The Rhos Herald

Poor Baz3 a,ga.in The deliberations of the Wrexham Dis- trict Council last week no doubt proved very interesting reading to all Rhosites. It seems that the Auditor requires to be shown the respective amounts chargeable to each parish which go to make up the Engineer's salary. Knowing that we are all bloated millionaires here, the Commit- tee responsible for the apportioning' of same recommended that Rhos of course should pay the lion's share. The coun- cil agreed to this, notwithstanding the protest of Mr Tysilio Jones. So now we know that Rhos pays -,rioo per an. of the engineer's salary. It is highly interesting also to note that Cefn only pays ^50, and Ruabon ,(;:3. Both Cefn and Ruabon have a higher rateable value than Rhos. One would caturally think that rateable value would be a basis for this appor- ,tion.rrent. But no. Rhos has a large population. (12,000 ruled by a Parish] Council forsooth ) She is a highly pros- perous little village, (does not even boast of a watering cart !) let her pay. Let us follow this analogy a little further. We presume that as the Rhos Parish Council send frequent communications down to Wrexham re cur streets, &c., &c., the District Council Clerk has naturally to answer san ?. When the apportionment' of his takes place, on thpfc same principle as the engineer's business, so it is with the clerk's. Rhos people Are aJ. ways worry"ng us with their communica- tions,—let them pay for it. And so we do. If we pay Z, too per an- of the engineer's salary, it would be interesting to know ,,u,h --it proportion of the other officials' sal- aries are dumped on U". And still we take it an msekiy lviog- down

RHOS EISTEDDFOD. It is r.ow now four years since the first annual chair eisteddfod was held in Lian- erchrugog Park. The .excitement, ex- pectation, and enthusiasm with which the first eisteddfod was looked forward to, has net abated one jet, This year, as in the previous years, the event called forth the warmest interest and keenest desire of every Rhcsite. in fact the interest has been more tb&n has become deeper and stronger with each succeeding year. There is, oi course, a saying cur- rent, based on experience, that nothing can last in Rhos. Movements come and movements-go flower shows, dog trials, nurse movements—each have their little day and are gone. The continued suc- cess of the eisteddfod, however, shows that it has cot been a mere spurt, but a steady and combined effort. Petty differ- ences, which wreck so many movement in Rhos and io other places, have been sunk for the common cause, and all have pulled well together for the success of our an- nual event, One of the unique features of Rhos .etsteddfod is that its success is not alto- gether dependent upon the attendance of outsiders. Visitors from far and near, are, of course, heartily welcomed, and every' effort is made to secure their pres- ence but attar aU, the great bulk of the attendance is local. There is not another eisteddfod in Wales equal to it in this re- spect. Bwlchgwyn, Corwen, Llanrwst, and a!! the other eisteddfods are nearly wholly dependent upon visiting choirs and their supporters. There is perhaps not another self-supporting eisteddfod in WaJes. But then, there is not another, -town like Rhos in Wales either. Assur- edly there ii no other town in the Princi- pality that can boast the feat of raising. three mixed choirs and two male voice choirs in order to make their local eistedd- fod a success. Perhaps there is no other -town, either so generously endowed with talent in an its divergent forms, as Rhos. There seems to be a streak of the artist j and orator, or a strain of the bardic and iiumorcus in every family. As one vis- y itor remarked The place seemed honey- combed with gifts, and the average Rhos- #te was bora with a silvery vqjge as the 4mult was born with a vicious kick Considerable anxiety was felt this year as to how the weather would turn out. For a whole week there had been an over- cast sky, and on the Saturday and Sun- day the water continued to lave the no longer thirsty ground, in the most lavish manner. The anxious secretaries scan- ned the sky in vain for a slice of blue in the heavens. Thorough Liberals though they were, they longed, nay yearned, nay prayed for blue. The inimitable blue of the Italian paintings, or even the more precious blue of a maiden's eye, was of less attraction to them than the blue of the sky immediately above Llanerchrugog Park. All fears in the morning, however, were beautifully scattered. The Park was wreathed in warm sunshine, and the secretaries' faces were wreathed in smiles. Not a spot of rain fell throughout the day which was one of the nicest we have had this summer. There were several things that made the eisteddfod of more than ordinary in- terest this year. There were the two riv- al male voice choirs, and there was the meeting of Rhos and Penycae choirs for the second time within a month. This local rivalry added much to the enjoyment of the listeners, and vested the competi- tions with just that dash of expectancy that makes a cup tie football match more interesting than an ordinary league' match. The most interesting musical items of the morning meeting, were the children's choir and the tenor solo competitions. The winning choir-Cor Gobaeth—gave a charming performance, and Mr Lewis, the conductor is to be congratulated upon his success. The great attraction of a children's choir is the ease and grace of their singing. The Gobaeth choir thor- oughly deserved their success. The ten- or solo was also a very enjoyable item. i The test piece The Heart's Awakening was a delightfully fresh one. Three sing- ers appeared on the platform, and the competition was a spirited one. The winner, Mr Griff Owen, Bootle, captured the audience at once with the beauty of his voice and the grace of his style. There was no competition on the chief choral item, the only choir entered—Cefn —withdrawing. To a large number this was very disappointing. After all, the chief choral is the chief attraction of an eisteddfod, and Rhos must see to it that the chief choral is not allowed to slip from its proud position in future pro- grammes. That way failure lies. It is rather disappointing that Rhos, with all its musical tradition, and with all its en- thusiasm and fine voices, should fail to ,aise a substantial permanent choir. One really finte choir, with a good capable con- ductor, would be far more acceptable than J half a dozen pettifogging choirs, with their still more pettifogging conductors. I I The second choral took place in the af- ternoon, four choirs competing—three from Rhos and one from Penycae. The test piece was Efe a ddaw (T. Price). The competition was looked forward to with keen interest. Penycae sang first, and gave a steady, tuneful, and vigorous performance. They developed a substan- I tial, good tone, and sang in perfect tune —a careful rather than a rousing render- ing. The performances of the three Rhos choirs were all marred by faulty intona- tion. All three choirs were of the mush- room, sporadic order—having grown as it were in a night—and were lacking in the tone and blend that onlv comes with long and regular practice. It is hopeless to expect a hurriedly trained choir-how- ever brilliant the voices individually—to compete with an old, steady, and prac- tised choir. Penycae's victory was de- servedly popular. Undoubtedly one of the most delightful items of the eisteddfod was the children's action song in the afternoon meeting. Two parties competed—Johnstown and Rhos schools-the test piece being Cal- ler Herrin' "—a most haunting little mel- ody. The children-about twenty in each choir-were dressed in quaint fishing garbs, and came forward bare-haired and bare-footed. They carried fish baskets on their backs with real fish in them. So realistic was one lass that her bare arms were covered with fish scales The mus- ic and the dramatic action of both choirs were excellent. The huge audience was immensely pleased, and demonstrated their appreciation in a most hearty man- ner. The performances of the children astonished the adjudicators. They had seen some wonderful performances in England, but never had they seen any- thing so dramatic in Wales. The Welsh people are a musical people certainly, but the sister art is there also. The very in- tensity of the Welsh temperament lends itself to the dramatic art, All it wants is the opportunity to grow and expand The Johnstown party, trained b^ Mr Ernest Jones, were awarded the prize for their excellent performance, « -? A greater crowd than ever presented it- self at the evening meeting. The mar- quee, which was fitted r,-ith electric light, t literally bulged with people. The presid- ent, Mr Mahler, Chirk, gave an interest- ing address on Welsh folk-song, and sang a charming little song entitled 4< As I walked through the meadows," 'Twas a pretty little scene about a lover and his lass, and tickled the audience vpry much. Mr Mahler's remarks should ¡e of real service in urging some of the older people of the district to commit to paper some ot the old melodies and ballads that still linger in their memories. There are a number of old Welsh melodies in the place, and it would indeed be a pity to lose them for ever. Besides being of musical and poetic importance, some of the national folk-songs give us a glimpse of ancient Welsh life and customs, as well as to portray long gone Welsh char- acters and incidents. These should in- deed be collected and stored in safer and more lasting archives than the memories of a few men. During the course of the evening meet- ing, Mr James Sauvage, America, who is paying a visit to his native town, was spied making his way to his seat in the tent. He was promptly escorted to the platform and placed in the seat of honour. The audience were delighted to pay hom- age to a man, who by sheer ability had won a place for himself among Wales' most distinguished sons. Mr Sauvage arrived in Rhos from America on Sunday. We are pleased to note that the passing years have laid hands but lightly upon Mr Sauvage. He looks buoyant, and still re- tains the magnetic personality of his earlier days. We hope that before the end of his stay here, he will once more give one of his famous concerts. There are young people here who have not heard him sing, and it would be a pity that any Rhosite should grow up and be unable to say he had heard James Sauvage sing. There are very few things in this world that have the power to annhiliate time. One of them is a well-remembered voice which has been long silent. We are sure if Mr Sauvage but consents to sing to us, the years that are gone will, to many, be forgotten. The challenge solo competition for Mr A. E. Evans' prize of five guineas attract- ed a very large number of entries. Four singers appeared on the platform in the final test. After a highly interesting com- petition the prize was divided between Miss H. Egan and Mr Griff Owen. It was evident that the Bootle tenor had quite charmed the adjudicators as well as the audience, for notwithstanding the fact that he made two slips in his perfor- ¡ mance, he was bracketed first. To look over two serious slips in an important | competition, the young tenor must have sung magnificently. And so he did. The great event of the evening meeting The great event of the evening meeting was the male voice competition, on the I test piece "Martyrs of the arena." Three choirs sang-Rhos, Cefn, and Pon- key. The rendering of the first choir was a thrilling one. The intonation, unfor-) tunately, suffered under the stress of feel-1 ing. Cefn sang second, and although they gave an excellent performance, it could hardly be described as a rousing or dramatic one. Their greatest virtue was that they kept in tune. Ponkey choir sang third, and succeeded in touching the teelings of the audience. The adjudicat- ors awarded the first prize to Cefn, and the second to Ponkey. Of all the adjudi- cations of the day, this seemed to be the' least satisfactory. Mr David Evans, us- ually so clear and decisive in his delivery, seemed to speak awkwardly, hesitatingly, and altogether unlike his usual masterly style. The financial result of this year's eis- teddfod should again allow of a handsome surplus, The arrangements were com- plete in every particular, and reflect the greatest credit upon the secretaries and committee. Mr Jos Davies and Mr J. T. Edwards have taken an .infinite amount of trouble in smoothing out the difficulties inseperable from a large undertaking of this kind, and are to be complimented up- on the result of their labours. ) There were several things that not only made for the success of the eisteddfod, but also added interest and enjoyment. The harpist, Miss Bessie Jones, gave en- chantment to the scene, by her playing of the national instrument. Mr Caradog Roberts and Mr Emlyn Davies in their piano accompaniments, were all one could wish, and last but not least, the conduct- ors, the Rev R Williams, and the Rev Charles Jones, did their work with wit and brevity.

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF AN OUTSIDER. Once again Rhos Eisteddfod has come and gone, and as usual I make bold to record some impressions of the gladiatorial combats in the field of literature and song. But first I am wondering how the hard-work- ing secretaries managed to propitiate the clerk of the weather. What did they do to induce that mysterious personality to set aside his fear- some sprinkling-can and flood the beautiful country-side with a laughing sunshine that made erorytbing and everybody so bright and gay ? If his genealogy is looked up it will I probably be found that that celebrity is of Rhos descent. Assuming ho is not, then my modes- ty compels me to confess that he must have known my particular wishes and I offer him my grateful thanks. After all it was only fair that, Reno should not have monopolised the tine weather even if it did afford the choicest bit of primitive sport the world over, and I have a suspicion that some local lovers of the "noble art" were shameless enough to see on the Eisteddfod plat- form visions of Johnson's "upper cuts" and Jeffries' "jabs." But that is a digression. Of the Eisteddfod itself I have a decided opinion that like the par- son's egg, it was "good in parts." Clearly it was not of such all round excellence as last year's, even if the takings were better. Still it was a great festival which filled the Welshman's heart with enthusiasm and joy. And let it at once be said that the main secret of its success at Rhos is that the Eisteddfod is firmly rooted in the abiding affections of the true Welsh hearts. The atmosphere and soil are right, so that it could hardly do any other than flourish abundantly. Snatches of English crept in oc- casionally. Nobody wants them and the Eis- teddfod would be better without them. But that little fact is the only evidence of the Anglicising process which is so completely changing the dear homeland- -for the worse. It made my poor heart rejoice to see the splendid enthusiasm of Rhos folks for their Eisteddfod. It was as good to me almost as ) the classic event itself, which is saying a great I deal. And a lady who has been a prominent figure at practically all eisteddfodau—at home and abroad-told me that for the real spirit Rhos Eisteddfod was as good as the National' itself. I agree. And now to. the competitions, as Pepys would say. There can be no doubt-with due respect to the ancient and honourable function of chairing the ba.rd-that first and foremost in popularity are the musical contests. And there was a good selection of these even if the Eisteddfod was shorn of some of its glory by the absence of the chief choral and the presence of only three male voice choirs. There were too, enough adjudicators and to spare. With them all it is an open question as to whether they satisfied everybody. I may be a crank but this I know, that I found myself less in agreement with their verdicts this year than in any other Eisteddfod in Rhos. And I have attended them all. The adjudicators of course will not mind, and I am sure I don't, But since they find such pleasure in criticising other people and finding fault—often out of sheer pique-they cannot object if they them- selves should come up for a friendly "carpet- ing. After all the audience is a pretty good judge, and possibly no one will be quite so con- fident as to suggest that the adjudicators com- pletely won favour. My own view was that Mr David Evans was distinctly below par. His adjudications were faltering and drawling. They lacked snap and sparkle while his phrases were cumbersome and laborious, and generally his performances were unworthy of his reputation. It was in striking contrast to last year. Prof. Dan Price on the other hand was vivacity, lucidity, and dispatch personified, and if I may hazard a guess he will probably come to Rhos again. Mr Harry Evans was out of the picture—de- signedly or otherwise, and about him I have nothing to say. Speaking as a layman I was astonished at the summary way in which the Wrexham sop- rano was ruled out of the challenge competition. I And with the groatest deference I submit that I her splendid singing and vocalization in the di- fficult and florid Haydn air were far superior to that given by another delightful singer. I was very glad however that the judges did not too severely punish the brilliant tenor vocalist for his carelessness, for nothing quite so sweet and artistic as his singing has been heard even at Rhos for many a long day. It was the tit- bit of the Eisteddfod-the one impression which will possibly survive longest in memory. For myself I had never before heard him and am greatly indebted to him for a few minutes of inexpressible delight. He ought to go far along the treacherous road of musical competition. Even so the adjudication 011 the challenge solo was a bad mix, for few were prepared for what was said for so startling a result. Some pro- ably thought like myself that the sweet and successful contralto from Capel Curig was go- 7-1 ing to sharp some of the plums. As to the male voice competition one had'only to lie low and listen, to know that the decision was profoundly disappointing. What a pity that such odious tell-tell things as tuning forks were allowed to disillusion one of the effect of such stirring singing as that given by the first party Strenuous singing has direct disadvantages. All the same a glorious seven minutes like that < provided by the dramatic singing of John Lloyd and his choir was worth going far to hear. Just a word about the action song. It was undoubtedly the prettiest and most picturesque spectactle in the Eisteddfod. Everybody was charmed with it, and the tender appeal to buy "Caller Herrin will be remembered for many moons. The trainer thoroughlp deserves, in addition to the honour, the thanks of those who appreciate good singing, dainty dancing, and artistic effect which would have taking a lot of beating. Beautiful too was the sight of the little chil- dren reciting and singing penillion with the harp. The former—especially the little tiny dot with large and wistful eyes who won the Welsh recitation, that moved us almost to tears while the confidence of the penillion competitors, gained from the feeling that their father stood besides them was very appealing. I hope the Rhos Eisteddfod will always be so fortunate to have Miss Bessie Jones as harp- ist. She is part and parcel of it, and in addi- tion to being a cultured and gifted artiste, pos- sesses, to my knowledge, a rich and full con- tralto voice that ought by all means to have been heard. I congratulate the promoters of the Eistedd- fod on a thumping success which was fully me- rited, and am looking forward even now to re- new my youth with the pleasures and delights of next year's festival. But do keep the children quiet. J.H.M. Hampsttad, London.

Child's Extraordinary Death at Rhos. An inquest was held on Tuesday morn- ing last at Bethania Chapel, Church street touching the circumstances attending the death of a little child named Mary Dodd- who met with an extraordinary death on Sunday last. Mr J Hopiey Pierce, the deputy-coroner held the inquest, and the foreman of the jury was Mr Thomas O Jones, Wern Farm. The case was one' of those sad and mysterious occurc which sometimes happened, and which were always hard to explain. It appear." ed that a little girl named Mary Dodd, who was between 2 and 3 years of agcy got up from the dinner table, saying she" was going to see her grandmother wiicr, lived a few doors away. It was not an unusual occurrence, and the parents of course could not possibly have foresees the terrible tragedy that was about to take place. Seeing the little girl rather' long in resuming her place at the dinner table, a servant girl named Mary Williams went in search of her, and found hm" head down in a washing tub of water. The tub was an ordinary washing tub about 18 inches high, and contained about 12 inches of water. The girl Mary Williams picked the unfortunate little girl out of the tub, and called for Mr Jos, Dodd, the child's father. Medical ai; was at once summoned, but it was found that the girl was quite dead. Mr Joseph Dodd, Church street said h<r was the father of the deceased girl. She sat at the dinner table about quarter' to one on Sunday, and before she ha4"¡ finished her dinner, she got up and saicf she was going to see her grandmother who lived close by. About ten minutes later Mary Williams called to him. He went at once to the washhouse, and found that Mary Williams had just picked thr body of his little daughter out of the tub. He was too much upset to whether there was a spark of life left ic her, but he sent at once for Dr Davies and Dr Williams. Both doctors came, Dr Davies arrived first and pronounced. the child dead. The washing tub was ar- ordinary wooden one, and at the tis» £ contained about 12 inches of water. Foreman Did you hear the child" scream at all ? Witness No. I heard nothing. only wish she did scream. Mary Williams, 4 Pentrefelin, who was helping as a servant at Joseph Dodd's?. said she saw the child get up from the table and leave the room. About iQ" minutes later witness went to seek her tc finish her dinner. She found the child witd her head in a wash-tub. Witness a once got her out, and called the father. In summing up, Mr Hopiey Pierce said that it appeared to him to be one of those unfortunate accidents which nowandtheo occurred in most sad and mysterious rir- cumstances. The jury had heard tte evidence and it was for them to declare" whether the unfortunate affair was a pore accident, and whether there was aof blame to be attached to anyone. The jury, without retiring brought in, a verdict of accidenial death. Mr T 0" Jones, the foreman in pronouncing thr verdict said that the jury sympathised very much with the parents in their sa# and awful blow at the same time, her hoped the incident would teach all par- ents to be more careful not to leave water in their wash-tubs in the house. Mr Pierce joined in the vote of syni" pathy, saying the sad occurence must draw out the sympathy of every fathesT towards the parents of the child. t

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