The Merthyr Express

TWYNYRODYN MISSION. Sir,—Reference was made some time ago in your valuable paper to the educational authori- ties allowing the Twyayrodyn School to be used tor religious services. The aas-sion has already justified its existence, and souls have been benefitted by it. One thing is evident, it has inet a long-felt need in the locality. Owinjr to the great number of houses buil,t in the neigh- bourhood the population has increased im- mensely, but there has not been a move made jto meet the spiritual needs of the English peo- ple. On Sundays if they wanted a religious meeting, they had to go to town. That; was not always convenient, especially where there was fc large family. Now, they have an opportunity dos"! at hand, which, I hope. they will appreci- ate by attending every Sunday evening. There is aflourishing Sunday School atiachfo to the Mission, and a Band of Hope numbering about eighty. I am sure that many mothers and fathers are glad of the Mission. SYMPATHISER.

LIGHTING OF DOWLAIS Sir,—I feel that so«iethmg should be said in response to the recent discussion upon the light- ing of Dowlais, and beg, therefore, to cominu- nicate a few lines upon the subject. To start with. I happen to be a representative of the lerthvr Election Traction and Lighting Co.. Ltd.. in fact, its managing engineer, and after Teading the protest of our friends, the Dowlais -Chamber of Trade in the press, I thought it would be interesting to inspect the existing lighting of the various streets in Dowlais. It vsaa with fear and trembling that I set out last Saturday evening in the pouring rain, expect- ing to see our humble little lamps modestly glimmering amidst a blaze of gas light, as the information that has appeared in the press clear- ly states that the present gas lamps are of 80 C.p. It was, therefore, somewhat surprising to eee a. large majority of fish tail burners fitfully blowing about in the wind. How is it that more lamps will be wanted if 60 candlepower electric lamps are put in their place, considering that the average fish tail burner gives, 16 c.p.. if ^har' My feelintra were relieved when I saw th- actiral position. Now it will be interesting pc-rhfcps to some to Bote that some of the pairs of lamps lit by my company in Dowlais are pairs of 40-45 c.p. Sim Tantalum laftips, making 80-90 candle power at each point, wbilst the agreement between my company and the Corporation provides for 64 candle power. This, I may say, is also the case in parts of the New-road, Dowlais, and between the bottom of New-road and Graham-street, lerthyr, which can be verified by anybody knowing the different makes of ciectric lamps. Is not more valua being given for the money? The public of batds, to all accounts, are bcir.rr treated to a glowing description of the candle power offered by the Gaa Company. Again, rumour bas it that the public are be- ing frightened as to the danger of overhead mains. What about tramway overhead mains. which are allowed to hang over a screet and its traffic with more than doublo the electrical

KEEP YOURSELF JErIT.. If you ars weak, ailing, anscmir, ^bHilald will put yen rig-Jit. If you are convalescent after a-i exhausting iliness, Owil.vm Evans' Bitters will brinrr li.c s; .-lem up to par quicker than anything elso. if you are well and stroag, an occasional < f G., alym Enns's Bitters will act as a bulwark ti yoar. v health and safeguard you agaiust disease. Q_\VILYM |< VANS' ■QUTNINE JglTTERS. The extraor^'n; ry success of Gwil.rm Evans* Quinine Bjtt, i* pi«.vd when tiikpti after a bad attack of Irfluen/ -rhsa Patient is weak and downhearted; lir:titc fmne, lI:'r\'0::5 and low spirited, sleepless, depressed, tired out; weary of life. GWILYM Igj VANS' QUININE BITTERS. Why, if yon only try one bottle you will soon be relieved of your nervousness and weakness, and regain your appetite. There is nothing else like it. Always keep Gwilym Evans' Ditters in the house, and why not take it as a preventive? It is an ideal Preparation for persons of both sexes, of all ages, and the result is beneficial in every case of indisposition and illness. If their merits were rightly appreciated, Gwilym Evans' Bitters would become an institution in every home in the country. Gwilym Evans' Quinine Bitters is purely a Herbal Tonic, and it is the best Pick-me-up in the world, and makes life worth living. Try a bottle now. The name "Gwilym Evans" on the label, stamp and bottle, is the only guarantee of genuineness. Of all Chemists and Stores, in bottles, 2s. 9d. and 4s. 6d. each. ftole Proprietors—Quinine Bitters Manufacturing .Company, Limited, Llanelly, South Walea. G WILYM EVANS) J'J QUININE jglTTERS. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ i '?' That will make you eat- make you enjoy your food too plenty of other sauces but only one R.P. Jt Free Voting | Coupon Vote Now I am in favour of your sending me a Free trial bottle of Wincarnis, the World's Greatest Restorative and Nature's Finest Brain and Nerve Food, to test its merits, and enclose 3d. to cover cost of carriage. Name, u. u. u. Address. Sign I "here 711 Cr>T.EMAN & Co., LTD., JY Ki" 11 Viacarms Works, N orwicb., _-tIC I, Those son dint witaiot tO d&yi will receive a t Dainty Perfumed Blottar Calendar for 1910 Post without Delay J "My leg had been bad for many yeara, end almost unbearable, until I used "GOaIER'S? BALM," which immediately eased my pain very soon completely cured me." GOMER'S BALM I "CURES EVERYBODY." IT IS A SALVE FOR EVERY WOUND wtQf MARVELLOUS PROPERTIES for CURING ALL KINDS OF Skin Rash. Sores. Eczema. Burns. Scalds. Erysipelas. Gout. Excoriations. Bad Legs. Scabby He GallLigs in Piles. Women & Children. Irritations. Itchings Chapped Kanasi Scurvy. Ringworm Marvellous for BAD LEGS. A GREAT SENSATION/ READ WHAT PEOPLE SAY. J. SNOOKS, Llanharan, says:— "Eleven years ago I had a. fever. The effeol of the fever settled down in my legs and feet, and baffled all the doctors to cure it. My feet were black until the fall of last year, when they broke out, and they have been in the most frightful mesa ever since. My left foot was in a complete mass of holes and scab*, full of corruption. No one knows but mysell wha.t I have suffered. When I heud of youa Salve, vm., "Gomer's Bain" & "Hughes's Blood" PlUt I at once used them, and in fortnight tba change was something wonderful. After 00." tinuing with them for a while, I am glad to! say that I am now entirely cured. Tho effect of your "Comer's Balm" & "Hughes's Biood MllsM is something marvellous; never haard of aoji tbing like it. I nm verI tha.nkb: Thousands are cured or all manner of a Sec- tions of the SKIN, FLESH, and BONK. It i. Harmless and most effective. It should be ia every house. TRY IT—CURE IS CERTAIN. for "GOMER'S BALM," see the name in full is on each box, also the name JACOB HUGHES, without which ¡ûM it genuine. Sold by Chemists and PaterL Medi- cine Dealers a.t Is. ld" or send value i8 stamps or P.O. to maker and discoverer, J1\COB HUGHES, M.P.S.. L.D.S. MANUFACTURING CHEMIST. PENARTH. CARDIFF. Have you anything to Sell? Advertlte in our Want Columns, and it ia as good as sold. Printed and published by the Proprietor, WOOD SOTTXHET, at Glebeland-Itlt. Hortbff Tydfil, Janu&rz ffind, 1910..

.-q- I Merthyr's Huge Bargain Centre. j ————————— T T" III I || 11 ■ ■ HIM——L———— —II I II ■ ■WIIIMJF Mil— L_ L_U__11L_J.I1.JL. j R. wp I ,i GREAT Winter /<,f' W SALE WF "'>' /?,t\, :):?" 'i;Y'3.?:jS"'f,+j:4:t:<7:(-tt;>:}.><, l)t: tw IS NOW ON And Continues DAY by DAY during JANUARY. that the Bargains are attractive is not anything like sufficiently emphatic on this occasion. We quote below just a few numbers-we have hundreds of others equally as good in value on view daily in the windows and on the counters. fcOO'yards of good qualityJBLACK SILK, various f Makes, nice pure goods, usual price, Is. 6fd. and Is. 11 fd. Sale Price Is. OJd. and Is. 6d £ to clear. VSD yards beat quality BLACK WOVEN SILK, with self-colour Woven Designs, in seven Colours, usoaJ price 2s. O-tld. Sale Price, j r 10ld. per yard, to clear. t.ooO yards of Choice DRESS FAATERIALS, best quality goods, suitable for Spring Wear, usual price Is. lld. and 2a. lll-d. Sale Price, Is. OJd. and 1s. 6jd. Double Width. |3 Smart Tailor-made COSTUMES, in Tweed, and Plain Cloths, Best Grade Coats. Usual prices, 39s. lid. to 4 guineas. Sale > Prices, 15s. lid to 38s. lib. Matrons Black Cloth and Caracul Cloth COATS, Marked at Clearance Prices, 10s. lid., 171. nit. 21s. 6d. VUR COATS, in Squirrel, Moleskin, Electric, Seal, Real Caracul,, to be cleared reganHess: of cost 60 do*. Flannelette SHIRT BLOUSES, good and Reliable Shapes. Sale Prices, 11. Oid., Is. &id., 1.. lift, 2s. llfd. t 17 doz.!Cream Delaine BLOUSES, Embroidered Fronts. Marvellously Cheap, Is. 11id., 2s. 11 i., 3s. 11 |d., 4s. 11 £ d., 6$. lid. A few Cream Jap Silk BLOUSES to clear at Half-price. Coloured Silk BLOUSES, Exceptional Bargains, 3s. lid to 21s. 6d. Large Black and Coloured Beaver HATS in all the Leading Shades, 38. Hid., 45. Hid., j 5s. ltd. ALL FUR HATS AND TOQUES must be cleared, and are reduced with that idea in view. Ladies' COMBINATIONS, in White, Natural, and Pink, from Is. 6id. to al. lid. Long and Short Sleeve SPENCERS & BODICES from 15jd. to 2s. 11d. Ladies' Black and Coloured Moirette UNDER- SKIRTS, from Is. 62d. to 4s. 11d. Greatly Reduced. Several dozen White and Fancy CORSETS to be cleared at half-price. All Guaranteed. Reliable makes. C.B." Weiugartens" and" S. & S." CORSETS, from Is. The New Directoire Models, rrom 3S. 6|d. to 10s. lid. Sale Prices. An Immense Stock of Odd Makes to clear at Is. O}d., Is. 3fd., Is. tid. and Is. 11fd. Infants PELISSES, MATINEE COATS, BON- NETS and HATS. All New Stock, at Clear- ing Prices. Infants' ROBES, from 5s. lid. DAY GOWNS, Is. Ilia. NIGHT GOWNS, 1s. 61d. Cream and Coloured Cashmere FROCKS, from 1s. 9jd. 500 pairs of Ladies' Kid and Doeskin GLOVES. in Black, Whits, and all Colours, Bid., 10-ild" Is. Otd. per pair. Worth Double. 50 dozen pairs Ladies' 2-button White Castor GLOVES, Is. OA. per pair. 500 PURITAN COLLARS to be cleared, from 1d. each. 72 pieces of Guipure Allover LACES, from Bid. per yard. Basketsful of EMBROIDERY REMNANTS, ?■- lengths about 41 yarcb, at 624,. 8id« and lOfi. the Diecs. 2 gross Ladies' Ribbed Cashmere HOSE, very I cheap, Sf-d., 6td., 7.d., Sid., 10ld. per pair. noys' Strong Knicker HOSE, from 4fd. per pair. Toadies' Embroidered HOSE, 4td., 6 £ d., Sid., 1 Old., and Is. Old. per pair; also Better j Qualities at Reduced Prices. 200 pairs of All Wool Kersey or Twill BLANKETS from 7L 9d. to 18S. 11 d. per pair. Worth 10s. 6d. to 23s. lid. per pair. A few pieces of 80in. and 90in. wide Best Quality Unbleached SHEETING, to clear at 150 2|-d. to Is. 9id. per yard. 150 pairs of Coloured WINTER CURTAINS, in Crimson and Green, from 4s. 9d. per pair. Worth Double. 18 Tapestry TABLE COVERS, 2yds. by 2yds., to be cleared at 5s. lid. Usual prices ranging from 8s. lid. to 10s. lid. >2 Boxes of Fancy Linen SERVIETTES, Samples, slightly soiled, marked Half Usual Prices. dozen White Damask TABLECLOTHS, shop- | soiled, size 2yds. by 2yds. Marked Half-price., Rrn J&r General Drapers, House Furnishers, • A • MlLlEj 9SL Gent's Mercers and Outfitters, MARKET SQUARE, MERTHYR TYDFIL. SHOP BY POST IF YOU CANNOT SHOP PERSONALLY, — ALL PARCELS DELIVERED FREE. Or by TELEPHONE. Our Number is 165 National.

AN OFFENDING PICTURE. Sir,—How long are the feelings of the public to be offended by the, exhibition now being shown in a window in the High-street. I am Cot sentimentally squ«ui)ish, and can enjoy a real work of art exhibited in a proper art gal- lery; but I certainly think, for the credit of our town, it is time the one in question was rc- moved from the public gaze. A picture poet- card half as vulgar iu a tradesman's window Mould not be tolerated. DISGUSTED.

I We don't care wkat you've trad Therat^llf come again uaiess you try Sanford's Rat Poison 3 i t come oat for 1 the rest. All users say J j it does really minate, If YOU are I rst ridden try Sanford's tlon Of all 1 enemists, or direct from i Sanford & Son. Sandy, Beds., I j §Ggy||Sll ja boxes 6d. to 5s. 1 it must be ¡

¡ EVILS OF PROTECTION. I Sir,—Let me crave a small space in your rnoat valuable paper to reply to Mr. Stevens' letter in the issue of the 15th inst. Instead of ¡ avoiding the truth he says he objects to fic- t titious statements, and that his figures are r official, taken from the "Labour Gazette." He' also refers me to his beloved confederate, Mr. [' A. T. Smith, for a confirmation of his figures. But may I refer him to the contradictory fig- ures which he and his confederate give in this ¡ iesue with regard to imports and exports, al- r though both are stated to come from the same official source. How be makes it out I do not understand. It is also very noticeable in your correspondent's letters week by week that he has got so accustomed to the ground he works upon that it is hard to get him away from it. To confirm my figures with regard to un- employment may I ask Mr. Stevdns why, ac- cording to the last emigration and immigration returns a much larger proportion of those who returned from the ijnited States travelled steer- age than of those who went out ? It must indicate that a greater number of poor people looking for work were landed in Great Britain than were taken away at the same time. The most recent, as well as the most complete, inves- tigation that has ever been made into the cost of living and wages in the United States is that made by the Russell Sage Foundation Com- mittee. The report says, "It seems safe to con- clude from all the data that an income under 15 dollars per week b not enough to permit the maintenance of a normal standard of living." In bulletin No. 81 of the United States Bureau of Labour it will be found that of 371,156 men (all over 21 years of age) employed in manufac- turing establishments, 267,995 were receiving less than 15 dollars per week, whereas the re- mainder were receiving lees than five dollars per week. Another report just issued from Wash- ington is that of the Secretary of Agriculture. According to this, "the results of an investiga- tion show that for the 50 cities and towns which the inquiry covered, the total retail cost of beef charged the consumers was 38 per cent. above the wholesale cost paid by the retailers, and that the lower the grades of beef the greater was the percentage of profit." In other words, it is safe to say that the poor people paid nearly twice as much profit as the well-to-do. Such is the State of things in both America and Ger- many to-day that it recalls to one's memory the condition of things that existed in this country in the Hungry Forties. Your correspondent says that the only remedy for unemployment is work. I-quite agree, but he lays so much stress on the word work in his letters that it recalls to memory the conditions that existed in this country under that quack remedy for this evil. Work! work! work' in poverty, hunger and dirt. Work! work! work! while the cook is crowing aloof And work work! work! 'till the stars shine through the roof. Oh, to be If sla-ie with the barbarous Turk, if l this is Christian work! t Workwork' work! 'till the braiq begins to swim; Work! \vork work! 'till the eyes are heavy and dim! 'Stitch! stitch' stitch! in poverty, hunger, and dirt; Sewing at once, with a double thread, a shroud as well as a shirt. "But why do I talk of Death? That phantom of grisly bone; I hardly fear his terrible shape, it seems so like my own. It seems so like my own because of the fastd I keep. "0, Ged, that bread should be so dear, and flesh and blood so cheap." Work! work! work! my labour never flags; and what are its wages? A bed of straw, a crust of bread—and rags. Work! work! work! from weary chime to chime; Work' work! work! as prisoners work for crime. Work work work' in the dull December light; Work work work when the weather is warm and bright; 'Till the heart is sick, the brain benumbed, as well as the weary hand. j Does your correspondent want a repetition of such conditions? I hope not. On the face of ,all that, Tariff Reform to better the. country ] | is but & fiction. Thanking you in anticipation,— f I remain, yours truly, I IVMOFEFL FFMAT.

THE IRISH MEETING AT MERTHYR DRILL HALL. Sir,—A report is being industriously circu- ¡ lated to the effect that Mr. Hardie's question- ) ers—myself among the number-were ignc- minioualv hustled by the polioe out of the meeting held1 in the Drill Hall by the Merthyy meeting OOld in the Drill Hall by the Merthyy and Dowlais branches of the United Irish League last Sunday. What object this fabri- I cation is intended to serve, I do not know; but I out of justice to those who disagreed with tne object of tihe meeting, it is but fair to state I that the only disturbance which occurred was caused by an officer of one of the branches coming down from the platform to put out a i person who was expressing his dissent to state- J menfcs made by the speaker. Seeing that the ill-advised action of this official had raised the temper of the surrounding audience to a dan- I gerous pitch, we decided to leave the meeting I before putting an adverse motion, rather than ) be the cause oi, or the excuse for an unseemly disturbance. We had too much respect for our religion and our nationality to give anyone the chance of saying that the only row,dy meet- ing held during the election was held by the Irish on a Sunday afternoon.—Yours, etc., P. MANSFIELD. January lath, 1910.

MR. KEIR HARDIE AND THE STEEL RAIL ASSOCIATION. THE TRANSVAAL STEEL RAIL ORDER. Sir,—I see Mr. Keir Hardie has been telling bis constituency that the local rail makers share the responsibility as members of the association of refusing to sell 36,500 tons of rails to the Transvaal Government at £ 4 per ton, delivered at Delsgoa Bay. I gather further that Mr Haxdie has the impression that 24 per ton would have enabled the local works to make a profit of 10 per cent. on this order. Will you allow me space to reply to this that with the present prices of ore and rates of wages on coal, coke, iron, and steel makin? it is ab. solutely impossible to make rails at £4 per ton at the works, leaving out of account altogether the carriage and shipping freight? The mas- ters, therefore, were holding up the price in the market to the protection of themselves and their workpeople, and Mr. Keir Hardie stands before his constituents as an advocate of "sweat- ing" of labour. By a considerable reduction of labour alone could such a price as he names be worked at. I would further venture to say that had the price the makers asked, viz., J66 12s. 6d., Delagoa Bay (taking Mr. Keir Hardie's figures), been obtained there would not have been more than a reasonable profit left on the manufacture at any works in this country. I commend to Mr. Hardie'a humane sympa- thies the advocacy of the interests of the Russian workmen who are providing the labour on this order.—I am, etc.. JOHN HUTCHINSON.

MR. KEIR HARDIE'S ATTITUDE TO LIBERALISM AND CHRISTIANITY. Sir,I maintain that those who are fighting against Socialism are also fighting the New Theology, which, I am sorry to say, has crept into some local pulpite, and no doubt that Mr. I Hardie's connection with the Borough is re- sponsible to a great extent for this. Every- thing shows that Mr. Hardie is an extreme Socialists under the cloak of Labour, as he declares it everywhere he goes. His supporters hold their meetings on Sundays, and tread un- der foot God's Commandments. Also, Mr. Hardie cannot deny that Mr. Robert Blatchford if. a Socialist and an infidel. He must admit thev belong to the Socialist flook. Mr. Blatch- ford, in the preface to his book, asks: "Which is worse, to be a demagogue or an infidel" The reply he gives to this is: "I am both." Finally, after summing all up, we come to the same conclusion as Mr. Pritchard Morgan in his speech at the Merthyr Drill Hall: "That Socialism means sedition, anarchy, no Govern- ment, no King, no God. Darkness." I am sure, by the time this will be in the Press, if Christian voters of Merthyr Borough do their duty, Mr. Edgar Jones and Mr. Pritchard Morgan will head the n- Y OUIS truly, CHRISTIAN VOTER.

THE SUPREME QUESTION AT ISSUE. Sir.I noticed, in perusing the address of the Unionist candidate to the electors of W Clot Monmouthshire, that he says: "The first and principal question at issue is whether a ohanpro should be made in the fiscal system of this country." I think that that is rather mislead- ing, kn-owing as we do. what caused the dis- solution and the issuing of writs for the elec- tion of the new House of Commons. The supreme question at issue to-day is not Tariff Reform, but the House of Lords. They have encroached on the popular rights of the people by rejecting the Budget, and if we, as the "democracy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain," allow this ha-editary Chamber to'en- croach on popular rights, there is an end jr) our liberty. The time of our emancipation is at hand wnb^fce sha oppojrti^iitj^, thttj^ < is offered by returning to Parliament those, and those only, who have the interest of the peoplo at heart. This question of the House of Lords dwarfs all other questions, because if the elec- tora do what is right, we can limit the veto of the House of Lords, and I am confident that the Lords and the Unionists know it. That is the reason they, do not discuss it on their plat- forms, but they bnng to the front Tariff Re- form as a kind of a bogey to frighten the elec- tors, so as to gain votes in order to resist the advance of the, Liberal Party. Why. not fight fair? Why not be honest enough and fight the great question of the hour on its merits? The Unionists will not do that because they are afraid of the great and only question thatsnould be brought iforward on thie election and sub- stitute any bogey, so as to lead the electors astray. I earnestly appaa] to the electors of West Monmouth to be on their guard and rally round the old standard of liberty. We must not be traitors to ourselves, but help to move the stumbling block out of the way by return- ing Mr. Tom Richards, the Liberal and Labour candidate with a huge majority to Parliament; thus showing that the electors of West Mon- mouth are ripe, at any rate, for the limitation or the abolition of the veto of the House of Lords, an hereditary chamber for whom we have no sympathy.—I am, Sir, yours, etc., INTERESTED.

GELLYGAER'S HIGHWAYS, BYE-WAYS. AND DEATH TRAPS. Sir,-Gellygaer is a large parieh in a moun- tainous region. Although the people complain of the rates, they are not abnormally high as yet. There are great things to be accomphshed in the way of sewering, road making, and the building of an expensive isolation hospital, which will probably increase the present rates. But many people are wondering (and this is mainly tjie cause of complaining and bitterness) what they get for the rates they now pay be- yond paying wages to roadmen and for material for roads. What do the men do? The roads are in a state that baffles description—a bog of mud wherever one goes—a disgrace to the au- thorities. This great pariah of Gellygaer has 23 councillors, six for the world-famed ward of Bargoed. A walk round Bargoed is an educa- tion in how to spend money and accomplish nothing. Just outside the Welsh Wesleyan Chapel there is a short piece of pavement, of a length just equal to the width of the frontage and then?—a drop of several feet which to a stranger in the dark would be like a drop into "the bottomless." On Thursday night last week as a lady, the wife of a respected Bargoed citi- zen, had just come out of a social, she, unao- quainted with the deceptive nature of the ground, stepped over the end of this piece of pavement and fell into the abyss referred to, with the result that, with the shock and the bruises, she has been obliged to lay up. Al- though it was no worse, no thanks for it are due to the Gellygaer Council, which has permitted this death trap to be as it is to-day. for months and even for years. Such a fall as the lady re- ferred to sustained could and might have prov- ed immediately fatal. And be it remarked, this is not the only death-trap of the kind. Let anyone walk up to Bargoed from Gilfach on the right hand side, and let him walk carefully, too, for if he does not he also may step over a verit- able precipice even worse than tne one outside the Welsh Wesleyan Chapel. And what about the roadway over the rail-1 way at Bargoed Station? Oh, that is not the Council's work; the Railway Company has to, maintain its own bridges. But is'there a single Council with business men on it in the King- dom wheh would tolerafca the present state of things? I have seen the Toad covered with stones, which made it a work of cruelty for beasts of burden to cover with their heavy loads. I have seen often the same road covered with mud as slippery as ioe; and I have seen it covered with ice, and people slipping down by the half dozen, and a crowd at the top of the hill watching the leg-breaking sport. And this state of things is allowed to exist for days to- gether without a single effort being made to have the huge stones rolled in, or a handful of sand or ashes thrown down to prevent pedes- tiiawasifrom slipping. Again I ask, what are the ratepayers getting for their rates beyond re- ports of resolutions moved, seconded, and car- ried? Pontlottyn, again-well, I will leave that in the care of Mr. B. Hyghes, for he does look af- ter his ward. But what about Hengoed? At the end of Brynavon-terrace is another un- even tonG almost precipitous rise—or fall would be more appropriate, seeing that many fall thereon. Resolution.^ have baen moved, se- conded, carried; estimates prepared; agree- ments entered into r.nd still not a stone has been removed. Brynavon-terrace never has any road-scrapers, and is earning the name of Bryn- avon-on-Mud, and Break-neck-terrace. It is time the ratepayers gave a great shout. These are only two pr three point3 in some of the highways and bye-ways. Mere can be said of others if needed—but the time has come when something more practical than pen unci ir.i resolutions cc A minute nook are required, aad ;• which, for thi saiety of the citiranrf t'r.^selvati. the eitizeng theuuielYa* should voice mad 4k-gWA.A. RESUDJfiNT. .1

CEFN A CENTURY AGO. Dr. Johnson once declared that however ( uneventful a man's life might be, the story of his career accurately chronicled would prove exceedingly interesting reading. The "1.m" 'emarks may be applied to unimportant and to small, insignificant villages. In Wales, j especially, the latter play an important part. in the history of the country. Welsh intellec- i. tual giants have invariably sprung from rural districts and from remote country villages. As the history of England in the eighteenth century would be incomplete without the life-stories of Gladstone, Darwin, Tennyson aad Carlyle, so the history of Gwalia's eminent sons would be reduced to a skeleton without including in its pages the description of the villages in which they were born. But the oid hamlets, with their plaint, primitive customs, are fast becom- ing extinct, to be remembered only on the painter'canvas and in. the poet's song. It is well that come customs are allowed to die, and that without any effort on our part to save them. But it is well, too, to remember the difficulties encountered by our forefathers to lift themselves out of the Slough of Despond. Turn where one wills, the struggle between education and ignorance has been colossal, and the village in which the writer lives has not been an exception in that respect. If, in putting on record the following few facts pertaining to Cefn Coed, I shall be rescuing from oblivion information that will be valuable to the future historian, my object in writing these imperfect lines will be attained. According to local history this picturesque little village, which lies peacefully at the slopes of Cilsanws Mountain, was, in the remote times, the favourite haunt of men who had reached the lowest level of social degradation. Vile and degraded, they indulged in amusements of the most brutal kind, dog-lights, cock-fights and bull-lights bemg the order of the day. Pugilism, we are told, was so much in voguo that even the solitary pilgrim plodding wearily to some distant part, was often called upon, even were it Sunday, to enter the pugilistic r.rena in order to test his prowess and agility in tho "noble art." Nothing pleased these idlers better than to see a new constable station- ed in the village. As soon as it grew dark and unfortunate Peeler" commenced his night duties, round went the signal, and in a tattered and torn, and full of honourable wounds, ho would be eesn emerging from the crowd in an alarming haoto, and making for his humbb domicile as fast as his legs could cr.rry him. This the roughs would call his first milling, and unless he took it in good part judgment would be pronounced upon him to tho effect that he was unworthy of the helmet. Matters now, however, have greatly changed. Gone are the days of pugilistic encounters and 3uch-like practices. But slaves as the villagers were to low and ignoble practices, we must not speak of them with contempt and hold them up to contumely and scorn. For this deplorable state of affairs there was a cause, and that cause was ignorance. During the first few decades, especially of the 19th century, the common people of the village were completely plunged in ignorance and hopelessly uneducated. I ERUDITE MINER. In and about the year 1843 there could be seen every Sunday morning, near an old hedge forming an enclosure to a garden which existed where the Lord Raglan Inn is now, a large crowd of people. The object of the gathering was to listen to one David Edwards, locally known as Dai Netws," reading aloud the News of the World," the first English news- paper brought to Cehl. Dai Netws was the only working man in the locality sufficiently educated to read an English newspaper and to translate it into Welsh as he read. Perched on a slightly-elevated stone he made known the contents of the newspaper, while around him stood his ignorant and illiterate audience, listening with untiring attention as he read paragraph after paragraph of the disastrous shipwrecks on sea and the grim and numerous catastrophies on land. At the close of the meeting hiJ hearers generally gathered into small groups to discuss, sometimes at great length, the recently-delivered news, and so much was their appreciation of their erudite benefactor's efforts that they seldom or ever parted without commenting in the most laudable terms upon what they, poor souls, thought his wonderful and extraordinary ability. Being mostly miners, including Netws himself, the news, during the subsoquent week, was largely circulated and discussed beneath the clod, each miner in his humble way enedavouring to enlighten his less fortunate and ignorant friend upon the various topics of the day. To dispute, to impugn the veracity of a statement mads by Netws was deemed by the villagers to be an unpardonable offence, for, in their ignorance, they candidly and conscientiously believed that what he had expounded to them, whether authentic or of his own composition, was an indisputable fact. FIRST SCHOOLS. Though at that time the plebian section of the village lived in this deplorably ignorant state it cannot be said that schools did not exist at that time, for, on referring to Morgan's "History of Vaynor" it will be found that somewhere in the first quarter of the 18th century a Thomas Evans kept a school in a small house called Croesdy," adjoining the Unitarian Chapel. The date of its existence is obscure, but manuscripts in the school- master'a handwriting are still extant. Whether in addition to this school others were in existence is not known, but it is an acknowledged fact that about the year 1827 a small school was held at the Moriah Methodist Chapel, under the mastership of William Morris, locally know as "Billy Morris. CaepantytywyU." An old inhabi- j tant of Cefn who has long since been gathered to his fathers, once informed the writer that he recollected quite plainly attending there as a boy. Somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1858 Mr. Timothy Thomas, known to his contemporaries as Timoth Pen yr Odyn," instituted a night 'school in the small house which still stands over the lime kiln, near the Upper Cyfarthfa Lodge. This school, which was known by the dignified name of t; The College," produced some of the most brilliant men that Cefn can claim. It was here that Mr David Rhys Williams (Index), tho present editor of the famous Welsh-American journal, Y Drych," received his early education. Here also Alaw Brycheiniog," the Revs. John Isaac Jones and renowned David Morgan received the rudimentary principles of education. Whoever wished to become a student at the college had to make application to Timothy many years previous to being actually enrolled, this necessity arising from the fact that the school, or rather the house, was too small to accomodate more than twenty-four scholars at a time, and when a vacancy occurred, which, as a rule, happened only in cases of death, the applicant first on the list was selected. Even the pantry, we are told, was transformed into a study. Reading, writing, arithmetic and soripture were the subjects of study. Friday evenings were specially demoted to the latter subject. This institution was the pride of the villagers. Timothy was a stern and severe schoolmaster. His general knowledge was somewhat limited, but in mathematics fed was superb. In order to test the abilities of passers- by it was customary with him to write an occa- sional mathematical problem on the large door of the Upper Lodge, and it is said that such a brilliant, although self-taught mathematician was he that even the Rev. Owen Evans, with his profound learning and classical education, was often compelled to abandon them and leave them unsolved. A large number of his pupils, many of whom hold responsible positions in the locality, may still be found among the villagers. This unpolished human diamond was employed under the Crawshays as foreman over the lime-kiln, which stands within close proximity to the bouse. He conducted the school until his death, which took place on the 31st of March, 1870, in his 58th year. His remains were buried in the graveyard adjoining the Hen-dy-Cwrdd. Co-existing for many years with the college was a school kept by Sir. William Protheroe, a very eccentric character, in the small house adjoining from the north side the old Grey- hound" public-house. Protheroe, it seems, f studied for the Established Church ministry, but, for various reasons, he never entered I college. His school is considered to have been I of very little, if any, importance^ I GRAMMAR SCHOOLS, From these antiquated seminaries I turn to I the private grammar schools, conducted by Unitarian ministers in the Hen-*dy-Cwrdd schoolroom. The first school was formed by Rev. Owen Evans, in 1837. The congregation having unanimously agreed that, inasmuch as they were not in a position to pay Mr. Evans a salary of more than £30 a year, a school should be built for him, and that so long a.s he used it for teaching purposes it should be entirely at his disposal. This extremely-prosperous school was conducted until his death. Com- pared with this seminary those just described pale into insignificance. Essentially it was a grammar school, and was undoubtedly a seminary of sound learning and unbiased! religions education. The reputation of Mr. • EvarLH M & scholar and divine is known to ail: ,?-ú about the history of iiou L. Oeftu He numbered among hu pupils I m«a ot vhm Wftle* indwd even Stpglaad* [ w. have every reason to be proud. Though, as already mentioned, the school was built to help Mr. Evans financially, we find that not only did he give a free education to some of the poorer children of the village, but did all that was within his power to feed them, comfort them, and even clothe them. By all who knew him Mr..tf -i. -iis was held in much awe and reverence. He died suddenly from heart disease on the 9th of January, 1885, and his remains were interred in the Hen-dy-Cwrdd burial <jronnd amidst the profoundest feelings of sympathy and sorrow. On the day of the interment '1Q only was the pulpit adorned with the sombre crape, but eveu the seats were lined and dth that 1:)1:v: emblem and symbol of The fnnf,¡:1. cortege was headed by p, large •lumber of his students, many of whom had travelled from afar to do homage and to pay the last tribute of respect to him whom in life they had revered and appreciated so much- Some two years after the demise of Mr. Evans the Rev. Isaac T. Williams became minister at the Hen-dy-Cwrdd, and he, with precisely the same motives as his distinguished predeces- sor, conducted a school for a short period in the same edifice. Mr. Williams was of a puny and emaciated appearance and was c <vifceq\iently obliged to relinquish his position as master and minister, after a comparatively short stay. In the same building the Rev. John Hathren Davies, the present Unitarian minister, and successor to the late Rev. I. T. Williams, conducted an excee lingly flourishing school, from the month of October, 1877, until July, 1901. Of the students taught under the mastership of Mr. Davies some have since developed into distinguished ministers, while others have attained elevated and responsible positions in life. The pupils coached by him have been numerous, as the general assembly of all students, past and present, held in the schoolroom a few years back, will testify. He, too, like Owen Evans, gave the poorer students of his school education free of charge, and to his credit may it be said, that a large number of his unfortunate pupils, who were so merciless- ly buffeted by the storms of life long before reaching mature years, arc now enjoying some of the finest positions in the land. CRAWSHAY'S SCHOOLS. It will be observed that all the schools hitherto enumerated were of a private character. We will now, therefore, turn to the origin of the Council Schools. They were built, probably about the year 1858, by Mr. Robert T. Crawshay and were for many years controlled by him. Children whose parents were not employed under the Crawshays, were, therefore, pro- hibited from attending them. To pay for the children's education the sum of three half-pence in every pound was retained at the Cyfarthfa offices weekly. At this stage the schools were very small, and resembled a row of houses, being long and narrow, and divided into two sections, one for the males and the other for the females. There was no infant department at that time. The first teaching staff consisted of a master and mistress and three teachers. In spite of the fact that the knos^ledge imparted in (the early history of) these schools was lamentably superficial, at the early age of seven boys were obliged to abandon their limited and meagre lessons for the tumult and the bustle of the steelworks or the stillnras and gloom of the coal-mine. In those days children were obliged to write uponN their rough, unframed slates with chalk, and when that was scarce, which was often the case, they were sent to the river-side to seek pieces of mire to uso instead. As long as the schools existed under the power of Mr. Crawshay, so long did these methods prevail. But soon after the passing of the Forster Education Act, in 1870, Mr. Craw- shay handed over the schools to a capable and reliable board of five members, which meant the adoption of an infinitely better system. This board, which was known as the School Board, laid the foundation of an admirable scheme. The educational code was completely changed. Tha latest and most efficient methods of teaching were advocated. The requisite systematic instruction was insisted upon. Subjects un- dreamt of in former years were added to the curriculum, and every child, therefore, received the necessary advantages to start his or her career in the various pursuits of life. PRESENT-DAY ADVANTAGES. There is a vast difference between the schools of to-day and the schools of 1855, not only in magnitude but more especially, perhaps, in methods and equipment. The old system of stimulating the intelligence was extremely dry and uninteresting, while now. by means of such facilities as illustrations, charts and so forth, the profoundest and most difficult subjects are rendered astonishingly clear. If, for instance, the lesson given is on botany, the sturdy oak or the primrose gay is at once produced as if in reality in the form of a beauti- fully-coloured picture. Again, as it is absolutely essential that the powers of observation should be developed in conjunction with reading and writing, Qe scholars are now under the super- vision of a teacher, allowed an occasional ramblo through the local woods and lanes, which certainly proves to them greatly bsiioncial and highly interesting. Instances of a similar nature showing the superior advantages that the present generation enjoy over their predecessors could be cited galar. With modern educational facilities the children of to-day easily surpass their ancestors in actualattainments,and,as Macaulay says in his celebrated essay on Milton, any intelligent man may now, by resolutely applying himself for a. few years to mathematics, learn more than the great Newton knew after half- a-century of study and meditation." There was a time when it took the young people of Cefn six months' diligent practice to learn that simple littleWelsb. part-scpg, 0 nabawn yn Seren," whereas now, in a few nights, Handel's Hallelujah Choras," or Haydn's The Heavens are Telling" can be learnt with ease. Where it was formerly the exception to find a child among the poorer classes who could read and write, the reverse is now the case. Thus does the great progress go on, though the pioneers faU and stumble by the wayside. BENEFACTORS OF MANKIND. Like other little villages situated amongst the hills of Wales, it will be seen that Cefn Coed has produced, and has been the home of some good and useful men. No sculptured marble nor poetic lay proclaims their worth, neither will their names be found in the great" Encyclo- paedia Brittanica," nevertheless they proved themselves benefactors of mankind, and their names, therefore, are inscribed deeply in the Book of Lifo. Of such men I say, may their memories be ever green. We, who live in these enlightened days are too apt to forget the noble efforts made by our forefathers to procure for us the educational advantages of to-day. We are too ready to took upon the past with con- tempt, when we read that they attended religious services in working attire, and smoked their pipes within the hallowed precincts of tho chapel, and laugh; but we are not justified in doing so. On the contrary, we are doing them a gross injustice. We must remember that our systems will some day become anti- quated, and as we would have our descendents judge us so ought we to judge our fathers. Again, that we are wiser than our ancestors is true. It is also true that posterity will be wiser than we, and before we can pass judgment on our progenitors, we must place ourselves in their position we must consider the hundred and one difficulties they had to contend with. Then and then yone, I maintain,will we be able to form a just estimate of their merits. In conclusion, may we then revere those who paved the way for us as we are now paving the way for posterity. May we also read more and probe more iato the history of past times. It will, I hold, be the means of infusing into us more of that zeal and desire to participate in the great progress—that zeal and desire which was so manifest in those noble pioneers who have long since bowed to the inevitable Will of the Father. MAB Y MYNYDD.

n Sir E. Shackleton had a most oordial re- ception by a Berlin audience, including the Kaiser, on Saturday. x

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I pressure in the wires than the pressure required for lighting purposes? Does it not seem absurd to frighten people with such long-exploded I bogey? There is ample aesuranoe of the safety of overhead mains in Minute No. 603, Public Works (Sub-Committee), January 6th, 1908. Again, what about electric lighting in other I towns, Ebbw Vale, near at hand, where the mains are above ground nearly in every street. I What about the many other towns in the United Kingdom—towns of ancient and modern ap- I pearance, where the same system is adopted. As far as Dowlais is caumrned,,overhead mains would not be run in every street.—Yours re- spectfully, LEWIS W. DIXON. 53, Pontmorlais Circus, Merthyr TydfjJL