up against a telegraph pole and let him re- tdhc thirty paces, and fire at you, his kindli- ness of nature, his plausibility, his affability, his sympathetic nature, will never save your life. What Principal Brown and his party are trying to do is to put our necks in the guillotine, to tie us uipi a. telegraph post, and shoot us. His speeches have all the marks of failing to grasp the Non- conformist position, they have, the same determination to annihilate Dissent thai characterises the Cecils, and characterised Churchmen for the last 300 years. I do not wish to say a word against Mr Brown I do not wish to use any accrimonious expres- sions. His speech at St. David's schoolroom glossed over the main points of the bill." -Mr Mills went, on to discuss the speech in detail. Mr Brown had lamented that o little was done for education in the 18th Century. Mr Brown failed to tell us who it was that objected to educating the work- ing classes in England. It. was the people to whom he belonged. It was the Church of England, the archbishops, the bishops, the clergy, and the dukes and duchesses. They said that the working men would be happier without. education. That, was the tone of the Church and the aristocracy during the three hundred years which had passed by. They had made it penal for anyone to teach without a licence from the Bishop. For this reason England had been behind Germany, the land of Luther, and Scotland, where John Knox had founded a system of popular education more than three hundred years ago. It was the large hearted Cromwell who had been the first to pmoject such a scheme for England, but he died before he carried it out. Efforts were made by various Nonconformists to educate the people, but they were everywhere interfered with by ecclesiastical bigotry and haitrd. In the 18th Century, there were a few grammar schools and universities; but they were shut against Nonconformists by the miserable and degrading tests. Mr Brown referred to the National Society. That, was formed to neu- tralise. the poison with whic ha sthe Bishops sad, the people had been ino,culated-the poison which tha,t grand old Quaker, John Lankaster, introduced, when he tried to educate the people. When a bill to that effect, was brought forward, the Archbishop of Oanterbury opposed it, in the House of Lo'rds, because it left no control to the minister of the parish—that the bill would subvert the first prinewpjes of education which had been and would be under the a,uspices of the Established Church. The bill of 1870 had been originally a. bill to give the, clerical party all they asked for, but ) owing to the efforts of several leading Non- conformists (including Mr Henry Richard, a,nd our present Colonial Secretary—let us recognise the good he had done) it had assumed the form it, eventually did. They said Ycu have a Conscience, clause." We know all about the conscience clausG-it means making the little lambs of Dissent.— speckling them as Jacob speckled Laba.n's lambs. The Conscience Clause is a misnomer and an abomination. Why could not the Church people agree to a simple religions teaching—the reading of the Bible. It was not. the Bible they WCire fightng for. The Rev Webb Peplce at Exefer said The Standard of our Church is the prayer book." Therie was the: secret of weakness the standard of any Church must b<; the Bible, j The prayer book to Principal Brown, Arch- deacon Evans, and our Bishop may be a compendium of simple evangelical truths, but the prayer book to 10.000 clergymen in England to'-day is a compendium cf the, doc- trines of the Roman Church—auricular con- fession to priests who ha.ve taken Holy Orders, the Apostolic succession of the Hii-hops in the line of continuity, which has never been broken, the Real Presence in the Supper of the Lo'rd. that Dissenters are heretics, and that we ought not. to be associated with by the parents or by their children. These are taught, in the prayer book according to 1.0,000 ritualistic parsons., and with these Rcmanistic element?, Roman- istic oxygen, Romanistic hydrogen, Roman- istic carbon-with these Romanistic element.s they were going to create an atmo-phere in the voluntary schools (which are not volun- ta,ry); they are going to create this at the expense of the ratepayers. They want to teach articles, formalities, and Romanistic doctrines of the prayer book. That is the dream of the Cabinet in England to beat back foreign competition and to become loyal subjects of —Edward VII ? Of the Pope of Rome. Believe not every spirit try every spirit—mind you don't take that for whisky to-morrow.—Mr Brown said that the headmasters, must be appointed by the managers because he must be religiously sound. Inadditiol1 to being reliigously sound, he must be also ab] e to sound the organ. The Training College must retain the right to impose thie "religious t-csts of 300 years ago. Mr Brown says "that the local antherity can build a hostel. Do you know what they mean by a. hostel a kind of shed. They are going to have this hostel to mark the young fellows who have t,he sturdiness to. say: "We are dissenters; we will not submit to the test." They had been taunted with putting on the screw let them work to gave their children from the vampire of sacerdotalism, and may God help us to screw until we win. Principal Evans said that the Education Act, n its effect would depend to some -&& on the men who administered it. The Sun- day Closing Act was a useful measure; but were^ they satisfied with the manner in which it was administered. Mr George Treharne said that ;n can- vassing he, canvassed for the three. Mr T. Daniel made a similar statement. Mr H. E. Richards said he was glad to hear this there had been a good deal of talk in town that, some of the candidates were asking for plumpers. He moved a vote of thanks to the chairman. This was seconded by the Rev Joseph Harry, and carried unanimosuly. This report. was held over from last week -Ed., C.W.R.
The New High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire.
The New High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire. wll,e ?'gh §h(were nominated on Wednesday. Mr R. L. Jennings, of Gellydee was nominated for Carmarthenshire. Mr Richard Edward Jennings, J.P., of GeUydeg, Kidwelly, and 15, Pal mei ra Mansions, Bnghtou, is the eldest son of the ate Richard Jennings, Esq, M A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, barrister-at-law, J.P. and D.L. (High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire, 1857) and author of "Elements of Political Economy' and other works, of GeJlydeg and 60, I ort land Place, London, who was a nephew of Sir Richard Paul Jodreth iLr of South Park, NorfoJk, and Portland'Place! n fr • A Sheriffs mother was Airnes Catherine Annabella, daughter of Adtmra* Sir Edward Hamilton .Bart., K.O.B.. of (HlP1 Sherifi,of Brecknock^ HamiUon^ ES?d3f5SSi £ was descended in the male lineTjjTKU* James II. of: Scotland (1437-1460), and in the female line from King Edward I. of England fnt'T'nr I baror?etcy («w also did his father) for brilliant naval services. Mr R. E. Jennings derives his Carmarthen- shire estate from his grandmother, Lady FhT Tp faUgr t-r °f J°rhn MwnWii Esq, M.P. for Leicester (High Sheriff nf Brecknockshire, 1797), by Mary, daughter and hen-ess °f Arthur Jones Esq. barrister at- c i Tangoed Castle, Brecknockshire whose mother was Mrs Mary Wogan of YViston, Pembrokeshire. g ot The new High Sheriff was born in 1845 and was educated at Eton anH Rr» College, Oxford (B.A. IS a barrister-at-law of Lincoln's Inn, and for Lonlf^HeKld aPr>°'"t.mer]ts in London. He married, in 1870, Margaret daughter and co-heiress of the lite Kfchird tuthei Watson, Esq., of C'olgarth Park WWmoX' l D Li 'd • Hi«h of was g.SidkSdheS?u!'of Rev Richard Watson DD Llandaft'and Dean of St.'Paur8 op ol We understand that the new Rk»n-A> chaplain will be the Rev E. Lincoln Uwl* iVs^nS1 P,* fe,1ug' and that A,r I> E. Stephens, of Carmarthen, will as in the present year, act as under-sheriff, assisted by Mr James John as deputy. 7
Hockey Notes.
Hockey Notes. On Thursday last, Carmarthen visited Llan doveiy got a very decided drubbing, the fin" score being eight gaols to cne. Carmart^ had its full team out, but unfortunately three of the players were, on the sick list the two backs and right half, asd this no doubt was in a lalrge way responsible for the heavYSICorel registered by Llandovery. But considering the form shown by the homesters Ls very doubtful that Carmarthen at its beat, could do very much against them. Llan- dovery are a very evenly balanced lot, and their combination is excellent. This is espe- cially the case with their forward line, their centre playing a remarkably fine game, and feeding his wings in excellent style. And all five seemed very effective in the circle, and their shots were very difficult to negotiate Carmarthen, on the other hand, seemed to be all sixes and sevens. The backs were de- cidedly off, and the halves little if anything better, while the forwards showed no com- bination whatever. White, perhaps, played the best, game for Carmarthen, and scored the only goal registered for the visitors.
---__--vYiiafr onr Soldiers…
vYiiafr onr Soldiers lost. In. the House of Commons, Sir Edgar Vin- cent asked the Secretary of State for War if he could state the approximate feverage annual cost of an infantry soldier of tre line, a cavalry soldeir, a, Militiaman, an Imperial Yeoman, and a Volunteer. Mr. Brodrick: The average cost of a pri- vate1 of each of the, arms mentioned is approximately as follows Infantry of the line, £ 52 6s 4d cavalry of the, line, £ 58 16s 9d; Militia (infantry), lS 12s Oct Imperial Yeomanry. £19 13s 6d Volunteers t6. The cost of infantry and cavalry re- spoot,ively after 1st April, 1904, when the increased ray takes effect, will be L59 6s Id and L65 16s 6d. -+
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