The Brecon Radnor Express Carmarthen and Swansea Valley Gazette and Brynmawr District Advertiser

Brecon Memorial College, at which Congrega- tionalist students are trained for the ministry, has associations with Belgium. One of its former professors was Mr Nice Davies, who was born in Ghent. Like his father, he spent most of his life soldiering and took part in some historic battles. He mastered no fewer than eleven lan- guages. Mr Nice Davies was succeeded at Bre- con by the Rev. Henry Griffiths, F.G.S., father of Principal Griffiths, M the University College, Cardiff.

RADNORSHIRE LIVE STOCK. I MEETING OF COMMITTEE. I WYE VALLEY DIFFICULTY. I A meeting of the Ldve Stock Committee was held at the County Buildings, Llandrindod Wells, on Tuesday, when there were present Messrs. J. R. Bache (chairman), James Hamer, E. Williams, James Price, C. S. W. Powell (land agent), and Mr G. W. Moseley (deputy- clerk). The chairman said the business of the meeting was to fix up the grants for bulls and boars in the different districts and areas. He believed that each area or division was prepared to take a bull as usual. He bad been round with Mr D. D. Williams (live stock officer) and they say all the bulls and boars, and the custodians. Every one seemed inclined to continue. Some question arose in reference to the Wye Valley and one other place, but the latter was already settled. The difficulty in' the Wye Valley area was that there was not enough cows sent. They thought that ccuild be rectified, and Mr Morris, the custod- ian of the bull, said he had very little doubt but what before the season was out he would have his book full and that be would get the 50 cows That was a requirement which would be insisted upon. The bulls were all very satisfactory, and he (the chairman) was almost surprised to see that such good progress had been made. He must say that there was a lot of good-stuff about. Hundred House had made no application up till last Sunday but they were expecting that the application would come in at once. Mid Edw had made an application, and they seemed keen Ion it there, and so also had Mr B. P. Lewis, on I behalf of Cwmdauddwr. These were two addi- tional applications, but it was desirable to have two in reserve in case any fell out. Two more boar districts were more or less fixed up—one r completely so, and the second new application had come to hand. The live stock officer would deal with this. The Glasbury and Gwystre Boar Societies were likely to go on again, and the new ones would be at Disserth and Whitton. The cliairman added that Llandewy Society had bought a new bull, and so also had Pantydwr. Others were meeting Mr Williams at Hereford, and would secure bulls approved by Mr Williams and his colleagues. Mr Pryce thought the societies were scattered very well over the county, and Mr Williams agreed. The chairman said it was open to anyone pre- sent to make any alternative suggestion, but, as none were forthcoming, the committee agreed to recommend the renewals of grants to all the old societies and to the new boar societies referred to by the chairman. Mid Edw was placed first in the reserve list for bull grants and Cwmdauddwr second.

I Llandovery Russian I SEEKS BENCH'S ADVICE. At Llandovery, recently, Mr Ostrof, a dentist residing in the town, sought thf; advice of the bench. Certain people, he said, whom he did not think had any ill-feeling against him person- ally had been making certain statements concern- ing his nationality, saying he was a German, and that motor-cars were coming to his doors late at night. He could satisfy the bench as to his re- spectability and nationality. In addition to do- cuments which he said he had previously shown to the police, he now produced a document which he said he had obtained from the Russian Consul at Cardiff. Replying to questions, he said he had lived in England 25 years, most of which he spent at Llane^y. Dr. C. C. Evans said he was satisfied that Mr Ostrof was a Russian. The chairman said Mr Ostrof had his remedy. If people circulated these statements he could bring action against them for slander. The applicant thanked the bench.

HAVE CURED WILL CORE YOU. I Mrs King, Run well Rokd, Wickford, states "Duty compels me to tell all who suffer that your pills cured me after years of pain." HOLD. ROYD'S GRAVEL PILLS, a positive cure for four years. The pain in my back was entirely gone. Robt. Eades, of Weybridge, writes — "I bought a box yesterday, and after I bad taken the second two I felt better than I had done for over Gravel, Pains in the Back, Dropsy. Brigbt's Dis- ease of the Kidneys, Gout, Sciatica. 1/3, all chemists. Post free, 14 eta.mps.-HOLDROYD'S MEDICAL HALL. Cleckheaton. he carries buttons of almost every regiment both French and English. He, himself, fought in the Franco-Prussian and proudly displays his medal. My senior captain has gone to a hospital, so I am in charge of the company. It is interesting work, although much to do. We are all very happy here. and in perfect health, but there is one thing I miss greatlv and that is a jolly good swim in the Wye. It makes my mouth water when I picture myself in the old days, standing on the bank about to disappear beneath the cool-soothing surface of the Aber- Pool. Now, I can almost experience its exhilera- ting effect upon me! France presents a funny picture—at least the portion we see of it—after so much shelling, traf- fic, and English innovations. The remains of one-time lfourishing farms are often picturesque. One sees, perhaps, one side of a house remaining, well-perforated with shell holes, and a roof gin- gerly reclining on a few uprights, one end 'mov- ing down to the ground floor for the season, and the remains of the door fast asleep near the chim- ney that was! The roads, too, afford splendid facilities for bathing, where a stray 'Jack John- son' has kindly sat down. 'Some parts of the trendies are very wet. When we visit these, we parade in high waders. It only requires a fishing rod, and the angling party is complete. Instead of fish we catch rats. They have become wonderfully affectionate, with a liking for men's tasty rations and officers food as well. In the night these gentlemen bold con- certs and conclude with somersaults over one's bed. It is great fun rat-hunting, and helps to pass away time. When we take them alive, we transport them to swell the ranks of Lord Derby's Battalions! Lower down the line they are used for bringing up our rations, but they require an experienced driver with a good proportion of tact. Please excuse this sudden close to my letter, as I have to go on duty.—Your very sincere Hun- destroyer, Gordon (Capt Gordon J. Jones, The Pines, Builth Wells)." Headmaster's Speech. I Mr R-ees Thomas, B.A.. then began his usual address by intimating his lengthy association with the Board of Education. The Board, like other Government departments, had in the past been somewhat circumlocutory and conservative in its methods, making for uniformity in mentality. In the past there wa.s a tendency to produce a stereo- typed kind of mind under the Board a direction, but there were welcome signs of illumination. The Board this year suggested that national ideals should be emphasised in this and similar schools. But it was a va.in imagining that we were now only beginning to teach patriotism. The most fitting answer to such a thought was the 3,000,000 voluntary enlistments of men in the pride of life, who were prepared to make the sup- reme sacrifice in their country's hour of need. (Cheers.) Continuing, Mr Thomas remarked that he had turned up the article on St. David in the Encyclopedia Britannica, and found that while there was a mass of accretionary and legend- ary lore clustering round our Patron Saint, the central fact remained that he was a good man. This cardinal fact remained undimmed down the ages, the goodness and purity of heart of our Patron ftaint. St. David represented a spiritual type, which formed the basis of our western ci- vilisation. The occasion was not only a fitting one for commemoration, but we should perpetuate his memory 'by practising those qualities of heart which enshrine his name. It had been truly said that this was a war of ideals. We in Britain stood for the spirit of pity, lllrcy love, honour and chivalry. Our men, when they returned from the battle fronts, would be impatient in listen- ing to lip-platitudes. The Germans, following the teachings of their philosophers, held as ignoble those higher attributes of man which we treasur- ed. 'Mercy and love they ,held to be childish and mawkish qualities which, far from strengthening character, made for effeminacy and enervation. We in this country held fast to the contrary ideal, that mercy and courage go hand-in-hand. Mr Thomas added chivalry, although not to be found in Biblical terminology, to the Christian virtues which we should practise. This system of knighthood, originally a military organisation, had kept the flickering flame of civilisation burn- ing during the dark night of the middle ages. We owed a great deal to France. Most of our ideas of liberty and freedom had originated in France. Particularly are we indebted to Rousseau. In his Contrat Sociale, however, Rousseau made the mistake of endeavouring to found a ready-made society. The basis of society, as an organisation, was evolutionary. It had to endure the pangs of birth and all the adversity of development. Concluding, Mr Thomas maintained that our rights were the conditions of development. "Why," said Mr Thomas, "is it necessary to de- velop our faculties ? Surely not for selfish ends We should aim at devoting our energies to the cause of humanity. If we are to prize the war- won merits which we have inherited as a legacy I from our fore-fathers, we must think in terms of self-sacrifice. One way in which we could do this is to translate the Welsh Brigadier's moving appeal into deeds, and look after our maimed and wounded soldiers in the future." (Applause.) Remaining items of entertainment on the pro- gramme were next rendered as follows :—Reci- tation, "Forward," Willie Lewis; solo. "Delight- ful Ireland," Madge Harries; churus, "Russian National Anthem," pupils: solo, "I want to be a soldier," E. Rice; solo. "The King's own," H. Pugh; solo, "There is a. long trail." G. Lewis; chorus, "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau," pupils; solo, "Glamorgan war song," G. Edwards; solo. "When you come home." G. Lewis; solo, "Me- gan's daughter," G. Edwards; solo. "Daddie in khaki," M. Thomas; and "God save the king." Thanks were heartily accorded Mrs Wenham, the chairman, speakers, and all who contributed to I the very successful proceedings.

RELIGION IN WALES. (By Ab Siencyn.) Shortly after Griffith ab Rhys died and his son Rhys ab Griffith succeeded him. Griffith was mourned by his people for he was a wise and just prince, brave and generous- In the s." o year Griffith ab Cynan died. When this pr.e per- ceived that his end was drawing near he called his sons -to him, and after dividing his estates among them he urged them to be brave, charitable, mer- ciful and generous. As a proof of his attachment to the cause of religion he gave large sums of money to several churches in Ireland, where he was born, and to many churches in Gwynedd, where he reign- ed for 46 vears, and he also made handsome presents to the bishop and priests who lived near hun. David, the bishop of Bangor and his priests when they heard of his illness, went to see nim and annointed his body with holy oil, ac- cording to the custom of the Roman Church. Griffit .'i was 82 years old when heqqied, and was buried in Bangor Cathedra;, and his people mourn- ed aftei him. Meilyr the bard composed an ex- cellent elegy after his death, which is still ex- tant. O ram ab Gruffydd ab Cynan or Owain Gwynedd succeeded his father and declared war on all Saxons living in Wales, and when he came to Dyfed hi destroyed the castles of Ystrad Meu- rig, Pont y, yffan and Carmarthen and returned to Gwynedd with immense booty. When David. Bishop of Bangor, died, Meurig, Archdeacon of Bangor, was consecrated as his successor by Theo- bald, Archbishop of Canterbury. Meurig was so loyal to the Principality that he held out for a long time against swearing fealty to the King of England, but at last was persuaded to take. the oath, seeing that all the other bishops had done so. that he would h ve to resign if he persisted in his attitude. AbOl.; the same time Uchtryd was consecrated bishop of Llandafi. He Was famous for his learning and piety and brought about great improvement in ch irch discipline and in the ob- servation of the fi ed holy days of the Church. but he failed to Fcure the restoration of the lands which Bernard had taken from the Llandaf diocese. About this time there flourished a fam- our poet named Rhys Goch ab Recart ab Einion ab Collwvn who lived at Coetly in Morganwsj. His grandfather was the Einion who invited the Normans to Glamorgan. Many of his works have been preserved. Robert Candas having won the lordship of Caerleon on Wye, and Goldclive built the priory of Goldclive, which he presented to- gether with the surrounding estates and tithes to the monastery of Bee in Normandy. But the Pope of that Iday ordered the priory of Goldclive be joined to that of Tewkesbury. It appears that owing to the destructive wars which were inces- santly waged in Gwynedd, the diocese of St. Asaph became so poor, its lands devastated and buildings destroyed, that no blabopruled there for a long period after the death of Sefer, who ac- companied Howel the Good to Rome. The first to renew the succession was Gilbert, who was con- secrated by Theobald. Archbishop of Canterbury. Many monasteries were built III this century, but it is difficult to fix dates. The monastery of Cwmhir near Knighton was built in this period, and was occupied by 60 monks. This establish- ment owned many lands and enjoyed many pri- vileges, and remained famous for a long time. About tbe 'same. time John Toryton built the monastery of the White house on Taff, where a college had flourished for several generations. Though it was with almost insurmountable dif- ficulties that the Welsh maintained any educa- tional establishment during these troublesome times, still several men, prominent for their learn- ing and piety appeared. Salien ab Rhyddmarch, one of the priests of Llanbadarof awr, who was a faithful minister for many years lived at this time. He was considered to be one of the wisest and most pious men in the diocese of St. Davids in those days, and it is said that he showed great zeal in his effort to reduce the sinfulness and cruelty of the time. In the year of Sulien's death, Gilbert, Earl of Clare, restored the Castle of Carmarthen and the castle of the sons of Uch- tryd. When Rhys ab Griffith heard of this he collected his forces, marched against the enemy, and captured the castles of Dynefor, Carmarthen and Ivlanstephan, and slaughtered a large number of Normans, Saxons and Flemish non-combatants only being spared. While Rhys triumphed over the enemy in the south, Owain Gwynedd laid seige to the castle of Mold in Flintshire, where the Saxons had committed some brutal deeds and captured it. Robert Consyl, lord of Morganwg, seeing that the youth of Wales were not trained in the arts, sent to France for suitable teachers to educate the people in those arts that were ne- cessary to the comfort, safety and honour of the country. In consequence of the dispute between Cadwaladr ab Griffith and his nephews, Hywel anod Cynan, sons of the Prince of Gwynedd, the young princes marched to erionetbd laid waste his lands. The inhabitants, terrified by the appearance of hostile forces, escaped to their hiding places. But when the princes announced that they had no evil intentions against those who submitted to their rule, the people returned to their homes. After this the princes besieged Cyn- foel castle, which was built by Cadwaladr and let to Merfyn, the abbot of Ty Gwyn ar Daf. Nei- ther threats nor promises of reward could shake the resolution of the abbot to cling to his castle. F-t- defended it with great bravery nnd gave in only when the walls had been razed to the ground I and large numbers of the defenders had been killed or wounded, and further resistance was hopeless. He was allowed to go soot free because he was in holy orders.

I Rheumatism and Kidney Trouble. FREE TREATMENT. Rheumatism is due to uric acid crystals in the joints and muscles, the resul t of excessive uric acid in the system that the kidneys failed to re- move as nature intended, to which every qualified physician agrees, and this acid is also the cause of backache, lumbago, sciatica, gout, urinary trouble, stone, gravel, dropsy. The succesas of Estora Tablets for the treatment of rheumatism and other forms of kidney trouble is due to the fact that they restore the kidneys to I healthy action and thereby remove the cause of the trouble, and have cured numberless cases after the failure of other remedies, which accounts for them fast superseding out-of-date medicines that are sold at a price beyond all but the wealthy. To prove Estora Tablets fully warrant their de- scription-an honest remedy at an honest price— one full 'box of 40 tablets will be sent to readers of the "Brecon and Radnor Express" as a free sample on receipt of this notice and 3d in stamps to cover postage, packing, etc. Sold by chemists, 1/3 per box of 40 tablets, or six boxes for 6/9. For full box sample address Estora Co., 132, Charing Cross road, London, W,G. Brecon Agent, Walter Gwillim, M.P.S., M?cal Hall; Builth Wells Agent, T. A. an, M.P.S., The Pharmacy. 167p

Cambrian Railways Company. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. j The annual general meeting of the Cambrian Railways Company was held at the Euston Hotel, London, on Friday, Mr Thomas Craven (deputy- chairman) presiding. The directors reported that after providing for all charges, including interest at the rate of 4 per cent. for the year on the D Debenture Stock and appropriating XIO,000 to general reserve, there remained at the credit of net revenue a surplus of R5,238 to be carried for- ward, in addition to the old surplus of £6,134 under the scheme of arrangement of 1885. In moving the adoption of the report and ac- counts, Mr Craven said their chairman, Lieut.- Col. David Davies, M.P., was away in Flanders serving with his regiment, and the last news they had of him was that he was in the best of health and spirits. Five of their employees had lost their lives in the service of their country. Under the Derby scheme no less than 90 per cent. of the eligible men employed by the company attested. He said the directors did not propose to incur any capital expenditure in 1916. The net traffic receipts in 1915 amounted to X138,636, as com- pared with C149,186 in 1914. The company had been quietly, but very successfully, developing traffic, and especially had given close attention to advertising the various resorts on the system. Turning to the credit side of the balance sheet, the chairman said the company's cash resources amounted to £ 53.099 as compared with X44,797 a year ago. Mr C. B. O. Clarke seconded, and the report and accounts were unanimously adopted. The retiring directors, Messrs. C. B. O. Clarke and Alfred Herbert, were re-elected.

War and Politics. I On the stroke of midnight of Tuesday, Febru- ary 29th, the second and revised edition of Ger- many's campaign of submarine frightfulness was advertised to begin. At midnight on Wednesday, March 1st, voluntary enlistment for single men came to an end, and all single men of military age who had not attested came under the provis- ions of the Military Service Act. At the time of writing, the great struggle round Verdun still continues, but there are signs that the German thrust is weakening. Throughout, the attitude of the French people has been a shining example of the spirit in which a critical period of suspense should be faced. The German Imperial Staff had formed the plan of hurling immense masses, at any cost of life, against what they believed to be a weak sector of the French line, probably with a two-fold object—(1) if possible, to inflict such a blow on the French 'morale' as to make France ready to discuss terms of peace, or (2), at any rate, to paralyse the Allies' offensive in the West when the climatic conditions allow of the renewal of Russia's activity on the enemy's Eastern front. M. Clemenceau has characterised the German effort to make the French people disposed to dis- cuss terms of peace as "a perfectly puerile ain1." And while it would be foolish to under-estimate the tremendous "slogging" power of Germany's big battalions, there are grounds for believing that the furious attacks with which the enemy has been trying to forestal and avert the Allies' im- pending joint offensive in the spring, are only having the effect of depleting the reserves which he will need to meet it. Germany's proclamation of a new submarine campaign of increased frightfulness, to begin on March 1st, had an element of the mysterious about it. Whenever a Geraman submarine has been able to do so, it has sunk liner and merchant- been abk? to do so, it haas n ? with no attenip?t to as- man without warning and with no attempt to as- certain whether the vessel attacked was armed or unarmed. It is probable that Germany has de- veloped some new and more formidable type of submarine, and hopes by these means to revive a menace which our Navy had got under control. We shall rely upon the combined skill of our Navy and mercantile marine successfully to grapple with this recrudescence of the submarine peril. Germany has received a severe snub from President Wilson, who flatly refuses, as an in- credible humiliation to the American people, the proposal that American citizens should be warned off from travelling as passengers in ships armed for defensive purposes. The House of Commons, on Tuesday last week, was mainly engaged, during the debate on the Consolidated Fund Bill, with complaints of hard cases in the administration of the Military Ser- vice Act. The main grounds of complaints were (1) that Army forms warning men to join the colours had been sent to men who had been re- jected as medically unfit or who had grounds for believing they were exempt, (2) that sons of widows who were the sole support of their mothers had been refused exemption, (3) that conscientious objectors had been ruthlessly brushed aside, and (4) that there was no ade- quate Labour representation on the tribunals. Sir John Simon complained especially of a poster issued bv the War Office, which intimated that men who claimed exemption on the ground of having been medically rejected must produce a certificate recognised as good by the military au- thorities. Mr Tennant said that he had only seen the poster at lunch-time, and it would be with- drawn. Mr Tennant and Mr Long replied in de- tail to the criticisms of the War Office methods and of the tribunals. The chief points in the statements made by the Under-Secretary for War and the President of the Local Government Board were as follow (1) Time-expired men, medically rejected men, and exempted men, need not trouble about the yellow !form, if they have received it, ex- cept to furnish information to the authorities of the grounds on which they are exempted; (2) where the taking of a widow's son would inflct serious hardship, that is a valid ground for ex- emption, but the tribunals naturally require proof: (3) instructions have been given to the recruiting authorities that no man in regard to whom an appeal has been made is to be called up until the appeal has been disallowed; (4) the question of Labour representation on the local tribunals is being dealt with by the Local Government Board: (5) the question is being considered whether, by the co-operation of the employers and the community generally, mar- ried men cannot be brought in to replace men in the reserved occupations. In the House of Lords, the question of the pen- sions and allowances to soldiers discharged from the Army on account of wounds or disease was discussed. Lord Newton, the Paymaster- General, declared that, whenever possible, the benefit was given to the soldier, though there were some cases of hardship not covered by the Royal Warrant, and it was to deal with such cases that the Statutory Committee was created. Lord Lansdowne said that there had been culpable p; rJigence in many of the medical examinations recruits. But if the officials of the State had bv 'n too lax in regard to the physical fitness of a man, the State, and not the man, would have to suffer for it. The Government desired to act with liberality and generosity. Mr Asquith has informed a deputation of Lab- our leaders that the Committee on Production bad considered the need of suspending wage advances more drastically than the Government had in- tended. The Government had no wish to limit the wages of any class of low-paid wage-earners, or of those who had not received adequate advan- ces to recompense them for the rise in the cost of living. Mr Asquith added that he would arrange to have a consultation with Sir George Askwith and the other members of the Committee on Pro- duction, in order to consider the matter and put it right. Mr McKenna, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, made an important speech at the luncheon of the "Trade after the War Conference" of the As- sociation of Chambers of Commerce. Mr Mc Kenna pointed out that one-third of the gigantic total of our own annual expenditure (1170 mil- lions) will be covered by revenue on the present basis of taxation, a record which could not be paralleled by any other belligerent nation. In the coming year, he hoped that an even larger proportion would come out of revenue. But our advances to Allies and Dominions will approach the sum of 1170 millions, and there is a limit to the amount of gold which can be exported and to the amount of foreign securities we can sell. We are therefore dependent on our external trade for the power to support the burden of supply which pulls on us, and those people who speak of "trade or victory," as if there were here a pos- sible alternative, are guilty of a tremendous fal- lacy. Trade is essential to victory. After the war, Mr iMcKenna said, the Government was prepared to give its assistance to the development of foreign trade in order to ensure that those rivals who are now our bitter enemies shall not have the control of the foreign trade which they have enjoyed in the past. Steps in this direction had already been taken, though the nature of these could not at present be divulged. In con- clusion, Mr McKenna, said—"We are ready to ttire to the end, and one of the chief factors of the power of endurance is based upon the great commercial powers of the country.

Patriotism & Sacrifice. I Inspiring Builth Celebrations. I INTERESTING COUNTY SCHOOL I PROGRAMME. LETTER FROM THE TRENCHES. I ■St. David's Day ivai loyally celebrated 'by the teaching staff and pupils of Builth Wells Inter- mediate School. Rev. S. H. Wenham (vicar) presided, and, towards the close of the proceed- ings, he had to leave. The chair was then occu- pied by Mr Win. Prothero, J.P. (Giannant). Mr Gilbert Eadie sent a letter, regretting in- ability to attend. Dr. Black Jones, J.P., at- tended and spoke on "St. David" (reviewing his life), Mr Wm. Prothero on "Love of Country, and the Vicar on "Patriotism." Subsequent to the chairman s address, the fol- lowing items of entertainment were &iYl'B:- Solo. "Captain Morgan's War March," K. Philips; solo, "Adieu to dear Cambria, G. In- g*r1 am; chorus, "St. David's Day," pupila; duet, "I don't want to play in your yard," B. Beynon and E. Lewis; solo, "Cwyd Dy Galon, B. Powell; solo, "They sang God save the king," E. Eadie; recitation, "The patriotic French poodle," P. Thomas; chorus, "La Marseillaise, pupils; and solo, "The Britj sh Grenadiers," P. Pritchard. Certificates and Prizes. Mrs Wenham (Vicarage) now very gracefully handed the book-prizes and certificates to the suc- cessful C.W.B. pupils, and the list wAs read out as follows Honours Division. William Edwin Lewis, passed in English lan- guage and literature,. Latin and French (with conversational power).

Supplementary Division. Margery Cheyne, passed in French (with con- versational power): Oliver Ruby Bowyer, passed in Latin; and Ruby Beynon, passed in elemen- tary mathematics. Senior Certificate. Trevor Wa-tkin Evans. passed in English lan- gua.ge and literature, history, arithmetic (with distinction), elementary mathematics, Latin, Welsh (with distinction), French (with conver- siti-onal power), and geography (with distinction) —equivalent to Welsh matriculation; William Seth Griffiths, passed in English language and literature, history, arithmetic, elementary mathematics, Latin, French (with conversational power) and geography--equivalent to Welsh matri- culation; Hilda Pugh, passed in English lan- guage and literature, arithmetic, elementary mathematics, Latin, French (with conversational power) and geography; Henry James Meredith. passed in English language and literature, his- tory, arithmetic, elementary mathematics, Latin, French (with conversational power) and geo- graphy; Walter Powell Phillips, passed in Eng- lish language and literature, arithmetic, Latin, French (with conversational power), and geo- graphy; and Parry Morgan Jones, passed in Eng- lish language and literature, elementary mathe- matics, Latin and geography. Junior Certificate. I John Edmund Price, passed in English lan- guage and literature, history, arithmetic, elemen- tary mathematics, Latin, Welsh (with distinc- tion), geography and agriculture; Constance Patricia. Thomas, passed in English language and literature, history, elementary mathematics, Latin, French (with conversational power), chemistry (with distinction), geography, hygiene and domestic economy (with distinction); David Ernest Jones, passed in English language and literature, history, arithmetic (with distinction), elementary mathematics, Latin, French (with con- versational power) and geography; Eunice Bertha Penton, passed in English language and liter- ature, history, Latin, French (with conversa- tional power), geography, hygiene and domestic economy; Avan lorwerth Price, passed in English language and literature, history, arithmetic, Welsh (with distinction), chemistry, geography and agriculture; Ellis Verdi Williams, passed in English language and literature, history, arith- metic, elementary mathematics, Latin, French, chemistry, geography and agriculture; Mabel Jones, passed in English language and literature, arithmetic, elementary mathematics, Latin, French (with conversational power), geography and hygiene; John Dyke Bufton, passed in Eng- lish language and literature, history, arithmetic, French (with conversational power), geography, chemistry and agriculture; and Catherine My- fanwy Griffiths, passed in English language and literature, elementary mathematics, French (with conversational power) and geography. The solo. "The Maple Leaf," by Mabel Jones was well received. as also was the pupils' chorus, "La Bra¡banconne." I I Mr Rees Thomas, B.A. (headmaster) observed I he had received a letter I From a Former Pupil —now at the western front. Mr Thomas here read. the communication to the satisfaction and delight of all present as follows "Sunny Side, Shell Avenue, February 16th, 1916. Dear --vlr Thomas,-Vivian and I are still enjoying our 'Cook's Tour' in France. At pres- ent we are back in billets, some little distance be- hind the firing-line. When we came out first, we were attached to a very fine regiment-our National Guards, and, from them, we learnt quite a lot. Now we are- numbered amongst the 'young veterans,' and carry on independently. Our holidays in the trenches have been very in- teresting. The life is fascinating, for, it carries with it the atmosphere of uncertainty, and, also, a. deep feeling of comradeship, especially in the front-line. We get our share of work, and, up-to- date, we have carried out our programme suc- cessfully. The actual fighting does not amount to much, as climatic conditions do not favour any great movement, but, in addition, there is much to be done in connection with fatigues—repairing para- pets, etc., etc. One thing is very obvious, and that is, our Welsh fellows can hold their own with any English regiment for real hard work. The brigade has received very flattering reports from the Corps Headquarters, and, altogether, we are pleasing the 'brass hats.' We move about a great deal whilst 'resting,' and get stationed at very funny quarters. Our last billet consisted of a detached back- kitchen of an old farm-house. It contained, in the way of furniture, one small table, five chairs, one large cupboard, and a brazier. The wall- paper certainly had seen many years service. The window-frames still existed, but, in the place of glass, we sported sheets of linen, sides of bis- cuit tins-, sacking, etc. The glass had long since left us, owing to the fact that snugly ensconced in the one-time back garden was a tiny elephant gun. It was seldom fired, but we had the pleas- ure of hearing it speak several times. In its ter- ror the poor linen tore itself asunder, and the sacking collapsed in disgust; then, we had a lib- eral allowance of fresh air until the window was re-deoorated. Now, our mess-room in this village is very dif- ferent. We have a comfortable room and a jolly fire, and are billeted with an aged couple—hus- band and wife. They are generous and most ob- liging. The old lady might be anything between the ages of 70 and 120. (N.B.—I was never good at guessing ladies' ages) with a face that resem- bles a well detailed relief map-the northern portion adorned with a huge pair of spectacles, and the southern enclosed in a continual smile. The old man seems to exist in an enormous pair of pantaloons, tied tt the bottom with string—has a well-seasoned face, with a good crop of baby whiskers—lively Mid amusing. On his waistcoat

INQUEST AT BEDFORD. I DEATH OF A BABY. I SYMPATHY WITH BRECON PARENTS. I An inquest was held at the Borough Police Station at Bedford, on Wednesday morn- ing, as to the death of Thomas William Davies, infant son of W. C. Davies, of the Bteeknocks, who is billeted'at 17, Palmerstoa Street, Bedford. as a member of the Welsh Division training in Bedford. In opening the inquiry, the coroner, Mr Charles C. I Bell, said they could not be too particular in these days when life was being squandered, and the public should be impressed with the neces- sity of doing everything possible to preserve life. This child was taken ill in the night, and the parents did not fetch a doctor. He thought that, even at the trouble of getting up in the night. parents ought to fetch doctors in such cases. He did not suggest any blame in this case, for there may have been reasons for not fetching the doctor, but he thought a public purpose would have been served by that formal inquiry, without which he did not feel justified in giving a burial certificate. though he felt satisfied that everything was all right. Dr. A. F. Goldsmith said he was sent for to see the child on Tuesday afternoon. It had been dead some hours. It was well nourished, and had been well taken care of. In his opinion, it died from teething convulsions. The parents and friends had done all they could for it. The child had apparently been perfectly well, and was playing about a few hours before its death, and there was no saying when convulsions would oome. Mrs Davies, the young mother, was quite over- come, and sobbed bitterly while giving her evi- dence. She said her boy was 17 months old. Her husband in private life was a collier, and liv- ed at Prospect Place, Brecon. The child had never had convulsions before. He was in bed with her when taken with a. fit, and she called a. neighbour, who said, "You need not send for a doctor—he will soon come out of it." This neigh- bour said her children had had convulsions manv times and came through all right, and there was no need to worry. The first fit came a.t one o'clock. It went through one after another, and died between three and four o'clock. It was a beautiful strong child. The coroner said the jury would agree with him that it was one of the loveliest children they had evor seen, and they were very much touched with the circumstances. All they could do was t. sympathise very deeply with the parents. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence, and the foreman said the jury felt very sorry for the parents.

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