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The welcome that the crowds of Paxis-tlicl most critical, keen wilted, clear-sign^ed an, discriminating crowds of all the wor.d s cap. tal-gave to t.ie King and Queen who h.aH now returned, is, syRirjoU-aliy, a wan hand -clasp for every British man f" om the French nation. The enthusiasm d ti-t Royal welcome was uupreceaented no: even King Edward, who knew Pans inti- Cj.iwly. and loved the gay, brilliant an. witi..v oity, received such an ovation as met King George awl Queen Mary ihis week. There is universal assent that tu? warmth, demonstrativeness and sinceiity 0" t e Paris- ian throngs were without a modern Larol,t- and it signifies one of the nob'e?t and sweetest tilings in the world to-d iy—a great outpouring of international affection, and the embracing in a fast and fervent c.asp o. oH-time foes, who leane^ upon the battle field, the sternest of sc hool' to revere e-ic1 other's gallantry and worth, and are now united. set in the van of the free and liberal Powers of Europe, bound in a loyal and w thusi-astic friendship, in a relationship that is the happier for the very national diversi- ties that t'xit in the two racial tetniva- irrnts. Republicanism has wholly failed to kill the love of the Parisian Tor brilliaTft ?n- imposing spectacles and rich Sta-t-e pageantry, aid democracy has not tamed the proud and valiant spirit that makes he French, when the hm-r ronvs, the most warlike people upon the Continent and every gTace and prandeur and setting tha* cc* id be pro- vided by superb architecture, the bright gieenerv of trefC in ,E'<t and blo?- som. banner and garland, and blazonry of cjf-cora^of MvFwlrv s,,4 acres of blue and red infantrv-the English f'-v"rei-rr.. drove tbrovtrh the avenues of rpris. thrir nersonalitv captivating tl,,p Per- sians even the more becarse both had hi- therto been so little known. The King and the Queen by their pre- eeiuce sy ui ouUused as no ;ans could have doiie-they 8000 a class not unjustly in ill-odour on both sides of the Channel to- day—the friendship of the two Suites and two peoples. The sigaiScinoe of t'he En- tente to the life cf the nations, its moaning to that of the two countries who unite in t e bond of amitv, have received no more eloquent and illuminating exposition than that of M. Ernest Lavisse, the director of the Ecole Normale Superieure, the threat in- stitution within whose walls are trained the new generation of teachers who will mould the youth of 'France. In words as true as they are graphic he dilates upon the changes that -the Entente wrought. He writes of the former attitude of Britain:—"It was in truth a. splf!ndid.. drea,tn to stand as an iflinvl invioU^e siQce th^JyonnanCon quest, in M«nd encircled by the most gloriott* and puissant Ioet in the work!; to trist Albion* isle, and from the b-ow of her pliffs to craze, like the sp 'oist of Lucretius, on the absurd Continent, all creeping with hates and fenilst Aye, a. splendid dt-eam-from which Kibe Edward in his gTeat wisdom nevertheless thought it prudent that Frcland should wnlke. Clear- ly England is no longer as much an island M of yore. Besides, splendid is impossible in the present state of Europe. Imagine France again vanquished, reduced to the condition, that is held over her 118 a throat, of a subordinate nation; imagine the rough hand of Germany, p'lt. as it as- suredly would be. on Holland %itl Belgium, And then Amsterdam, Antwerp, Dunkirk, Havre, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Orun, Algiers and Tunis enveloped in a German Customs UTrior.—would not something be changed in the present and future of England? The ttvast pacific, the most pacifist of English- men, those even who like Francs least, even those who, for diverse reasons, fael drawn towards Germany, realize the need of helping France to resist were Fie, at- tacked or clearly provoked to war by Germany. When all is said that can be said of the Triple Entente's functions in preserving the peace by readjusting the balance of power and constituting in Kipling's phrase "A linked and steadfast guard set for peace on earth." there remains a military aspect to be discussed. If the Powers of the Entente disdain aggressive motives, they do so for themselves a lone, and cannct guarantee a similarly innocuous policy uoon the part of others. Are they as compact, umfied, oo- kerfent and effective as Powers of the Triple Alliance? Probably not. The Triplice is 4tn almost homogeneous block of territory France and Russia are widely sundered, and equally so France and Britain. In pomt of liation al temperament the division between the German and the ItaJian is not broader than that between the Frencbiran*a«d the llnurian; in plane of culture, development, or civilisation, if we will, there is no dispar- ity amongst the people of the Triplice oum- parable to that which exists between France Or Britain and Russia. The Franco-Rusnan Alliance is in no way based upon that firm plinth of popular affinity that exists between the Powers of the Entente. Military con- siderations apart, it is unnatural, and would be abhorrent to thu French were they geo- graphically coterminous with Czardom. In ro- spect to geography, temperament and the general development of their component Parts, there is a tolerable uniformity of conditions between the countries of the Tri- plice that is absent in the case of the Triple Entente. Narrowing down the issue to questions of diplomacy there is probably, however, little to choose in respect to the mutual strength and weakness of the two European bonds. In the Balkan crisis it was made abundantly clear that neither France and Britain for the Entente, nor Germanv tor tne ir.oiice wen •tall inclined to cooperate whole-heartedly ^b Russia and Austria-Hungary T"OIY in their qrarrels- ItaJian ambitions ?a?bed with Austrian designs oh the eastern  of the Adriatic as conspicuously as a ?ench championship of the Greek cause Jlgainat Slavonic Bulgaria that was distaste- f "I to Russia. Probably for diplomatic pur- poses the Triplice and the Triple Entent may Pe written off as fairly well matched. But 1: respect of military considerations, M. Lavi sse and M. Clemenceau betray grave Misgivings.  -5- Lavime emphasises that in France the tb,'ee. yea-, service has come to stay. Like Russia, o?r ally, England, our fredd, may ?st assured ?at the Government, whatever may be, that takes office next May will j}ot touch the Army Act. E?n were the government composed entirely of mn "?o "ad "ted against that Act or who had pro repeal to their constituents, th.? "? Cr? abin?.—T seem to hear it- would ex- P?.m to Parliament that the law i- deed .1S ueaV11 h heavily upon the country, that 't is i Dot mt??ble, that another and more t< ier- ?system must be dev ised without iesaen. h1 oÙr d f e ueVI w1t out lessen- "? ?? oefonaive drength, but that for the Omeiit, etc., etc. Does England think j :it, in consequence of the great effort we ave made and shall sustain,, she ought to crease her military strength? It is tor 1-,er decide. B t thopr who believe that i-er iiesent strength is sufficient must not invoke juiciiess ou "our part in Oupport of their pinion." M. Clemenceau is more blunt and explicit. it is for the English alone to give their judg- nent concerning this matter,, of their mili- ary contribution to the Entente. None the ess, he continues. Frenchmen have the right (, think that since the danger was considered sufficiently serious to demand the Anglo- iussian rapprochrcent which resulted in the Friple Entente, the simplest common sense i-equires that the measures necessary to if cure the proposed purpose of defence hould bf taken. If the Triple Entente can- lofc at once become a second Triple Alliance, .t would be sufficient that in the case of aggression on tha part of the (present) Triple Alliance, each of their defensive powers should be in a position to make an effort corresponding vo that of its two partners. 'Let England," ht concludes, "keep her liberty" (of military action) "as long as it suits her. This cannot harm France, for ■Sngltoxl's "ahv interest will speak at cer- aiu moments ;11 turns w loud that she will >e unable to disregard them. I allow my- I ,-elf It single oboi rvation. If the forces of resistance are not proportionate in all three parts t? the forces of aggression, armaments which IUCK cohesion will, w hen the day of i?ckonnjg comes, have been no more than a i umous torm of disarmament." .i M. Lavisse, mildly, M. Clemenceau straightforwardly, do not consider that Eng- land is fullilling her military obligations. But the fact is stli-evident. Both allude to English Liberal iukewarmness. M. Clemen- ceau observes: "If common sense prevails, sooner or later the prejudices which are an obstacle to supplementary arrangements (to complete, and improve the mihtary defensive euicacy of the Entente) must be abolished. Nnlhjng, however, shows as yet that the time has come for this desirable evolution. All the more since the Liberal party, which is in power, is the heir of doctrines of universal pacification to such an extent that the Lib- era13 almost regard preparation for war as an infringement of the principle of peace." M. Clemenceau was infuriated by the super- latively blundering utterance of the Chancel- lor of the Exchequer in the Criccie.h inter- view, when Air. Lloyd George justified the existence of the German Army whilst pkad- ing for an effort to see if something could not be done to cut down its British counterpart, the Navy. M. Lavisse, too, recognises that "a part of English opinion, represented in the Government, accepts the Entente as a kind of p; aller (Hobsons choice) to be held in reserve. ) AI. La-visse passes on to indicate his doubts concerning the effectiveness of the military understanding and arrangements for co-operation amongst tiie powers of the Entente, so far as they exist already. "Blu evervthfirig," asks, "been well pre- p,d, t he an'] k s, pared, thought cut ajvl regulated for the eventual employment of ail armed force? '¥ m-ay be supe. that ov&rrthiug been ca by' the Tinple AJ ianct in view of a possible war. The German General Staff is wont to look far, far ahead, and to cxamiine beforehand eveiry hypothesis. It has <wtair>W bo-i forehand the work of its two allies, frfven to each its sphere of action, arranged the general plan, marked out roads, and finod the hour. When the moment ooones the three will move, march-rontps M),-t fi-e- ta.bl'?S in band Have we, Frarice and Eng- land, attained the minute exactness of their foresight? We believe, for it is morally certain that the heads of our armies and navies keep in communication with each otiher, and that they have also frs-ty.bf>c-V>l and combined their plans: but we whether Ehigland is in communication wi" Russia? Un!MS we are agreed upon j eventual d-efenqiv,- &ct;on 'm com- j man. are we a Triple Enters? n. n"r; but feel some nnpaAin?as upon thT! pcore i? one remembers t-Kat during tha dinltmiatic crisis England. Franoe and B, woT'?c' tosrether with perfect JovaJtv ,¡).p;' II 'Prf to be less ?)rrr!v united and cn?'ir?Dt than Germanv, Anstri^-T7rv arxj T?!v. Hitherto tli- States of tV Trir)i» Aiii,^ have ffenerallv been ready to srioa-k-, aid hi->ive !)or)i',en first as wit..h one v-w.(- Em.crlia.nd, France, and Ru'Sf^ia, slower to maik- up t.p¡'l" mind< have -o keri one ,,fi-er another and f^irh for hwrs-mlf. Th'"« ''iffw. enoe of method !).i? often 3?? noiabk' ad- vantages to the Triple Alliance." I Concerning the- relative diplomatic etfec- tiveness of the two great combinations of powers, it is sufficient to remark thtt M. Lavisse perhape over-rates the advantages he ascribes to the Triple Alliance. As a matter of fact the Balkan crisis revealed I diSet?ences of opinion in the ranks of both I teases due to the sense of solidaritv being. strained The B:t]ka? question was primM- ity an Austro-Russian affair (to a very limited extent an affair of lWv5s also) M oonoerning AIlumoe and Entente; and interest of France, Britain and Germany was much less acute. Similirlv, Alsace- I-Taine is of remote and indirect interest to .EngLand, Austria, Italy, and Russia., ?™vi.lst it remains in the sphere of diplomacy. When argam-ent gives pl-ice to the clanh of nns, other factors come into question, FOr example, Entente or no Entente, we in I BntMn have treaty obliga.tioM and a role, c?rly marked out for us and )onsecrafed bv historical tradition, to fulfil in defending the neutrality of the two countries. As to the question of milit.ary co-operation, the French General Staff in no degree eniovs the prestige and refutation that h R.'ve made the German institution nn establishment of world-wide taime whether it does not de- serve equal celebntr is a matter that the next war has to decide. Apart, however, from the undisputed meagreness of potential British m]i.ta.ry 31d, It IS a fact thi.t in the I Agadir crisis, when the ouestaon of prepar- ing the despatch of a Britisih expeditionary force to the Continent was in contempla- tion, there were sharp divisions of n;^vn in the Oabinet as to whether the Regular Armv should be pent abroad or retained it home. The Admiralfcv were not the., in- clined to gumra-ntee a safe Pe-saape;, and t,he inemiqinly pov.-r^ pf the submarine promise to mnke it as ,Iiffi,lilt, for troops to j of as to srffc into this countrv. It is to be '••rusted that the Rrran^errentjs for co-opera- i t.ion are more eominlete and assmired tha.n they tJIem upon the surface. S.) far as can be cleaned, ponnlar feeling ;n Frar, is morf receptive to thn !i1";a of an Anglo-French Alliance than in Britain, and lays more stress upon the military prepara- j t:on of the entente against aggression that may affect -common interest?. The British, who originally regarded the Entente as the jsimnle healing of the feud that had persisted w:th France since the Conquest, then (ie- veloped the idea into friendly co-operation to maintain the peace in Europe and to repel aggression that would injure both alike. The "ang" of co-operation remains vaguely de- fmed, but in its extension and riarifying the French are inclined to force the pace. One of the most observant and best informed cf British journalists in Paris utters this i warning: "There is no reason for such an I Alliance at this particular juncture, even if at any time it were desirable, which is ques- Itionable from the British point of view. Ger- many, I have reason to know, thinks far 'q_ more of the Russian penl than of molesting French or Bntisn interests. The policy of Berlin is concentrated upon that point just now. If England were the ally of France, trance wouia become provocative. She has been quiet in the past because of the danger publica'n regime that would arise with the first successful general. But she has grown stronger with her new Service BllI, and no one now seems to care a far- thing what becomes of the regime. "The hatred of Germany is appalling only last week the jury of the Paris Salon refused to exhibit the bust pf the Kaiser by an eminent German sculptor living in Paris, who last year won the Salon medal. The bust was refused simply because it was the bust of the German Emperor. Once France has an armed compact with England she will attempt her revenge. She will strike Ger- many and force her, if she can, to give her back Alsace and Lorraine. It is not the in. terest of Britain to put such temptation in her neighbour*s -aY. Always there recur? Z .shadow of f^ u Lost Provinces the statue of Strassburg f1 the Place d? Concorde, the natonaJ gnef mortification ?nd ambition th?titsymbohses. ^bject always to the proviso  in n° cnsis ?" Britain stand by IJpathetically and watch the deposition of France from a place in the first rank of the Powers the Ent?te can hardly be main- teTnpT t s? tretch to the right bank ?he Rhin

The visit of the Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck to Neath on Saturday to open the new local Territorial headquarters, passed off very successfully; and one can tot re-echo the wish of the Mavor of Neath that Royaltv may be more frequent visitors in Sooth Wafos than hitherto. It is all to the good that there should be such occasional days of festivity, decoration, and military pageantry, to greet the Sovereign, or his re- presentative, in honouring whom the people honour themselves, as the symbol of the State which they make up. The inter. national vali,e of such visits has just been strikingly displayed in the case of their Majesties' visit, to France, that evoked a de- monstration of friendship for Britain and her people that no politician oould have ob- tained. The Prince, a soldiier who has cam- paignedui earnest in Matabeleland and later in Sorth Africa, and his Consort, expressed themselves as delighted with the. Welsh warmth of their welcome, and it is to be trrsted that the distinction which their pre- sence conferred upon tihe ceremonial of opening- the Territorial Drill Hall will bear fruit in the thriving and expansion of the Territorial forces around Neath. It is well that the public should be thus reminded of the pitriotic duty undertaken by the mem- bers of the auxiliary forces in making them- selves as proficient as the circumstances will allow in preparing for an ordeal in which they may he called upon to Jav down their i lives for the protection of the State, 1 It has been suggested that a wholly Welyh Division of the Territorial forces should be formed. It is difficult to see why this ideal was not aimed at when the Volunteers were reorganiaed. At that time a number of Eng- j?Mh ?rpa 'WM?-c!ttbo<it<? ?th the -otfcers irhia make up what ie w)? trSow? <M the ¡Wh Division. The PrindpaJity Aould cert<nnly be &ble to n?nt&in such a for<:e.1 Servia with "a population very little larger, put. a quarter of a mHIion men into the field ?in the Balkan c&mp&ign; at present W?lez is not expecter? to provide more than some fifteen or sixteen thousand. Militansm," a bogey raised by people who are hostile to the most tentative measures of national self- defenoe, wae formerly the enemy denou--i?ed by the religious denomina.tions who did not take into account the association of some of the most godly and noble men that the race has produced with the calling of anns, anu is now the target of the animosity of secuiar bodies, whose influence it, fortunately, not proportionate to their aggressiveness. In spite of this drawback in Waleo, the prin- cipal obstacle that the auxiliary forces, have to overcome is that of public apatfi-v, and such events as those of Saturday, which bring the Territorials conspicuously before the public eye, should recur more fre- quently.

Situated as Swansea, is, the prospect of a strike in the building trades in May is one to be regarded witn regret and apprenension. The mtrite of the men's demand for an in- crease in their rate of wages, of the alleged breach of agreement, and of the reply, which challenges the "historical conUnuity"—to import a phra," from a widely differing con- ti-oversy-belween the old and the new Em- ployers" Association, are matters upon which the parties concerned are the best judges. But the public, and especially the wou,ng class pubiic, have a very real and direct interest in the threatened suspension of building operations at a time when the needs of the population demand imperatively the greateist activity, and they will be united in the wish that "mpk-yer and employe will compose their .iiffuencas as rapidly as may be. Both are doubtless not unmindful of this consideration, which is of peculiar force at SwMisea in the abnormal conditions that prevail concerning the provision of houses, as well as the unfinished condition of one oi the principal thoroughfares. The period oi great labour troubles through which the country has passed since 1911 has had a.t least the effect of driving home to the public consciousness the essential inter- dependence of the community, and the fact that it is not a honeycomb of water-tight compartments. Under normal conditions, however, the effect of a building strike in a large town would be restricted and but slowly perceptible; under the situation that exists at Swansea its injurious influence will be felt throughout the town. The Builder" publishes weekly a table of rates of wages paid per hour in the build- ing trades in tiie 44 priucipal towns of Eng- land and Waies. The Swansea rates of pay are give-ii &,i Masons, bricklayeis, carpen- tAcrs, joiners, plasterers and plumbers, 9d. per hour; slaters and painters, 8d_; masons', bricKtayers' and plasterers' labourers, 6d. per hour. At Caitiff the rates are in each case kd. per hour more, save in the case of slaters, who get \d. more, and painters, who are paid a similar sum, 8Ad. At Newport the rates are the same as at Swansea, except for plumbers, who receive id. per hour kss. Comparing these figures with the rates in vogue at the 43 other lovvn specified besides Swansea, we find that m. 12 towns misons AXe paid the some rate Swansea, ,Ild in 21 towns receive more; bncklay* rs receive the same in 8 towns and more in 25 carpenters and joiners, the same in 9 and more in ? towns plasterers, the same in 10 and more in 21 towns; slaters, the same in 4 and more in 22 towns; plumbers, the same in 10 and more in 19 towns; pmnterS; the same in 9 and move in 13 towns; masons' labourers, the same in 7 Hud more in 24 towns bricklayers' labourers, the same in 8 and more in 24 towns and I plasterers' labourers, the same in 7 and more in "25 towns. Ther,e are gaps in the table in "The Builder," from which the above comparisons are made, chiefly in the slaters' rates, for which there are no returns printed from seven towns out of the 44; in the other cases, where not otherwise* specified, workmen are stated to receive lower rates of pay than those ruling at Swansea. Liverpool, Man- chester, Bolton, Oldham, Birmingham, and Nottingham have considerably higher rates prevailing; in London, the three categories of labourers receive 8d. per hour, and the other rates range from 9d. (in the case of painters) to ll^d. and Is. per hour. A group of agricultural district towns, compris- ing Hereford, Cheltenham, Stroud, Bath, and j Exeter, account for the lower azures. No exact comparison is possible between town and town without entering into a mass of data that it would be tedious and uninstruct- ive to collate and analyse but it is to be ob- served that, notably in the case of the la- bourers, the Swansea, rates make a bad show- ing in "The Builder" tables, especially hav- ing regard to the exceptional proportion of the local rentals to wages. There are, W)- fortunately, no figures given for Coventry, in whose case they would be of especial in- terest, as this phMM was disclosed in the las' .census as having grown with greater rapidit: than any other borough in the Kingdom. It would have been interesting to study th' eftect upon wages of the exceptional brisk ness aiiil demand at this place. In the upshot, dearer buildings and con- sequent increased rents are probable. Evsry factor is making for these ends. Questions of w?ges and conditiom apart, a better class of house is demanded', wt'h more e1abornte I equipment and fittings, much k-aft crowding to the acre, and co/iseauently a lamer out- lav upon the laying dOt of the sites in roads and pavements, the same length of road and pavement that did daty for 30 houses to the acre now gexvirtl, a much lesser number. Byela.ws are multiplying in number and stringency. It is part of a universal movement, in which the organisation of labour is revealed as one of the forces makinjr life moije expensive. Sweating is indefensible; but it means elbeap products. The underpayment of a class may provide exploiters with the op- portunities for making tainted fortunes, but it keefw down prices. But section after I ftion of labour is arranie-intr and demand- I jng a reasonable stand a I'd of livelihood, in 1 respect to payment, and the daily tale of bricks. As compensation there is the knowledge that the present burden of ex- pense is to a at degree due to life being more fuller, richer, more varied for all; a century ago a mere handful of people hltd the things to-day every workman possesses and disregards. It would he a wholesome cor- rective for the pessimists who abound to be able to revisit again the scenes and manners and conditions of life some half a century aigo, and note the change, progress and im- provement.

The promoters of the Strath Wales Musical Festival, whose second season was so well in- augurated at, Swensea on Monday night, must be recognised aa having wrought work for the advancement of music suoh as has not been surpaemd in the history of the art in South Wales. The ooncert of Monday evening at Swansea was strikingly suooeasful, not only in respect to the excellence of the programme, and the eloquence and beauty of its interpretation, bnt also from the point d view of public su?nwrt, which jrifi the !'?tM am-and for future p ti'ptk¡ 4imii?r MnM. It w? J n. brilhant idea to bring down one of t.he or- I cbeJl9tra.a that is amongst the foremost in the world, and, too. one of the world's ueatest conductors The 8wa.næa MaJe Choir had anticipated this, it is true, and we mrst 1 not pasa over the work of Mr. Donald Lott. Dr. Vaitsrban Thomas, the gentleman associ- ated with the Swansea Church Choral and the St. Paul's Mu,sical Societies, who have one iiid all,, in their collective efforts, brought about a sustained and a varied ac- tivity in the performance of choral and in- strumental compositions that justifies a de- scription of Swansea music-lovers as enter- j prising and progressive. It remained for ¡ the Festival Committee, however, to bring the vitalising iiifluente. of a master in- terpreter of music into contact-, with local choristers. And at the. same time to bring small towns like Neath. and remote towns like Mountain Ash. within the reach -f an orchestral organisation that wo> id probably never have been otherwise able to vjgjtthem I twice in consecutive years. Such an as tlpt now estab- lished bf5tweFn Sir Henry Wood and Swansea. Male Choir has bee" fruitful of the hanl>iest results in Yorkshire. Sir Henrv has praised the Swansea singers in flowing terms, and has justified the music lovers in the town ui regarding themselves as possessed of organisations as fine as tha mo?t captious could to At com- petitive events all exaggerated importance is igi-veii to position as apart from marks; in point of fsict the difference between winning, second and third choirs is usually trifling, and the disparities in the merits uf their renditions perceptible onlv to the ear of adjudicators possessed of a rkill denied to the great bulk of auditors. In- male voice smsring at least Swansea can boast that t eniovs two choirs each competent to do justice to the merits of any comTxxsition they are likelv to take in hand. That is, after ill, tl,,e irl,,i] to be attained fmm the sK'indooint of the auditor. On Monday nirht there were evident all the owl1 ties t?at have won fcr the Q's Hqn Orches- tr? a uni versa! fa.rrtc—wonderf nl bp-iutv, j cl'?rres? and sonoritv of playmg; the in-i M?ht and sympathy of the genius who con-! rind" it: and the fire, resonance, and TroviTV eiriMion or the ch'l-ir that >Tv. Llewellyn Bowe-n tr^'ried. Choir, orchestra .and conductor or;n''hin.'>n up an eyoeninQ" s-oent in communion with benutv in the loveliest of it's sensuous appeals. a K*.n«raet of beantit'ul «>-»«nd and ra-i-.Iing idea. To some of th* fmr1.N ?t, lA.t, must have ocetirr-,4 a Tyithe* thnusht—th« Sv-mohonv. one of a series that i" amongst the i^mort-^1 hsorli-rn^Vs of mankind, was the Hbonr of -4, dr^f Tit"n. whose towerir-g r!-niu,s summons! forth frnm the deeos and the clouds yfeions and f,mt<3."i"l' an d them forth in swelling biPo' of magic harmony i,-d ii-ble, radiant melody.

In vfatT to come the stnrv of the la,T);111 of ?0 000 Manser T.;f1 and f l,ree -;Ili,,n cartridges at La.rne for the T'lster Volun- teers will n' 3.mör,cr.ot the irwwt piif- turesoue in^ident« ih Hr-^ish hi^'rn. Jt was a triumph of orsre t i^o.tion nothinc thif, his -t h3C ■> ->vealp.d the daring and ifiv :enov (,f the Ulster VoHinteer o^cr>'Tvi«w.tk»t dew»ti<*n 1"1 skill of Vol^nteerf;, and the f•->rTy,i^ •nature of the power that hI" gro^r. no in Belfast. The A rtnv the Navv waco a«leep. The n" and f7-r>vem,Tv><>»H amtho'-iti tes were in itmo^nce of the vioinit^ of the Vp.p] ladeTi wit1' German airms a^d fi.mrpiinitk'n—th e stra.nc°?+ ficr. man "dump" yet made irvm our shares, The rtirpmarations of the T^ermon w (irf,. comnlete "to the last sraiter-button*' thev were a marvel of *mocth ''e«s. swiftness, and ^e'oeK^v of exwution. and there wøre no traitors in the ranks, thouch *.l»o>j«»,nds were neofvsffirilv in t1-,A f^^t. On Friday n'>t the bulk oi t.he Ulster bn tt,T.m. ,1I>¡T' —•iK-'i- si lent! v the men iron-r^l to +th^ ^,r). | quarters, armed with sticks and bearing I white ."l.t, Gordons were thrown around Belfast, I-P. rn*- SlTT "Donaig^^d'eie on the opposite diore of tli-, LouA. The r;pii- wa.v stations and docks were held +;'b-e police "shadowed." crossing. bridPe; and culvert wokfrte-d. At T.griie if,;1." +;'1.,1' few police. coa»tn^Rards. c»«to»*vs offirfrs on the spot were peacoafcly panned in.; the. telephone and telegraph wires were earthed and communication cut off. At every point of vantage tnoucsands of men were concen- trated-and through it all the Army, the Navy and the Belfast officials of the Liberal Ministry slumbered deep. At Lame there hove in sight through the darkness of the night the vessel to which the arms had been transhipped from the Fanny—a vessel bearing the name Mount- joy, that recalls the Siege of Derry and the breaking of that blockade. On shore there was an amazing spectacle. Six to seven hundred motor vehicles were ranked in lines rules long; divided into sections, one for 3ach district, each driver with a ticket show. ng the arms he could carry, ai d that it had .Icen arranged he should receive. Slowly the jars were driven past the wharf, where villing hands were toiling at break-neck nkv, discharging the cargo of the Mount- ay. Bundle afte; bundle of Mausers, uvonets and ammunition—100 rounds to ach rifle-wa." 1.05.00 into the cars, and off I' tiey aped along the dark country roads. irough silent villages where the people woke l'om their sleep to cheer the passage of the I .eapons that are to defend'their freedom, and to hang out the Union Jack. In five hours all waa over, and the Mount joy b-,d come and gone; ritles. enough for an army corps, were being unladenthroughbut List r, and Ministry was to learn with incredu- irty of the ease with which its, sloth and sluggishness had been eluded. The Bristol Channel is linked with tfile for- tunes of this strange adventure, for in April, It is said. the Fanny, in a sheltered cove of Lundy Island, was disguised by her crew, who repainted her sides and funnel. Ofi the Tuskar Rock, near the great Transatlantic shipping line, the Fanny met the Mount joy and 400 tons of munitions of war were trans- shipped. And afterwards? The Ulstermen have done no more than the Government has permitted them to do from the first. There vaa no violence. Ulster on Friday night was 4 deeply law-abiding as she has been since the formation of the Volunteer force. The coup is sensational, that is all. But it was little wonder that on Monday Belfast. was filled with rumours of the pend- ing proclamation of martial law, expectant of the arrival of long troop trains from the South. and apprehending the momentary bursting of the storm. Whilst the liberal Press, and its tame satellites of Labour," in Britain, were crying for what amounts to the forcing on of civil war. Those who, like the Liberals, regard the Ulstermen as rebels, and maintain that the authority of the maioritv for the time hA- I ing in the House of Commons must be en- forcea, even at the cost of war," have a. heavy reckoning with their Ministry. Yv iy, they can justly demand of it, have they per- mitted this formidable mfprement to grow I to its present proportions?*' Why have they allowed*Ulster to W* saturated with wea- pons, and a force of nearly 100.000 strong to be organised Mid trained? The answer is thai the Ministry must have shared the stupidity that befell the Liberal Press at the outset of the. lilst-L-r movement, w hen it was derid-ed as a farce, a a the raising of a i 'I  eksic -opera Srnitv V.-TEr, "wooden guM '-of cwo w ho wmld timi when they saw the soMieM coming, M if in 1336 unarmed ms?Tmpn did not charze with bare hands upon the rifles dbayonets of the so ldiers quelling the great riots of that year. Now that the truth is slowly pene- trating into their"brains, befogged by Tty i passion, a.nd enlightening the men who. with tli4, moral, kink and perversity thsfct •sfrlicts Liberalism would befriend a foreign foe but I-ate thfcij political neighbours to the point of desiring their daughter; now when. it is too late, these pitiful victims of political malice are crying out against- the conse- quences of their own blunders, blindness and remissness. The Government and its Press denounce the Ulstermen for arming, yet not one senile effective step has been taken by the Ministry to check them I After the landing of the arms at Lame there is no more room for such bung'inj: and miscalculation a,s have marked the Minister- ial policy in regard to Ulster heretofore. Home Rule is designed to increase the pros- perity and happiness of Ireland. That is the account of it given by its authors. Let us credit them with that honest intention, and let us ask them if the road to that end is to be made by rifle and machine gun fire cutting swathes through Ulster bodies. ) When the Unionists quitted office all Ireland was peaceful and progressing as it had never been before in a century's history. F,i,cht j years later we stand face to face with the prospect of the King's Army and Navy being called upon to turn their weapons against, the flag which they themselves fight under. And for what crime are these Ulstermen to be menaced with war?—war of the most her- rid and unnatural kind? They wish to be ruled from Westminster, not from Dublin. For defying the edict of "an accidental ma- jority brought together for a transient pur- pose"—Mr. Asquith's words—which, runs otherwise, the prospect is held out that they are to be made war upon. Such a punish- ment for such a "crime'" would amount to assassination upon a vast scale, employed as a political weapon. Mr. Asquith in Parliament on Monday spoke of "rebel troops"—"rebels" who fly our flag, cheer our King, and seek to be one with UIl. Who was it who years ago advised Kngei" "to seize the passes" when the South African War was imminent? Who spoke of Britain as levying war by "methods of bar- barism"? Who cheered the news of a Brit- ish general's defeat and wounds in South Africa? Let Mr. Asquith ponder upon those things when he thus yisults men who are training so that they mav die tor their prin- ciples. So too was Washington oncje a rebel; so too was Hampden; so too is every worthy man when it is tyranny that has to be discomfited. -4

It was "house full" amd "standing room only" at the Police Court on Mondav. Police, witnesses, etc., were packed like her- rings in a barrel, and there was no special attraction either. It was only the spring sun that was "fetching 'em out"—the topers. It is not generally known that Mr. D. J. Morgan, the blind chairman at Prof. North- cote's lecture, Swansea, on Sunday nip-rht, and the undoubted orator of the local Social- ists. was trained originally for the Noncon- formist ministry. His remarks and opinions on Nonconformity now are—well! Mr. G. H. Richardson, of the Swansea Empire, is shaking hands with himself over his "discovery" of little Kiddv Kennedy at the trial'"show" last Saturd,av week. She was the hit of the evening osi Saturdav last, and would undoubtedly create a furore aim- ilaxly wherever she was seen and heard. More than one" pillar" of local Noncon- formity was present at the organ recital and lecture at the Elysium, Swansea, on Sunday evening. "Naxareth" was no doubt appre- ciated by them on account of its religious flavour, but it was followed by the stentor- ian rendition by nearly the whole audience of The Red Flag!

The water-carts are having a daily joy- ride. Swansea will have no pierrots this sum- mer. We still have two piers, though! The Royalties who visit Neath to-morrow ar, said to have a very "Tecking" way with them. What is 'Toredor" and who is problem a Swansea concert audience had to solve on Thursday evening. Fancy any sane (or insane) Llanelly foot- baller taking any interest in that trifling Cup-final at the Crystal Palace to-morrow -< Manager (to presumptuous clerk): "Howl dare you talk such iion-ense-d'you tbink yon're the manager?",—(The "Bystander.") I The vapid person who raid tint it was too late in the season for the Swans to attempt to tie any team into 'Knots" was county-ed out. T m ¡ A witness at the Swansea County Court I told his Honour that it's in the law books." I" Well I don't agree with you." said the judge. Ci*. The Swans greatly enjoyed the counterfeit presentments of themselves on the screen in the Brentford match at the Carlton on Thursday evening. His Honour Judge Bryn Robem. thr .Swan" County Court, declared that he was seventy years of age and ought to be presumed to know something. I Recent expensive improvements at the Swansea Working Men's Club tend to still further strengthen its claim. to be the I' model club of the kingdom "Billy Ball, the Swans forward, is mafc- ling excellent progress. Desbite his absence from the concluding'games it is unlikely that, his total of 38 goals will be overtaken. I Ther. was a lot of talk about pilotage orders <; t the Sw a ea enquiry on Weunes- day. Tliose ordels. we generally bear from j the bridge off the Mumbles Pier, and they ase always to the point. It i. said that the new form of cycle used by the youngsters is having the effect of • developing the loose" leg more than the j cjfcfefr. Howevor that mav be, there is 00 j ??M? ??-? ?'?u ?'?'t? bbt? ??-. ?' ?"Um Cardiff has its Castle-street" problem now. It is called Duke-street-, and it is going to cost the TafFsiders a pretty penny, I when they do start on it. But at preeent they are--aq Swansea was only talking. I New, you banquet and dinner promoters, take a leaf out of the Swansea Working Men's Club book At their annual" on Thursday night ther2 was but one speech, and the following is a verbatim report of "It "Gentlemen, the King!" Who dares maintain that Manners are decadent and Politeness is at a back seat? "Excuse me," said a defendant at Swansea, don t use the hammer on that man. Whether the politely couched appeal lost. effect, unfortunately, wasn't made clear. A miraculous thing occurred at Swansea PoHce Court on Thursday. A woman step- ped into the box in a street brawl case, who actually stuck to the point and gave a clear and precise catalogue of the blows said to be dealt by one side or another-just that and nothing more. <-<< >-< 9 )-< t x t It's an old-fashioned constituted autho- rity, remai ked Commissioner Pelham re- garding the constitution of the Harbour Trustees at the Swansea pilotage enquiry. The Coroner for the Seignory (Mr. Ulynn Priced is the chairman of the Finance Com- mittee, and before him Mr. Talfourd Strick'a father held the office. The Swansea Church authorities have been pretty fortunate in their sites for buildings in Swansea. What better and more com- manding pasitvionei could there be than that of St. Mary's and St.. James', and the-latest, j St. Judy's, on the top. of Mount Pleasant hill. The Hon. Talbot Rice has a big task in having to take care of six centres of work, six congregations, six Sunday Schools and six day schools in his parish. But he doee it. Miss Manuelle, the lady who takes the solo part in Brahm s "Rhapsexiy" at the Swansea Festival concert on Monday, took the role last year with great success at the Sheffield Festival, and was engaged for Swansea by tho recommendation of tsir tienry Wood. She will sing at nearly every concert of the Nor- wich Festival, and is booked for the Brighton Festival and next season's "Promenades." She is related to' the well-known Sassoon family. fr. Villiers Meager made some liappy hits at the Unionist dinner on Thursday evenmj. Talking about the officers domi- ciled in Ulster being gi ven the opportunity of disappearing, he asked where were they to disappear to-lii the cellars? He told the atorv of a drummer who lost his ticket, when the ticket collector came round. "What." sa,1o the collector, you" In,,t your ticket'" That's nothing," replied the absent-minded drummer, "I lost, my big- idrurn the other day." In the United States certain sm?ll horses | are known as Morgans. The name has I evidntlv been in ?se for over half a oen- j mrv, as the following extract from T1-te Autocrat of th? Breakfast Table will show:-Ic Though T never owned a horse, have T not been the proprietor of FIX eouine ie*nale:<, of whioh one was the prettiest little 'Movein' that ever steptw,i *?" Was tltere once a Welshman of the name of MK)rvn who impTrt?} t'k<?- into Amwica, j or made the 1n::=: 'I Mr. J. Svlvanus Williams, whqse term of: office as chairman of the Ga.i"marthen Board of Guardians; expired on Saturday, is one of a number 01 ,n Carmar- thenshire who render excellent service on local bodies. He has been a member of the Board of Guard ians as well as the Rura l District Conn-cil for over and chair- man of both bodks. Mr. Wm tarns, who is the headmaster of thr- Trelech Council School, has been ene&ged at the same school for 40 ye.a.rs-a really remarkable record oi faithful ajad efficient service. I Success to the local Boy Scouts'-AppeAl I It had to come. A Cardiff paper describee Swansea as a modern city. The last Royal visit to Neath was in 1326; so that's quite beyond the oldest of th* "oldest inhabitant!" < £ »-< £ ><s>-0<JxJ» Liquid" debts were referred to at meeting at Swansea on Friday. Some peo- pie like seeing them run. I. Swansea. builders' employer,-t are threaten- ing to strike. Local blacksmiths are "strik- t in,g every day for a living. Both Ben Evans and the Swansea Tram- way divideuds are up I per cent. This is good test of local prosperity. "Ha I" said the Aberavon man cheerfully, "Neath may have its Royalties, but 'tis w. supply the goods at football i" o*sx?xs><- -*$> Street nomenclature up to date:-Fisher- street for devotees of angling; Bond-street for financiers, and Page-sueet for readers. | The ancient borough of Castell Nedd on Saturday last did the Trick in a I.. serene and "princely" manner marked j with "Curtis -y. ( To all appeat-auce the children attending j 1 the Council Schools at Burry- Port will shortly be taught the important subject, How to clean gullies." >-<! < t <. "I:r t h Hotspur" received an enthusiastic recep- tion durmg the Neath Royal visit. It was ft peculiar coincidence that the Prince and Princess passed along at the same time. Nothing narks the wans' supporters more than to read now in the Cardiff papers t-hat "if they had only shown this form in the earlier part of the season," etc., etc., etc. A Swansea Blue Ribbonite, on hearing that General V Ilia of Mexican fame claimed to be a teetotaler, promptly maue for tne nearest puulic-house aua ordered a sroajJ. Scotcn and soda. $ The Swansea "Terriers" may not be strong nLuiueowlly, but t-fle units appear » be composed ot neaiuiy-lmioeu young fel- lows, wlio, if they "stick it," will be a CTtsiit to tjie force. "An old Methodist once said that if he could not sing as sweetly ae a lark he could at least make a jolly goou noise like a crow. —(>ir. Artnur Loveil at Sketty.) It wiR be against all traditions of Swan- sea docksmen if they do other than enter heartily into the business of raising fun, for the Swaassa Boy Soouts Association. This is the time of the year when the dia- tracted district correspondent sends in con- tributions to the effect that "Johnny Jones got away beautifully on the left and sent Tom Thomas away to the boundary." There was- a small attendance at the SwSnspa. Chamber of Commerce meeting o# Friday. Was it because of the secretary's intimation on the agenda that tine current year's subscriptions are 0010 due? The Duke and Duchess of Teek, when they visited Swansea years ago, were ac- companied by the present Queen, then af- fectionately known as "Princess May, who, of oourae, is sister to Prince Alexander who visited Neath on Saturday. Mr J. O. Francis, the author of "Chant.. has written a new drama entitled The Poacher." It deaia with the effects of the Revival on an old character much given to poaching, and is written in the dialect of South Wales. Commend us to the small boy for adapta- bility. A band of Bandfields youngstera on j Saturday morning, tiring of a game of foot- ball, procured a couple of flat boards and used the same ball to open the cricket season with. 0 <  >-< S >-  0  Perhaps some of those Swansea. critics of the music-hail will sit down and work out how much money the Empire management have been ?nstramenta! in getting into the hospital coffers, and how much said critics have put in themselves. < <!>< Some excellent pleasure trips have been arranged in connection with the Interna- tional Chambers of Commerce meetings in Paris next month, and to which the Swansea Chamber is sending three delegates. To do the grand tour will necessitate about a fort- night. Though Sir R. Baden-Powell's striking and manly address at Swansea was generally voted to be one of the best of its kind ever heard locally, one who was present at the Cardiff speech on the following day said the latter was even better. And yet "B.-P." modestly proclaims he is no speaker. t   -<   o -? Even a short name like Pwll has its terrors for Englishmen. A Llanelly visitor, who wished to get to the golf links via PwU, sought the assistance of a police officer. Despairing of making his requ 'It intelligible, he struck on this novel idea "Can you tell me where the cars start for 'P-w-1-1'?" I Gooseberry pie formed a strong attraction in the sweets at a Swansea party's supper this week. The concensus of opinion was that, being so early. they had been brought j over from the Channel Islands, while another opinion expressed was they had been green- house-forced. But they were the real ar- tide and did not owe their origin to either of these causes. A curiosity may be observed at Port Ten- nant-road. There is a bait of open space on either side of it near the Vicarage and Church ball. In warm, close weath?f, the :Ür on both aides of thi3 belt is tepid, com- pared between the houses and shops that line the road; but the instant that one j steps a>oross this bilt, one moves into a re- gion of cold air. The deep in temperature is noticed in a moment, and one can stand partly in the warm-air and partly in the cold-air belt. ->-?.>- 4 =-?0< & I The Duke of Beaufort has sold Chepstow Ca--t,lc-, one of the first castles built in the reign of William the Conqueror, to Mr. W. R. Lght, who owns Gastleford on the oppoilit-e sid of the Wye. The western por- hon was built between 1066 and 1071. Do keep, the oldest part of the castle, is believed to have been erected eiher by Earl William Fit«-Oflbem or by Gilbert de Clare, a nephew of the founder of Tintern Abbey. One of the features of the castle is Vart--n'n tower, deriving its name from Henry Marten, one of the regicides, who stiffered imprison- ment and died there in 1681. The castle was the scene of many stirring events in the (:}-1 war, being many times taken and retaken. Tbe' marriage in 1514 of Flizat-etl- r, 11". of the Earl cf Huntingdon, with Charles Somerset, created Earl of Worces tet in 1524, broucht the Castle into the possession of th. Micustors if the Duke of Beaufort.