The London Welshman

Nodiadau Golygyddol. I Y SEFYLLFA YM MEIPION. NID yw yn gwbl glir pa un a fwriada Bwrdd Addysg i'w genadwri ddiweddaf at Bwyllgor Addysg Meirion yr hon a weJir mewn colofn arall, fod yn gyhoeddiad o ryfel neu beidio. Ni ddywedir mewn cynnifer o eiriau fod Deddf Gorthrech i'w rhoddi mewn gweithrediad ar unwaith, ond gellir darllen rhwng y llinellau mai dyna fwriad y Bwrdd oni rydd y Pwyllgor ffordd. Y mae yn y genadwri fodd bynnag un neu ddau o bethau sydd yn haeddu sylw. Ni sonir gair am ateb Cyfreithwyr y Goron i'r ddadl y dylai yr adeiladau gael eu hadgyweirio cyn y gellir estyn cymhorth o'r dreth tuag at eu cynnal, ac y mae y distawrwydd hwnnw yn awgrymiadol iawn. Dichon nad oes dim ynddo, ac mai heb wneyd eu meddyliau i fynu eto y mae y Twrnai a'r Cyfreithiwr Cyffredinol. Ond y mae y distawrwydd i'w ystyried ynglyn a'r hyn a ddywedir yn y genadwri--na roddodd y Pwyllgor rybudd i Reolwyr yr Ysgolion fod angen am iddynt adgyweirio yr adeiladau hyd yr Hydref diweddaf. Fe gofir mai dyna y pryd y penderfynodd Cyngor Meirion weinyddu y Ddeddf ynglyn a'r Ysgolion Enwadol o gwbl, hyd hynny ni wnai ddim a hwy. Ac ynghylch y tal dyledus iddynt dros ysbaid y deunaw mis hynny y mae y ddadl. Pe buasai Meirion wedi mabwysiadu y polisi cenedlaethol o'r cychwyn cyntaf buasai ar dir cadarnach o lawer. Gan na roes rybudd i'r Rheolwyr gallant hwythau ateb na wyddent beth oedd yn angenrheidiol Iddynt ei wneuthur. A phe gwrthodasai y Cyngor yr un fath a'r cynghorau eraill o'r cychwyn y mae yn eithaf posibl y buasai wedi llwyddo i wneyd yr hyn a wnaeth Cyngor Arfon—cynal yr ysgolion hyn yn ol gofyn- IOn y Ddeddf drwy y grants yn unig. Ni wyddom ddim am y dull y gweithredai rheol- wyr y Ysgolion Enwadol ym Meirion, ond gwyddom sut y gweithredant mewn rhai *jeoedd eraill. Yr oeddynt yn myned i draul diangenrhaid yn barhaus. Prynent y pethau angerirheidiol, megis tanwydd, llyfrau, &c., yn y ffordd fwyaf costus oedd yn bosibl. Drwy dynu y treuliau hyn i lawr y llwydda Cynghorau Slroedd eraill i wneyd i'r grants dalu y cyflogau. aIld i ddychwelyd at genadwri Bwrdd Addysg, mae y ffaith y gosodir pwyslais ar waith y Pwyll- yn peidio anfon rhybudd i'r rheolwyr, o'i chyplysu a distawrwydd Cyfreithwyr y Goron, yn mynd ymhell iawn i brofi fod honiad Meirion yn gyfreithiol ddidroi yn ol, ac nad yw y Ddeddf yn caniatau talu o'r dreth i gynnal ysgolion anaddas. Os yw felly, yna fe all y Cynghorau ar° ergyd drom yn ol pan roddir Deddf orthrech mewn grym. Gallant wrthod cynal yr un o'r Ysgolion Enwadol heb y bont wedi eu adgyweirio, ac fe gostia adgyweirio yr oil o °nynt yng Nghymru yn agos i ddau can mil o wyneb hyn, nid yw yn unrhyw yndod fod lliaws o garedigion goreu yr Ysgolion nwadol yn awyddus i oedi y frwydr yn y p aith y deuir i ryw delerau. Deallwn fod wyllgor Addysg Meirion yn hollol barod i beth ynnag a all ddigwydd. Os mynir rhoi Deddf Gorthrech mewn grym, fe roddir rhybudd pen- dant i'r Ysgolion Enwadol nad yw y Pwyllgor yn myned i'w cynnal yn rhagor nes y bont wedi eu hadgyweirio, ac ar yr un pryd fe gerir Ysgolion y Cyngor ymlaen heb ymddibynu ar grants y Llywodraeth. Yr ydym yn gweled fod cyfarfod o'r Blaid Seneddol Gymreig wedi ei gynnal nos Fawrth i ystyried y sefyllfa, a bod y cyfarfod hwnnw wedi penderfynu trefnu y cadgyrch yn ddioed ar y llinellau yr ydys eisoes wedi cytuno arnynt, a chasglu trysorfa ar unwaith yn ol pen- derfyniad Cynhadledd yr Amwythig.

Notes of the Week. A Move Forward.—The County Councils of Wales are evidently not going to retreat before the threats of the Board of Education. On the contrary they are preparing for a counter attack, and it is by no means unlikely that the friends of the Denominational Schools will have cause to deeply regret their action in Merioneth. On Thursday in last week, the Education Committee of Carnarvonshire decided to give notice to the managers of a large number of Denominational Schools that unless they satisfy the Committee within three weeks that the necessary work to be done in order to put those schools in a proper structural and sanitary condition has been taken in hand and guarantee that it will be completed within a reasonable and limited time, the Committee will take steps to close the schools. From what transpired at the interview which the Merionethshire representatives had with the Board of Education it is quite clear that the Committee have this power. In Car- narvonshire the Act has been administered to the satisfaction of Lord Londonderry and Sir William Anson; and the committee has given the Denominational School Managers ample time to put the schools in order. But during 18 months those managers have been unable to raise more than ^3,000 of the ^12,000 required. It is becoming clear now what the national plan of campaign is. If Merioneth- shire is coerced, the councils in all the other counties will coerce also. The Denominational Schools in Merioneth may get £1,200 of the Council grants, in the other counties they will have to spend Z200,000 on repairs. And not even Lord Londonderry can assist them. Declaration of War.-Since writing the above note upon the Educational crisis the long- expected Declaration of War has been made. On Saturday, the clerk to the Merioneth Education Committee received the following communicatiou from the Board of Education in Whitehall:—"The Board regret that no satis- factory explanation has been offered as to the question of maintaining the Voluntary Schools. They remind the local Education Authority that the alleged arrears. are in respect of a period prior to the 1st of November, 1904; that it was not contended by them during the period between the appointed day and the ist of November, 1904, that the schools did not comply with Section 7 (I) (a) of the Education Act, 1902 and that it is not open to the Authority to raise as a ground for not maintaining the schools the contention that they did not comply with the above-named section of the Act. The Board, therefore, see no reason why steps should not be taken to re-fund to the managers the expenses incurred by them in maintaining the schools." We never thought that the visit of the deputation last week would have any good result, and evidently the law officers of the Crown have given their opinion against the contention of the counsel for Merioneth. What the next step will be we do not know, but probably inspectors will be sent down to ascertain what is the actual amount due to the 24 or 26 De- nominational Schools, and that money will be kept back out of this quarter's grant. Nor do we know what steps Merioneth will take, but Mr. Haydn Jones, the clerk to the Education Committee, declares that their plans are quite ready, and that they are not a bit afraid of the contest. The "Western Mail" and the Making of Bishops.—We hardly think that any true friend of the Church of England will thank the Western Mail for asking the question, Who makes Bishops ? Our contemporary is very angry because somebody has said that Bishops are made by the Prime Minister and the King, and maintains that "to assert that either or both make a bishop is absolutely untrue and a libel on the spiritual character of the Church. Then it goes on to state that the Prime Minister nominates, and that the nomination "goes before the Sovereign for his approval, and the latter issues his congi d'elire to the Dean and Chapter of the vacant See to have the appointment confirmed. The State goes no further than this." We have no desire whatsoever to libel the spiritual character of the Church, but we wish to ask one or two questions. First, can the Dean and Chapter of any See withhold confirmation of the nomina- tion by the Prime Minister and King? Was it not clearly shewn some years ago that they must do it? Has the Archbishop the power to refuse consecration to any one nominated by the Prime Minister ? We venture to assert, even at the risk of rousing the wrath of our contem- porary, that the Church is absolutely powerless in the matter, that she must accept whoever is nominated by the State. We do not say that consecration is an empty form, but we do say that a form that must be gone through at the bidding of an outside authority is not a mani- festation of any spiritual freedom. Nomination becomes appointment where there is no power to reject. The Boat Race.-All the prophets were out of it with respect to this year's University boat- race. It was predicted that it would be a dead heat, whereas Oxford led at the start, and kept ahead all along, finishing off nearly three lengths in advance of Cambridge. Again, whilst it was admitted that the Oxford men were the smartest crew it was confidently said that Cambridge had more staying power. But this prediction proved also as erroneous as the other. The Oxford men showed themselves superior in every respect, and never appeared to be putting forth their utmost power, whereas the Cambridge men were on the verge of collapse when they reached Mortlake. It is a good thing that the unexpected happens in trials of strength and skill, though we are afraid that the greater the element of uncertainty as to the result the more gambling there is upon it. It is a thousand pities that our manly sports are bespattered and degraded by the filth of betting. Bookies in abundance lined the river on Saturday, and fools allowed themselves to be fleeced by these unprincipled scoundrels. This was the only ugly feature of an otherwise very enjoyable morning. The crowd of spectators was as large as ever, and bent on making the best of its holiday. Hooligans in Football--If such scenes as have on so many occasions of late disgraced the foot- ball field are to become permanent features of the game, then all sane and sober-minded persons will come to the conclusion that the sooner it is ended the better. We have no puritanic objection to sport of any kind so long as those who are interested in it conduct themselves worthy of rational beings. But the conclusion has been forced upon us more and more that there must be something in foot- ball that brutalizes human nature and destroys all the finer feelings of young manhood. What that obnoxious element is we are not able to say, perhaps it is the fact that in it the exer- cise of physical force predominates over the exercise of skill and tact. Anyhow, the game