Llangollen Advertiser Denbighshire Merionethshire and North Wales Journal

INTERESTING TO RUABON AND TO US. Mutually interesting, mutually valuable, mutu- ally helpful, is this news which Ruabon sends to us. Mrs. Annie Negus, living at 3, Chirk Green, Chirk, near Raabon, says :— "For many years I suffered very much from sharp pains across the lower part of my back and between the shoulders. I used to be so bad when bending down to do anything that I could hardly get up again. I suffered dreadfully from sciatica in my right leg and hip, and from rheumatism. My right leg used to swell, and also my ankles. I got very little sleep at night, with the result that I was drowsy and tired in the morning. I suffered, too, with urinary troubles. I tried many things, but never got any better until I began with Doan's backache kidney pills. I have now taken three boxes of these, and feel wonderfully improved in every way. Doan's pills have corrected the urinary trouble, and eased my back a great deal. In fact, they have done me more good than anything else I ever used. I can also speak highly of Doan's dinner pills. I used these for constipation, headache and bilious- ness, and I must say they are the best medicine I ever tried for these ailments. I feel ever so much brighter and better since I started to take Doan's pills. You are at liberty to publish the facts of my case, for the benefit of others. (Signed), ANNIE NEGUS." Doan's Backache Kidney Pills are two shillings and ninepence per box (six boxes for thirteen shillings and ninepence). Doan's Dinner Pills are one shilling and three halfpence per box (six boxes tor six shillings). Of all chemists and stores, or post free, direct from Foster-McClellan Co., 8, Wells-street, Oxford-street, London, W. You are sure to get the right medicine if you ask distinctly for DOAN'S. 1 SHEEP DOG-TRIALS. The growing popularity of sheep-dog trials is becoming every year more marked. They may be classed amongst the most interesting of rural ex- hibitions of the present day, and dwellers in towns are often struck with wonder and admiration at the surprising achievements of the dogs-the result of instinct and careful training. The advancement in the art of training the sheep-dog to his present high state of perfection is doe mainly to the competitive trials which have become annual institutions in most of the large sheep runs in Great Britain. The aid that a well-trained dog can render to the flockmaster is simply invaluable. The trials vary very much in different localities, according to the disposition of the ground and ob- stacles, also the ideas of the various judges and managers, but may be defined as the mode of testing the merits of certain competing sheep-dogs. By causing each competitor to perform a certain prescribed task, three or four graduated prizes being awarded, according to the merit of their respective performances, to three or four dogs which accomplish the work in a manner superior to the other competitors, and satisfactory to the judges. The shepherd, who is roped to a stake near the finishing point, sends off his dog to find three sheep which are set at liberty on the side of a mountain about half a mile away, and at once he begins to make good points or bad ones. The find is often the most difficult task, and more intelligence is shown by the dog at the far end, away from the control of his master; he either does good work, or makes a mess of it, by getting too near the three wild sheep, and does not cast wide or divert his course enough, the consequences being that the sheep lose their heads and dash away down the hill-side faster than the dog can run. If the dog is a good one, he will pull up behind the sheep, and stand or lie down waiting for the whistle of his master to bring on. A steady dog makes steady sheep, he drives the sheep between two flags, next through a gap into the second field, then round a row of hurdles, and through an opening in an artificial fence finally penning the flock (at which the sheperd assists) in the time of twelve or fifteen minutes, which is fixed by the judges. The dog which will take the sheep to a given point, which is called driving, is considered the best, for many dogs will bring, but will not drive away, according to instructions. The dog that shows the best command and style in execu- ting his task scores higher than the one who bustles his sheep, or over-runs command. The Shepherd oontrols his dog by whistles of different lengths and quick gestures ef the arms, and the creature seems to understand the language as well as a human being comprehends words. Backwards and forwards he moves behind the sheep, steering them through the gaps and along the Hagged course, until at last all obstacles are overcome and the finishing pen is reached. The various whistles are interpreted thus :-Three whistles, drive on one long, one short, run out- side the sheep a long whistle, lie down and stop two short whistles, drive straight. Twenty or thirty years ago there were few dogs that could be trusted to gather sheep from the open moor or mountain. The Welsh shepherds generally uped a small cur—or heeler-whose natural pro- pensity was to cleverly nip the heels of cattle or ponies, and dodge the kick which always followed the bite. He was employed chiefly to chase back to the hills cattle and sheep that strayed down to the low pasture-lands reserved for hay for winter eating. The heeler would never go to the head, or gather sheep, but delighted to heel and chase away. Now, however, there are dogs that will go in any direction to command, and safely gather sheep miles away, bringing them carefully home, or driving, to signal, any way indicated, and always under the most perfect control. Sheep-dog trials are only of recent origin. The first field trials took place at Bala on October 9th, 1873. The late Captain Best, of Llangollen, for some years got up trials at Plas-yn-vivod, to which he devoted much time and gave away good money prizes, and this meeting still ranks as one of the foremost ia the kingdom. The ground is ideal and so extensive that two trials can be worked simultaneously on opposite sides of the j valley while, from the high ground above the Hall, every item of work can be closely followed without the aid of glasses. It was the success of the Vale of Llangollen meeting which induced Mr. Walter Rothschild to include sheep-dog trials in the programme of the Agricultural Society's Show at Tring; while, further South, Lord Leconfield and Mr. Ambrose Gortham have done a great deal towards popularising the competitions among the Shepherds in East and West Sussex, in spite of the great expense of inducing northern owners to make the journey and bring their best working to the south coast. During the visit of Queen Victoria to North Wales in 1889, Captain Best arranged a trial which her Majesty witnessed and she express- ed great satisfaction with the work performed, and was also pleased to compliment the exhibitors on the possession of such sagacious and well-trained animals. In addition to the trial tests, prizes are now fre- quently offered for the best-looking sheep-dog competing, and there is a growing tendency to adopt the pure-bred collie in place of the nondes- cript mongrel to common on the hills.

f i. The Cook's Best Friend." [ BORWICK'S 1 |L baking POWDER, M

JOTTINGS d GLEANINGS. STUDENTS' PATH. UP from the beaoh there's floating a strain. Of music all so vague and fleeting, No one could croon it o'er again; Maybe it's the heart of the wise world beating. Hush, not a word nor a breath! The earth Is full of glamorous things to-night; A million miracles stirring for birth From the hills a-glimmer with bluebell light. We are not mere mournful human things That all the moil of the mind should move us; There's a Weaver of old Enchantment flings His flame-dark wings through the dusk above us. And a fire hath leaped to the ends of the earth, Bringing to birth in its diamond glow All that the gay Gods hold of mirth, All that the wisest wise Gods know. There's a Weaver of old Enchantment wakes From the dim grey realms of our early dreaming; And a light that's brighter than daylight breaks Over heart-deep, long-hid fairylands gleaming. What if we laugh now ? Never of old Was life more worthy of young gods' laughter; Though even the suns were balls ot gold That we played with once, and rioted after. Magic is ever the dust of spray, And the leagues pearl-grey, where the waves are riding; We shall turn again to the paths of day With the Heart of the World in our own hearts hiding. From the Welsh HOME LIFE IN PALESTINE. The first meal is eaten about ten in the morn- ing, and consists of warm bread with some relish such as an onion, some olives, fruit in the season or some other native product that does not re- quire cooking. The evening repast, eaten at sunset, is the main meal of the family, and is usually some kind of cookery, such as boiled wheat or lentils, fried eggs or boiled vegetables, each dish being literally saturated with olive oil or melted fat. The mess is served in a large, rouad, wooden dish, and the peasant, in his native element, cleverly transfers the food from the dish to his mouth with his fingers. In spite of dust, dirt, and other drawbacks, they are as careful as possible to serve the food clean, and succeed fairly well. The old custom of enter- taining strangers is fast giving way among the peasants of Palestine, This is accounted for by the heavy taxies leved on any and everything produced by the native, thus keeping him poor and forcing him to cut down his expenditure, and also by the fact that all strangers are rich and able to pay liberally for the poorest accomolation. This last idea has been caused by travellers who have more money than sense, and thoughtlessly hand out money where none is expected. THE SALISBURY PLAIN ACCIDENT What many thought, on hearing of the terrible accident on Salisbury Plain, was: "What a weapon have we here for offensive purposes in time of war! Recalling the Boadicean chariot -(the only survival of which is the suburban milk-cart)—people argued that the War Office should instantly build a fleet of cars for ram- ming hostile battalions. It will be news to many that the idea was carefully considered at the War Office long ago. Indeed, there are now in exis- tence armoured cars, belonging to the War Department, fitted with quick-firing guns. Not a great deal was thought of them, however, and it is unlikely that this unhappy accident will in- duce Whitehall to give the idea any further consideration. What the accident should sug- gest, however, to the War Office, is the equip- ment of the care of the Army Motor Reserve with armour plates, and even rams, of a character which could be readily attached in the case of invasion of our shores. Imagine the effect of launching armoured cars against hostile battalions as the latter laboriously disembarked.- The By- stander. OUR IMMORTALIIY. We must all die, we know it and we say it- but not just yet; and, as a general rule, I believe the just yet does not come to us ever, during consciousness, for we always have hope; therefore, in very fact, we are immortal. Again, in sickness it is the common rule for whatever dread or terror or horror of death there may be to expend itself during the earlier stages of the malady, and when the real termination is at hand the sensibilities and the senses are so affected by kindly nature that one sinks to rest as in going to sleep. If there be convulsive seizures they are fearful to behold; but when such patients, instead of dying in their convulsions, recover, they have no memory of the seizure; therefore surely the one who dies has none. The final agony, as it is called, the grasping, contrac- tile muscular spasm, like a shudder, that so often accompanies the last breath-these things are reflexes, in a physical way, and do not mean any struggle or any consciousness of pain or discomfort. I believe that the final act of dying is as simple and as painless as going to sleep- and practically we all die daily, without knowing it, when we go to sleep. We suffer the agony of peritonitis, but the agony does not kill. It is the painless sepsis that does the work. Indeed, in any malady, as a rule, all pain and distress have usually terminated some time before dec th which in itself is finally painless—" Cassell's Saturday Journal." THE TOWER OF BABEL. Numerous attempts have been made to identi- fy the "'lower of Babel" spoken of in the Bible. According to a British Assyriologist, excavations have proved that the Tower was square, and not of the circular tapering form shown in fancy illustrations. It was about 309 feet each way, and of about the same height. The lowest stage was the largest, and the high- est was the temple of Bel or Merodach. But the remains have been cleared away to make room for the dam of a canal. This tower is the one at Birs Nimrud, a suburb of Babylon. But the Tower of Babel is an ancient mythos to be found in many other places besides the Babylon- ian mythology. The Greeks said that the Titans tried to storm heaven by piling up three moun- tains. The lightning-struck tower is one of the symbols of the mystic Tarot cards. Historically this legand has one reference to the black magi- cians decended from ancient Atlantis, who, when the Fifth Race was establishing itself on earth, attempted to found an empire of sorcery but were defeated by the Sons of Light. The event is pictured in the Mahabharata ef India, in the account of the war between the Olympians and the Titans, in the Scandinavian mythology in short, in all the ancient systems. And a reminiscenae of this piece of ancient history has Altered through into our own Bible, together with the Flood, the dispersion of races, and other related facts. But the sacred allegories have more than one interpretation, aad th# symbol of the lightning-struck tower has also a reference to the drama of the human Soul. It mean that whenever the selfish and ambitions try to erect a kingdom of power upon a basis of materialism and selfish force, it is struck down, sooner or later, by lightning from above, and confusion results. » WELSH MEDICAL OFFICER'S ADVENTURE. The Machynlleth (Montgomeryshire) medicaj officer of health had an exciting experience las week. Dr. A. O. Davies called at the door of an eccentric hermit known as Poor Tom," who had for years occupied the ground floor of a small four- roomed house. His two apartments were crowded with boxes and casks full of evil-smelling rags and other rubbish. The doctor's rapping at the locked door was follewed by mutterings from the living room all to the fate of the first person who entered. Hear- ing a further demand for admission Poor Tom" appeared, thoroughly angered, and armed with a double-edged butcher's knife. The imbecile, who had always IK en considered quite harmless, now lunged again and again at the medical officer. The latter dodged back, and succeeded, not a second too soon, in stepping inside a doorway. As he banged the door against his infuriated pursuer the knife was struck into the woodwork with such force that it bent. Dr. Davies then armed himself with a broom, and, opening the door, charged the unfortunate man with all the experience of an old international footballer, and after some struggling put him under restraint. Poor Tom has now been packed off to the Montgomery and Salop Asylum. 4 TO OORRESPONDENTS, tic. To ensure insertion, letters should be in hand not later than Tuesday. WRITE on note or ordinary size letter paper, and only on one side. Foolsoap and other large-sized papers are objectionable. ADVERTISEMENTS received up to noon on Thursday. ADVERTISER" File may be oonsulted at a charge of 2a. 6d. Old Copies of (I ADVERTISER" 2s. 6d. eaoh. WHEN a local event is a week old, a report of it is of little interest to anyone but the reporter. Better half-a-dozen lines the following morning than a column after the lapse of many days. Will corres- pondents kindly bear these two faots in mind.

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