Barry Dock News

IS THE RETENTION OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE DESIRABLE? INTERESTING PAPER BY THE REV. J. A. JENKINS, B.A., AT EAST BARRY. On Tuesday evening, the 14th instant, at the weekly meeting of the Barry English Congrega- tional Mutual Improvement Society, the Rev. J. A. Jenkins, B.A., of Cardiff, delivered a highly interesting and edifying paper on the subject of "Is the retention of the Welsh language desirable ?" Mr R. H. Taylor occupied the chair on the occasion, but the attendance, unfortunately, was not as large as it should have been. The rev. gentleman, in the course of his remarks, said it was clear that an intelligent answer could not be given to this question by anyone totally ignorant of the history and antiquity of the Welsh language, the fate of which was to be decided for the future by the present meeting of mixed races. The antiquity of the Welsh language was beyond question. The myths gathered around it proved its antiquity by their very existence. The history of the language was also deeply interesting. It had always been the nearest and dearest to the hearts of the Welsh people in spite of their mis- fortunes as a nation. Years ago several deter- mined attempts were made by the Romans, Henry 8th, and others, to completely crush the Welsh language out of existence, but all the efforts were in vain. In the present day men like Judge Homersham Cox and the Dic-Sion-Davyddion" members of the "great unpaid levelled their feeble blows against the old language, by doing their utmost to prevent it from being spoken in courts of law, but with the result that they have made themselves the laughing-stock of the whole community. Census papers were printed in Welsh, and in all the papers distributed in the Principality there was a place of honour reserved for the Welsh language. In spite of changing fortunes, the Welsh language, he said, retained its marvellous purity and force, and even the Welsh languageof to-day was very little different to what it was a thousand years ago. The laws of Hywel Dda were written early in the tenth century, and even to-day they could be both easily read and understood by the Welsh people. The question for consideration and discussion, however, was this—" Is the retention of this ancient language desirable ? The conclusion at which he had arrived at was that the highest and truestinterests of the Welsh people would be best served by the retention of the Welsh language, combined with a thorough knowledge of English. (Hear, hear.) Like other nations the Welsh people were, doubt- less weak in many respects. Their special weak- ness consisted in the want of persistency and force. The poet Ossian said of his countrymen-" They went forth to the war, but they always fell." As a result of these moral defects the Welsh people had not yet attained the highest success or won the highest place in many departments of life. In the world of music, also, though the words were true-" Mor o gan yw Cymrui gyd"—"Wales is a sea of song "—they had but little indeed to be- queath to generations to come. Wales could also boast of its poetry, but they had not gained that hig-h place which for pure poetic genius some of their ancestors ought to have reached. Neither in political warfare had they held their own until quite recently. Their inferior position as a nation was mainly due to the absence from their national character of these qualities of persistency and force. Mr Jenkins went on to point out that the best means of possessing these qualities was by coming more in contact with the English people, because persistency and a kind of stolid weight which would not be moved by anything, but had its own way in spite of obstacles, were admitted to be among the chief characteristics of the English. The falling into disuse of the Welsh language would be an incalculable moral loss to the Welsh people. They would then be influenced not only by the strength but also by the many weaknesses of the English character, wheaeas, by retaining their own language, and yet be- coming acquainted with the English, they would be influenced by all that was highest and best in English life and character, and be able at the same time to avoid, the evil to a very material -degree. The retention of the Welsh language was a defence for the people against what was evil in English literature. It need not prevent intelligent Welshmen from making themselves acquainted, as they did at present, with the best English authors, but it was much moae effective than Offa's Dyke in keeping out of the country the undesirable mischief-breeding flood of what was most demoralising and frivolous in- present- day English literature. The. lecturer further Eointed out that Wales could not be accused of aving published within its borders, or having printed in its language, such' frivolous and con- temptible papers as Scraps, Ally' Sloper, Referee, Sporting Chronicle, Police News, and numerous others of the same debasing kind. Atheistic newspapers also were totally unknown in the Welsh language. Observation taught that the wide circulation of the high-toned Welsh news- papers maintained a high tone in the English newspapers published in the same locality. The disuse of the Welsh language would, therefore, result in the extinction of the Welsh press, and in the rush into Wales of the inferior English press, and the morality of the people would inevitably deteriorate in consequence. The freedom of the Welsh people from serious crime, such as gam- bling and other forms of vice, was due, to a great extent, he claimed, to the fact that they did not come into contact with such vices in their news. papers. The space devoted in the English press to report serious crimes and betting and sporting intelligence had much to do with the existence of these vices, and their exclusion from the Welsh press consequently accounted for the immunity of the people therefrom. (Applause.) The pulpit made Weles what it was before the press came into existence the pulpit single-handedly trans- formed the whole of Wales from a moral wilder- ness into a garden of the Lord. St. David, the patron saint of Wales, is said to have preached on one occasion with such power that nature was changed; and Howell Harries, Daniel Rowlands, and other pulpit giants, also changed the moral nature of the Welsh people. In dealing with the educational and intellectual character of the Welsh language, Mr Jenkins said the educational aspect <. f the question had been brought prominently into noi 'oe by the Society for Utilizing the Welsh Langi uge. Many of the most cultured of living Welshmen, after careful study of the Welsh language as a living speech, combined to form a society for its utilization in the acquirement of English. Their object was thus defined in the memorial presented by the council to the Royal Commission en Elementary Education-" Nothing is furtl er from our inten- tion or wishes than to hinder the spread of a knowledge of English among the Welsh people, or to perpetuate the use of Welsh as their sole language. On the contrary, one of the express objects of this society is to sec si re the more thorough acquirement of English by the children in all parts of Wales." The Government con- ceded them their demands, and it vas clear to all that the English language must be taught to the Welsh people in order that they may enjoy their share of the educational advantages of the age. A knowledge of English literature is one of the worthiest objects they could acquire. No man in the United Kingdom could be said to be educated unless he was well acquainted with the English language. It was the language of all our schools, colleges, and universities, and it would, therefore, be unreasonable for anyone to attempt to main- tain that the Welsh people would be benefitted educationally by continued ignorance of the English language. (Hear, hear.) Another im- portant point which must not be overlooked in this connection was that the Welsh language afforded an educational advantage to the mass of the people which the English language did not possess. English had lost, to a great extent, the power of forming new words from roots within itself, and to express scientific and abstract ideas, and almost all it 1 and scientific terms were borrowed from the Greek. The Welsh language, however, had retained these powers. The ordinary Welshman who was able to read his own language only, in meeting these terms, knew, without making any further enquiry, that daereg," or geology," applied to daear, or the earth and that seryddiaeth," or "astronomy," had some connection with ser, or stars. His interest was thus at once awakened, and he, therefore, sought to know more concern- ing these and other sciences. Mr Jenkins pro- ceeded to point out that the ability to compare a foreign language with one's own drove home the beautv and the force of both. From this he concluded that the Welshman who had learnt English through Welsh was better able to possess true conception and firm grasp of the character, power, and beauty of the English language than the Englishman whose knowledge was confined to his own. (Hear, hear.) Welsh literature had been for ages of such a superior kind that the people had made literature, combined with music, their chief recreation. There was no nation in the world more devoted to literature than the Welsh. The rev. gentleman then went on to quote the flattering opinions of such great and good men as Henri Martin, Henry Richard, Professor Henry Jones, and others, on the Welsh language. The Welsh people, he added, were far behind in the commercial race with other nations, and some people maintained that this was due to the lan- guage, but he was under the impression that the language followed the commerce, and not the commerce the language. A separate country the Welsh never had—Wales was over-run by the English, and was not their own. The chief characteristic which marked the Welsh, however, as a nation was their beautiful language. (Cheers.) Concluding, Mr Jenkins said the Welsh language had already had its coffin more than once prepared, but it had positively refused to die, and the certain probability was that the date of its funeral was very far distant indeed. (Loud applause.) After some remarks by the Chairman, Messrs S. A. Williams, D. Sibbering Jones, and John Davies, Mr Sibbering Jones proposed a heartily- accorded vote of thanks to the Rev Mr Jenkins for his very excellent paper, and meeting ter- minated.

OUR GARDENING NOTES. MELON.—Hurry up your sewing for a second crop in the houses, and grow the plants in pots until they are a foot high. The early crop should then be ripe, and the house may be syringed for for another start. The same frame culture as is followed in the case of cucumbers, will be equally suitable for mellons, until they arrive at the size of a small orange. Then they should receive a thorough good soaking. After this, with care and good management, no more water will be necessary, but if through ignorance or neglect the soil should become too dry, it should receive an occasional moderate moistening up to the period of ripening. No definite rule can be laid down as to the course to be pursued that will have to be left to the judgment of the gardener. A dry at- mosphere and free ventilation are essential to the production of perfect fruit. Be early with your stopping, and commence by pinching out the leader, and only one eye should be allowed beyond. the fruit which are to remain. One plant should not be allowed to carry more than six mellons. Moreover, they should be of a size. Every care should be taken to secure such a consummation, as, if one fruit obtains a strong lead, the remain- der cannot be ripened. AH over six mellons should be removed when young. More hangs on this than at first sight appears. The object is to secure stout well grown plants. Weekly specimens invite attacks from the red spider, and are incapable of struggling against it* The best means of preventing decay at the collar is to lay small pieces of charcoal round the stem. ONIONS.—For winter use, or if any mishap has befallen former sowings, sow again now, so that the onions may have a good hold of the ground before the hot weather comes. Onions for pickling should be grown thickly on poor ground made firm. They should not be thinned, but should be allowed to stand, if they will, as thick as pebbles on the sea shore. The starving system produces abundance of small handsome bulbs that ripen early. The Queen and Paris Silver Skin are best adapted for this purpose. PARSLEY.—This should be sown freely for sum- mer and autumn uae. Thin as soon as up, so as to give each plant plenty of room, care being U8èlr" in taking out those plants which are least curled. PEAS.—These should be sown again for suc- cession, the finest second earlies being the best for this purpose. SALSIFY.—This "Vegetable Oyster," as it is sometimes called, is a delicious root, and those who decide upon cultivating it will not regret their decision. It requires a piece of ground, deeply trenched, at the bottom of which a thick, layer of manure has been placed, and not a par- ticle of manure is to be added to the body of soil above it. The roots strike down into the manure,. and acquire a good size with great regularity, and, the quality is very fine. Carelessness in growing, will produce forked and fibrous roots, which will be much wasted in cooking. They will also be of inferior flavour. Sow in rows fifteen inches apart, any time from the end of March to the beginning of May. Two sowings will generally be sufficient. SORREL.-As the flower stems rise from the previous year's plants, they must be cut out, or the leaves will become small and be of an indiffer- ent quality. Yearling plants are always the most productive, and it is therefore ad visable to destroy each crop after it has served its purpose.

SHOCKING IMMORALITY ON. THE HIGHWAY NEAR DINAS POWIS. A CADOXTON WOMIN CRIMINALLY ASSAULTED.- At the offices of Messrs Morris and Sons, Cardiff, on Friday last, William John Davies, labourer, of Eastbrook, was brought before Mr John S. Corbett, charged with having committed a rape on a married woman named Susan West. The prosecutrix said she was the wife of Robert West, of 11, Holmes-street, Cadoxton-Barry. On Wednesday night, about ten o'clock, she went into the Swan Hotel, Eastbrook. The prisoner was there, and he asked her to drink out of his pint mug of beer. This she did, and after- wards drank three glasses of beer. w hen she left the public-house, about half-past ten o'clock, she was per- fectly sober. She proceeded towards Cadoxtcn, and had not gone far when she was overtaken by the pri- soner, who commenced to pull her about. She screamed, and ran from him. He came after her, and she knocked at the door of a cottage and claimed the protection of the occupants. She stayed in the house for some time. On resuming her journey along the road the prisoner again came u>p to her, and, when some yards from Mr Edmunds's gateway, threw her down, and despite her struggles, criminally assaulted her. She afterwards gave information to the police. —Thomas Wright, gamekeeper, Eastbrook, spoke to seeing the prosecutrix in the Swan Hotel. She was the worse for liquor. Later in the night lie was going his rounds when he saw the prisoner and the prose- cutrix sitting side by side under the wall of Dr. Edmunds' house. He did not hear the woman scream, but heard her say, Xo, you shan't."—The prisoner was remanded until Monday at the Penarth police-court, bail being refused. THE ADJOURNED CASE. At Penarth Police-court on Monday last-before Messrs J. S. Corbett (chairman), F. W. G. Gore and V. Trayes-William John Davies, labourer, East- brook, St. Andrews, was charged on remand with criminally assaulting' Susan "West, wife of Robert West, of Holmes-street, Cadoxton, on the previous. Thursday night, under circumstances described above. Mr T. H. Belcher, solicitor, Cardiff, appeared for the defence, and prosecutrix and her witnesses not having put in an appearance Mr Belcher said the charge had been brought forward by a woman of whose char- acter he did not wish to say much now. She dared not to appear at that court to face the ordeal of the I' witness box. The charge was generally of a suspicious nature, and he did not think any jury would convict I in the face of the evidence, the prosecutrix being a woman whose habits, to say the least, were of a very peripatetic character. (Laughter.)—Mr Corbett asked why the woman was not present.—P.C. Herbert I Evans said he told her to be in attendance at ten o'clock.—The Bench consequently adjourned the case for a. week, prisoner being admitted to bail in his own recognisances in the turn of £ 20.—Subsequently a telegram was received from the woman West from Newport, stating she would reach Penarth at noon. It was, however, determined not to proceed with the case that day.

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