The London Welshman

Notes from South Wales. (From our Special Correspondent.) Cardiff Politics. The Liberals of Cardiff are delighted to hear that Sir E. J. Reed is to fight their constituency at the next election as a Conservative. Sir E. J. never was a very robust Liberal, and ill-concealed disgust prevailed in the town at his lackadaisical membership. His voice was seldom heard at St. Stephen's; in fact, a more lukewarm Member of Parliament seldom represented any constituency. Now that Sir E. J. has announced his conversion to Protection, and reaction generally, it is felt that he has blossomed forth in his genuine colours. That he will be beaten soundly at the poll there is no doubt whatsoever. The Hon. Ivor Guest, the Liberal candidate, is making excellent progress, and as he is in thorough sympathy with Welsh national interests, every true Welshman in the town is sure to vote for him. Self=Denial Week. I have been much struck, like many others, at the great energy of the Salvation Army lasses in getting money for their self-denial fund. In every town of note in South Wales last week, these cheerful lasses were met with at the railway station entrances, the main street corners, the entrance to the football fields, on the bridges, by hotels and restaurants, in the market places, and other prominent places. That all the Salvation Army energy was meant to represent a serious effort will be readily understood when it is stated that it was hoped this year to raise ^60,000. The money thus collected is used, so I understood, for the extension of the Army's missionary work abroad, for its social work in this country, and for the training of its officers. Necessarily, the work in many of the countries in which the activities of the Army are main- tained cannot be self-supporting, as, for instance, in India, where the Army has 1,793 officers and teachers, having charge of 1,881 centres; 439 day schools, attended by 10,000 children 8 famine houses, sheltering 700 famine orphans 3 rescue homes, 2 hospitals, village banks, farm colonies, and prison-gate homes. Truly, splendid Christian work. By the way, the Army recently started a Welsh ha'penny newspaper in South Wales, and it is much appreciated amongst large numbers of Welsh working men. Press Opinions. I am sure there is no one who disliked the columns of soft soap that were published in the newspapers in reference to himself, more than the newly-appointed Bishop of Llandaff. As the North Cardiganshire Church and Con- servative weekly, the Aberystwyth Observer, properly remarked in its last issue Ten days ago very few persons outside his own neighbour- hood knew even the name of the vicar of Llantrisant, and probably no one was more surprised than he himself to find by the morning papers, what great talents, like diamonds in the howels of the earth, had lain concealed in him- self. On Wednesday it became known that the Rev. Joshua Pritchard Hughes, vicar of Llan- trisant, had been offered and had accepted the Bishopric of Llandaff, and the enterprising newspapers at once discovered in the new Bishop merits which they had not even suspected to exist in the vicar, and next morning their columns were overflowing with gush." Swansea Football Club. This wonderful Football Club is, this season, still undefeated, and there is keen speculation in South Wales as to the possibility of the All Whites finishing the season an invincible team. To-day (Saturday) they are due at Cardiff, and there is no doubt that the crowd of spec- tators will be a record one, as it is generally felt that the Cardiffians are the only side who have a possible chance of smudging Swansea's brilliant record, especially when the match happens to be fixtured for the Cardiff Arms Park. Certain it is that the Taffsiders have been making special preparations this week for the great game, and will put their very best team on the field. Interest in football is not confined to the working classes alone, as many people suppose, but to all classes of society, and tradesmen and professional men are discussing the prospects of Saturday's great game with as much keenness as the "horny-handed sons of toil." Rev. J. McNeill at Aberystwyth. An Aberystwyth friend tells me that the Rev. J. McNeill's recent addresses in that town were very expressive, and greatly appreciated by crowded congregations. Some of the sayings of the famous Scottish preacher are ex- ceedingly quaint. Here are a few things he said at "the Queen of Welsh watering places :—"This singing will not do. I never heard a lot of men snuffed out so completely before. The sound was like that of the tipping of coals. The Lancet said that the Welsh Revival was a debauch of emotionalism. Well, if this is a debauch, may we never be sober any more. May we drink it every day, and become seasoned topers. Religion without revival was not worth having. Without revival, what was it ? It was as dull as ditch water. Ginger-beer with the cork out for a week. It was rather suspicious that with some people the only thing to be as dull as ditch water was religion. Everyone knew that in every other direction they wanted things lively and spicy. The most blessed revival was the revival of religion. There were many members of churches who thought the Church was a kind of hospital for incurables, and more the pity that it was too like it." Labby's Criticisms. The Welsh Revival will be remembered for many things. One of them will be the hostile remarks of that weekly journal, Truth. The un- founded statement in regard to the collier who was alleged to have given his wages to the funds of the Revival at Rhos, instead of to his wife, was signally exposed, although the editor did not apologise, as, in common fairness, he ought to have done. Indeed, instead of apologising, he has added insult to injury by the following more recent remarks :—" Mr. Roberts' meetings, whatever may be thought of them, have had the effect of largely reducing the consumption of spirituous liquors at public-houses, and in Wales there was considerable room for this, for the Welsh are as thirsty of beer as they are emotional." Anything more at variance with the facts than the latter portion of the above quotation I have never read. There was, and is, undoubtedly, a good deal of drunkenness in the industrial districts of South Wales, principally confined to people who have come into the district from other parts of the Empire, but to go and classify the whole of the Welsh-as the paper has inferred--as a drunken people is evidence that the writer does not know the country he criticises so freely. Smart. Mr. Winston Churchill's magnificent public address in the Andrews' Hall at Cardiff, last week, has evoked the greatest admiration. Per- haps his happiest hit was the following :—" This is not one of those meetings which Mr. Cham- berlain enjoyed, where thousands of working men, ruined by free imports, attended in evening dress—(laughter)—and broken-down manufac- turers paid two guineas per head for their tickets (more laughter). No. It was a meeting which expressed a great national and popular move- ment (applause)." It may be added that at the meeting addressed by Mr. Chamberlain at Car- -n- diff some time ago, there was hardly a genuine working man in the audienee. It was practically composed of local manufacturers and their friends, anxious to keep foreign goods out of this country in order to get more money for themselves, publicans, landowners, and their satellites. The Marquis of Bute. Much interest has been aroused in South Wales with regard to the forthcoming marriage of the Marquis of Bute to Miss Augusta, younger daughter of Sir H. Bellingham, of Castle Bel- lingham, co. Louth. The Marquis, who is an unpretentious looking young man of 21 years, is enormously rich. He has a rent roll of z160,000, 120,000 acres of land, four large country seats (including Cardiff Castle), a town house, and no fewer than eleven titles. The great bulk of his huge income-over £ 18 an hour-is derived from the South Whales coalfields. It is a curious social and political system that makes it possible for a young man of this kind to draw such a big income and possess such vast tracts of land and houses, whilst there are thousands of people in the vicinity of the same who can hardly get enough bread to eat. The Marquis has been well educated. He has learnt many languages, and it is to his credit that he learnt Welsh, his late father having engaged a special tutor to teach the beautiful language of Gwalia to his children. In this respect, at any rate, he shows an example that can well be emulated by other rich landowners, and others, in Wales. The Marquis has travelled exten- sively. He has visited the Holy Land twice, and has explored Asia Minor, Armenia, and Morocco. The Charms of Swansea. It is satisfactory to note that the Swansea Chamber of Trade is doing all it can to advance the claims of Swansea as a holiday resort. Last summer a very attractive series of pictorial posters were issued, and this year, I understand, arrangements have been made to have pictures of scenes in the locality placed in the railway carriages. A comprehensive guide book is also to be published. There is no doubt that the Swansea district is a capital place in which to spend a summer holiday. The sands are magni- ficent, and in the Mumbles and Gower districts there is scenery that cannot possibly be excelled in any part of the country. Swansea is up to date in every way, and its hotels and restaurants offer the best accommodation possible for visitors. There is really no reason why Abertawe should not become one of the most popular holiday centres in the British Isles, and I wish the Chamber of Trade the best possible success in its laudable efforts to bring the attractions of their district more prominently before the public eye.