The Cambrian

^hc Cambrian. FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, .1905, NOTES ON MEN & THINGS Sousa, has a&jociatef! Wales with his con- certs. The harn is now introduced into,his famoiis band. Working men in the Bryrtmill district are calculating that when the new tram service is running it will mean in tram fares on an I average 2s. per week. But landlords wHl put up the rents notwithstanding Since the rc-vival there has been a marked improvement m the attendance at most places of worship in Llanetiy, and the number of scholars in some of the Sunday Schools have increased over 50 per cent. Both father and mother of Mr. Jvennerley Rlimford (who is coming to Swansea) were devoted to music, and had particularly good voices. From his earliest years, -Mr. Rum- ford was surrounded by musical associations. "If you only get experience without know- ledge, I think your experience may lead you astray, but if you have knowledge of what is right and what is true in art, then I think you cannot go very far wrong."—Miss En- rii.jueta Crichton's philosophy. Mr. Kennariey Rumford, who accompanies Ivs illustrious wife, Madame Clara Butt, to Swansea, is an enthusiastic cricketer. He says that the first incident to impress itself on his memory was a visit to Lords with his lather, and ever since he has retained a strong interest in the game, which he regularly plays, and every year looks forward with great pleasure to organising tLe match "Musicians against Artists." A parish meeting at Cockett would pro- baht." secure a larger attendance than w&s granted to the town's meeting at the SwaJi- c"1 Guild Hall on Tuesday evening. The voti "£11 tha.t exactly 70 burgesses particLjtci I "rh j-his Jxlujoexl tbo s.t'it'UtiO'i'v meeting to 'i ,il-sr. dity. One excuse pat forward for t! mi.-arable afct«adance whs thwt the ariee.'ting fed been insufficiently ad- vertised. A more likeiy expkination it w.a.6 advert wed at the wrong time, that is too Jong" an. interval was to elapse between tho time of t-lbe ad\ertKiiig tnd the date of the meeting. in any e\ie'at, wheu the Committee of the House of Caaimo.itt' 01 the House oi '>->l 'is is put into po^eee.vion oj the figures, the members can hardly avoid being improved by t,hls strikiiig illusftrat-ro^ of public arwtiiy in the borough. Tltft.nkf? chiefly, if not enbiw% to the enthusia.sm of Commandant Maggis) the veteran sojdicrs and sailors ci Swansea have been brought together into é111 ^oelfcnt or- ga ni sa t ion. A t T ugs day e vcji i n K 6 reunion, it aiui-ouiiced t'.«at the roll of paying members contained no fewer than 159 names. I lie Cnited S»3rvice Brigade is ullckr the direct patronage, of the Duke of GtwUKi'Hffht. and its p^e^ident a.nd vice-presidents im-iiid< all the best known, soidiers in the diftrict^ .!6 ,q.1l as nobkri>c-!i and lfepnesentativi freiitieinen. b K<>aiiV the only blie of contention at the t.o\[l'S meeting of t-he Swansea raUipay ers, held "H 1 u-esday evening, was whetlo; or not an could be given that in the event of Jf»vtlie Corpora- I rt tion the option to purchase the tramways, fhe option should by exercise^ yrTPh-oirt first taking a poll of t be burgesses. Had thi? a*HiTanct'' been g'v'01' ^'e ^ious ]1a.rts 1m the Bill wouhl Jt <-v"e been a*Dproved In siibetantii 1 majorities. t t h.e influentia ratepay^ composed, in the main Of workt I who pres^vd for this rest^c^^ l^ifcd to it, and the wa, + the reflokoiiicu of approval- \18 lost h, 06 voteft to 54. Two altem;^ tive- opt-!i to the Ooaac-ii, one is U) abandfcn t6 tTOtmw^J clauaas, and the other to domain a -x>u "f the town. The lattor ooutec wil 'oinwet c'-Vtamly be io^ywed. "Crashed nnd^r a Nasmyth hammer!" is the wary the "Daily Chronicle" describes Bristol s welcome at St. Hekm's on Satur- j day. Jo is always ha^ia^dourf to bcae sweeping conekiaioiui upon a single mont-hV- trading, othez-wiic t'ha fact that during December the experts of coil, coke, and patemt fuex from Swansea exceeded by 12,000 tons the cjuantity t;hi,pp"2d in December of 1903, could be ac- cepted a.s evidence of a recovery. The mOot outspoken él.P.d. thoughtful criticism offered in respect of the revival has prtxieeded from the Rev. Tudor Jones, him- evii aoll ex-Meth <*( £ «,. miniEtjer, aaid now jjastor of the tnitaa-ian caute at Swansea. It its interetsti tig as a symptom of how quickly 1" religious ent.hü.sia;.<qn gauernt«:» intoien&iwje and the persecuting »spk-it, that cilice hie remarks were published, Mr. Jones has been inundated win anonymous abusive letters. 1:- three week's season ef gK>nd opeia at Swansea, has gone far towards destroying Swansea's claims to be considered a town lor cporatic |)erformance>s». This result is t,. be deplored for the after effects will re- main when the temporary C3.\1&\9 lesponsible for the inadequate support have pae.sed out of the public memfry. Tn a muscat people it must be a reproach, that the works of the great masters; have received iiardly as much support as is customarily given to an ordin- ary. melo-drama. Swansea Council han not yet iirushed with the subjevt of the appointment of inspector (fl" superintendent for the sioliools. The trades Countil has given instructions to the Labour members to give notice for re-open- ing the matter. Tiie determined opposition on the pa.ri of the Trades Council is hardly intelligible, taking into account the tact tha.t the children of the \vorking da^s are the principal suiferers by any slackness in the schools. Apparently, the loyalty with which this Trades Union organisation holds to one of its constituent pacts embracing the tewihere, is to bo regarded as more praise- worthy than the promotion of efficiency m the schools. The balance of about £15, .tiii lui^pent of t.he fund raised in MoiTiston some years ago for the relief of distress at Landore, con- tinues to be a cause of dispute and conten- tion. Dr. Gabe and Aid. Dd. Jenkins, the two trustees of the fund, are prepared to pay Ítt., over to the Beaufort \V'oT'kn.eiii's Fund, but Mr. Wm. Morris, who was the chairman of the committee at the time, refuses to he a party to the transfer—without dinclosing the reason for his refusal. If the truitf "took the bull by the hornt." and handed over the money, who could say thean nay? What person or persons could successfully challenge their title to exercise discretionary poweis. A now element has been introduced into r«oent revival meetings in the Swansea alley. 1)rof.e&:2d atheists have made their appearance, and im-ited a manifestation cf Divine power in their own cases. At the meeting where the tirst challenge vras thrown out, a scene of great excitement eneiied. Tlrese m«&n are represented to lx> readers) of the Cla.rion and their activity in propa- gating principles of disljelief has apparently received its impetus from a recent work pub. l:ihed by Mr Blatehford. the editor of that paper. Socialism Oil the Continenf, and esrpeciaily in Germany, is usuallv hostile to Christianity, and unquestionably thea-e ia a tendency in tliat direct ion among the British foLiowers of the levelling party. i'f.¥,(, An evening- contamporuTy has aidtopbed" the singular view that the Parliamentary Coni- mrtteo of the Corporation established a dangerous precedent in inviting repreeeuta- tives of the Manufacturers' Protective Aiewciat ion to a meeting, to discmss the pro- posed Parliamentary Bill. Tiie sniggeytion is gravely made, t-hat after this, any irre- spont.ible body can claim to be heard. Tho retort is obvious. The MaRufaeturers' Asso- ciation i:'to a possible, -nay probable oppcwr.r of the BiM, and if its approval CDuld be got for the measure, matters would In appre- ciably simplified for the promoters. Any effort to disarm opposition is worth making. Had the same conciliatory prajotics been aoopfced in the past some Parliamentary schemes of the Corporation might have tared hotter. The game 'x-t we^n the Swansea and Bristol teams on Saturday lr.i." not a iratch—it was too one-sided for that (itscripticn to apply. The home men had matters <tl[ their own way. <;nd raa out winners at the end by 47 points to three- burst, by the visit c'nj in the last minnte of the game yielding them a try. The City club has been. very unfortun- ate wiith its pktyesrs: aeeidents and other causes are constantly !vC; phig some of their best men out of the team, and as there is no adequate reserve, the record fs very "in and out," one. Two years ago it appeared as if Bristol was about td enter senou- into competition with the leading tow.DR of Wales in Rugby football,' but recency the rival code has been making steady headwav, and there lute been ii, most marked filling off in the quality of the ILugby organised ion. There is good reason for believing that nothing more will be done in ocsnnect 'on with the try claimed by Leicester in the rr.-vtch against. Swansea, and allowed lyv the Welsh Union. The English club authorities are not disposed to go to the absurd length of sending two ioeu to Swansea, merely to have a "shot-" for goal. They will benefit to the full by the close finish wkdi Swcinsea at th2' forthcoming return match, to be played at Leicsater. Until S:iturdu-y last it mast be confessed that among the admirers of the Swan-sea team there was no little appreheJl- 1 si-on as to the probable result of this maseh. The iacrt, liowevei-, tliat the Cardiff teaan got home by 2 goals, 2 tries to 1 goal 1 try, has gone far towards relieving1 the anxiety locany; for no one could seriously contend hat the Cardiff team is as strong as Swan- this tiea&oii. Mr. \\Î. T. Stead in a cynicai .vvr^nent', remarked that nothing relating to a Govern- ment should be 1 Sieved, until • officially coii- tradictcd One i<> leminded of thi? r-i'iurk by the contie.diction offered to the report- that tlie Pc^n^ter-Genera! h3S cume to i terms with the National Telephone CounpilJiy for the purchase ot the latter's property, 1n > all i>rohdt>Mity it will be found that theV-tual truth lias leaied out. only I he i j^tni.ist^r- (reneral i¡;¡ pigged to reserve the »rs-t itative aiuk>unceiitent of t li-<? b.ct fer I'arlia- liicnt. In the event) of t:ie goi' through, will have a g<1 chaji- (f tjiaineferring its Mimicip<<! ic-lf^ttone Ex. ch;:ItOf.e tH the ( Ik vernjiictrt npen VCTV advaiitagetnw terms. At a >a;tsnt L:}r.rl »St«mlev stat^ that wuatover i<'r,».s wie.r^ made with the Xa,tio"'»al 'j eUv-'h^'Bc Ext:;ri;uig«, would be* >pen !» to .i.Jlti<;j, palist-i**6 owning telephone exciiange^. As the Cv>n>r»ny is Practically ce>iai.i to be allowed a sum the prospective profits. for the un-^tred periixl Ii is 1" the app^^t-ion ol the sajiiie ruLe to v. 'i-r.s^i, > wiiuld mean. rej><'Jn*TOt of all tiie- c^pi?ai sixint; upon the I'bange, ^uid« ■ allow- T a.ttoe in re-spivt (.f the prospective pio&te for r 20 yeaIs- Should c-iwA an arrangement be °> brought abmit, it wtU beoome po^h'ie to 1 aay that in at. least oise (Virect^on jjie. Swansea 1 Council lias tfaseovered a reaily rcmunerailve Born in Swansea arsenal—now a Catholic I priest. That is the brief romance of the Rev. Joseph Morgan, of Leith. -+- Bill Bsuiley is dead at last. Killed by Evan Roberts. ''Throw out the Life-line" is the lavotvito street song now. Evan Roberts' face is getting stronger and brighter daily. It is a matter to be explained how you will, but it is a fact. -+- According to the American press, there ij every prospect of Mr. Jas. Wignall blossom- ing out into an "impassioned singer." We awa,it events. -+- -+- There are eon versions and con^versions, and not all of tiiem occur in Wales (remarks the "Chronicle.") Perhaps -by an unoorenasi-ted backwash of the Welsh wave the Dowager Countess of RossJvri has just become a con- vert to the Roman Catholic Charch, with Father Bernard Yaugdian, himself by the way a Welshman, as her evangelist. This youngest daughter of the Roman. Church is herself the mother of daughters frunious f< r graces 1Jl the temporal order—tine Duchess of Sutherland, the Countess of Warwick, and .the rest. They speak of the Holy Spirit as some I ever-present directing power at the revival meetings. A Clydach College Student des- cribed at Llansamlet, in the most matter-of- fact way, how he lost and regained it; how it came to him again and pressed him—and a sharp squeeze of his sides described the sensation. What joy it was! "Ah," asked the evangelist, with a. happy langh. "Say, what was the reason you lost it?"—"I didn't obey its call."—"Ah!" There was reproof and enlightenment in its tone.—Yes, I didn't obey. The Spirit told me to read. I said 'No, not to-night.' I will not go up to the pulpit and do it to-night. Some other time.' And the Spirit was offended." --+- Mr. Lewis Witliams, 'who has appealed to the- public to suspend judgment on the allega- tion.s made in Shepherd's examination on Monday, is, probably, the most prominent Liberal Nonconformist in South W ales. He "has always been in the forefront of the party battles, and his influence in local politics has been very great. As an educationalist, he has rendered Cardiff and W7ales as a whole a vast- amount of good service; mcteocl, what lie has done for the public cannot easily be estimated. He was chairman of the Cardiff School Board during the vaole time of its existence; an active member of the inter- mediate education committee., while his work in aiding the foundation of the South Wales and Monmouthshire University College is ad- mitted to have been invaluable. His influ- ence with his party in Cardiff is so great that he was able a.ga.inst a good deal of op- position to secure the adoption of the Hon. Ivor Guest as Radical candidate. -+- With the following paragraph, extracted from the current Lssise of the "World, most Welshmen will heartily agree. The chaxgo referred to has bean lapaaiedly eulogised as one of the most daening of the recent South African war :—"A special Army Order, daied December 21st, comtains tlie "Honours" to be inscribed upon regimental colours in comtriemorat ion ot services rendered during Mie Boer war; and aithougn it is battefactory io •fiiici that sujoii oictmoUonsi airs beting granted lass Lavisiilv tiiiioi sonno had ex- pected, it is nevertnelets regrottabte ttiat "Drieiontelin" llott6 been exciuaed. 'through- out t!te war there was no occasion upon winch troops bediavad better tiian did the battalions of the Sixth Division at Dne- lojitem', t'-he conuact of the Welch alKl Eftex Reg.iiM.Mits bcsiiig espcciaily conspicuous .and their iotsas pioporMoorutely heavy. the Welsh lost two oitioars and seventeen other ranks killed, and nve oiiioeis and a. miiidixjd and lane other ranks wounded, l iiis re- gim-csnit had sustained fifty-atx casualties at ikaardeberg, and its losses at Dr;eioiitein during the gaiiant assault and capture of the Beer position^ cannot have been L5.5 thaai eighteen per cent, of its effective yLremgt.a. Ihis UJlCntlOll of the Sixth Division naturally recalls the distinguished services of its com- mander, Lieut.-General Kelly -Kenny; it would be interesting to know upon what grounds this very at>ie otfteer was passed by m reference to an important appointment recently made. "Municitpal stjl^go-veriinieati," the ideal attained afuar yeJ:r;.> of patient striving is at Swans-jit veriiy a lamentable farce One ratepayer in Swair^sca out of every two hun- aa-ea twi the insignijicant' trouble to walk I down to the Town liall to by his attendance a slight cc^ntribiition to. the duty of local goveraimeii; Here were pro- posals at stake, involving an inMisansc in- crease in the kxal cbebt; ranaiing into no inconsidurable traction of a. liuiUon. A prenóus pia iposal to add a halt-peony to the raUsj naa been crushed with a cteeisive- lengtli an oppressive burden of taxation was ^uiiCing the moot inttifferent and needless iiejio tlllJt inspired the chimerical hope that at of all eitctoa'a.e vvktoe a trifle, and exhioit tome shadow of interest and activity. -+- But practically the audienee was com- rx.axl at public men. Town Councillors who nad ai.ee{>ted by constat t-hs pro[x»sals om- buciied in the bill, and works proprietors. The "man m the street" element was utteily invisible. There is m poliUcs a certain well- waited body of nwutrals, swaying from one ftide to anot-hei" with the vicitsitudes of tiie election, who decide tlie istiue whilst thfough- out permanently attached to no p-Lrty. In mumeipal poiiUct; appcurently thiis body ccmi- pc»es ninety per cent, of the elec"t^l'ratej but ctimes its neutral ;ty and det-achui^t to an extreme that one imagine the iiaagin- eiy biessings of a franchise to be p^Hg ca6t before swin-e. It is ta*ue tha,t WCl-e the rate- able value of tlie interests represetii^d by the eighty or so gentlemen present, P^rsonally or on behalf of the Traders As^titoi, to be a^certainfll>iej it would comp1"15*1 a very hrgv; projxsrtiou of the total i-»tea.ofe value of the tov/n; aod that Kiting ija^rtssta were to that extend fairly adequa<tely r-epres.entoo. But- uhat is not- too point at all> it is not so ijou-cii works own-eis and tra^61^ that one desires to eee partieipatlng so JlNKh as niere housotiolders—fcfle employed1 and not go niuch the eu*ployers. Tlie eÜlllIDUJLlt:y. that ex- hibits such u degraded sense of ctvic pttriot- ism as hajs so frequently and cf^fttly boTM displayed at Swansea, is frankly Untit to be gi-ajited any P^Vitegeis of self S^Vernment. At ejection tune1 alone there is ^n'e>stirrLn.g of tb.J»e Jfll1œy shailaws of but this is ci"eated a'.mosit exclusively by the pet^onaV elaoicnst. Y" 'fe^rcfus as was thi" Wling de- monstratetl over the free libr«<v Pol], would it have boon sliown if the voter4i had been requested to walk a few yaids to a poliiiig station, instead of ha^d'U; the paper otligin^.T bmught to aixi oarriexi a Way from I their doons by a special In the latter even:,ualit.y, if w^1 go upon long established and hard^netl PTQ- cedent. it is fair t,o assume tiliat a couple of thcxnwaid at would haw du«e i»a. The uatcoone !,1 TiKwufcty night's toeeUng was, for tejclwacal leascms; ilegati v<>; but a deanwnd far a ¡x¡.l1 seems fakiy certain, and tl^e odds aro upon tire e!iminetk«t of t he trewroray and jKx-siWy' t he La-st Office clauses a8 wêa. thnagb it will be a surprise indeed to firndi the total ot TOte<r> <ofoar Some people are wondering whether the I Leicester "tigers" will cxwne down to St. Helen's to convert that Historic Try. We don't think so; they metv dsread getting con- verted themselves! don't think so; they may dread getting con- verted themselves! -+- It is recorded that a century ago Captain John Wedge inade a bet—and won it—that 500 people did not live within the parish ooundarios of Llaneliy. Since then the population have increased fort-yfold. It is said that Mrs. David Shepherd plead- ed to her husband to make every disclosure he could when she last saw him in prison. "People are looking down on us," was her sorrowful cry. "Mabcn" has found his level at last— and a high one it is. The "Salt Lake Herald" of December 9th publishes his por- trait, wit.h the explanation:— "W'm. Abra- ham, Swansea, Wales." The "Salt Lake Tribune" of December 9th contains some sayings in that city of Mr. Jas. Wignall, of Swansea:—"The best that can be obtained is only good enough for the worker s child." "Save the children is our cry -+ Only thoBe who realise what a strain opera- tic artistes go through in the course of a season can adequately appreciate the spirit which led the Moody-Manners Company to go through so heavy a. programme as that of Sunday evening. While Evan Roberts was at Babell re broke into a-paroxysm of grief. A young man fainted, and on recovering sacd "Diolch am scriwiad" (Thank God for a screw"). Nobody < ^actiy understood what he meant. On leaving Pehtre Estyll Chapel last Sun- day afternoon Mr. Evan Roberts was not a little embarrassed by the action of a certain young lady in the crowd outside, who step- ped forward and imprinted on the astonished miss loner's cheek an impassioned kiss! "The Tradesman and Shopkeeper" is re- sponsible for the following:—"It is small wonder that co-operation is a failure at Car- diff, Swansea, and other South Wales towns, who can claim such smart and enterprising tradesmen." The journal is referring to the exceptionally good Xmas trade. Among the spectators at Saturday's foot- ball match at St. Helen's, between Bristol and Swansea, were the two operatic stars, i.e., Miss Enriqueta Crichton and Miss Teify Davics. Miss Crichton, who is a native of Chile, said the l^sfc football match she wit- nessed was in New Zealand. A debt collector up Swansea Valley has been having experience. A few days ago ho called upon more than a. dozen people for "old accounts," and in every case he re- ceived the a.nswer, "Not in; gone to chapel." He is wondering how soon the revival will lead to practical results. Morriston trades- people tell/a similar story. The following story is going the rounds concerning a certain well-known Welsh back who went North. Appearing before the committee of d,e York-hire dab, the f chair- man curtly said "You wish to play for Hull, my man?" *Yos."—"What do you want?'' --A £11))" Was the reply.—"I am a man cf few words; we offer vou eighty." "And 1 am a man of fewer still, said the Welsh- man, picking up his cap and walking out But he wis brought back. Mws Clara Butt (Madame Runiford), with whose presence Swansea is to bo hon- oured, may fairly be said to have taken the world by storDi with her matchless voice, aided by a mnq,Kj faculty of enunciation. She has sung at all the principal concerts and festivals in the United Kingdom, and has toured in the United States, Canada, Germany, France and Hungary, meeting everywhere with ex- traordinary Success and being greeted with enthusiasm. -She has many times appeared before Royalty, and has reoeived many rrifhs both from members of our own and the Ger- man Royal Families. On one occasion Queen Victoria. saId to her, "Your English is so beautifuly pronounced, Miss Butt, that it has added much to my enjoyment of your sing- ing." lite teeth of the average pen-son ."o-day as a, whcA.e are very far from that condition of soundness in which they should 1Y.3; but thjet-e appeal's to be a. progressive ocge'rmra- tion noticeable amongst the rising generation, A report was presented to the Swansea Education Committee by a. doctor this w<*« whiah sliowed that only three children out of every hundred boys had a perfect set of teeth, whilst on all average each scholar had three decayed teath. When they are in suoii a condition so early it can be readilv b° imagined that when adolescence is i-e^-h^] the deter vration will have done incalculable harm 10 t<he national physique. To worsen matter: few people will submit to the jsniall degree cf irnitial worry involved in the get- tiing imto the habit of attending to thr? teath daily, fn Gemmny fehe education authorities make them.-elves personally re.spo4isiye j^. é) overhauling of the children's te. extraction and stopping wherever needed- In England eatlier nothing is done at aU in the matter, or int3rfer-an.ee does not go beyond t.he stage of simple examination. This is another of the mftikm miner matters in which t-he good old British policy of "letting alone" js pursued with ruinous results. Mr. Charles Mananers, in the letter pub- lished in anot'nor ooiura"- Points out whereas Italy, po^ty stricken though it i;.1, supports over 300 operatic troupes. England is content with four or five, together wit.h the pariodic;al assembling of hewt of foreign artistes at Covent GaT<^n- He e|>e<i<4s AviiJi the grid of the dita-PP^hUed eiithusiast, for he is the most active ajid strenuouf workei Ivr all I English ijati°lla-l opera extont. Given, a few really great- British composers and this migh,t be reetifted; but the British, a8 a whole, don't sapportl °pera, for t.he simple reason that they have other things to do, émd ha.ve to regard lile under very daSfea-crit, eomlntions to that of the sun-basking Italian. They |take their pleasures "grey-ly," and an artistic soul being yèt in embryo, desert the higher pleasures of tlie divine art for the more readily cotnprei^en&ible excitement attendant on athk't'k^11 ahd the perusal of literature. Yet, when men exist together in dreary aud desolate fiiirroiiindings.—t he Welsh 002.1 valIeyM anrl t-rwi Yorksliire dalies—there is an iiwtiix:- tive l'eaetion of weary brain <11}<J body which .ae&k their «o4ace in the pleasures tiutt transport tliean i nco an ell- tirely ditferent atimosplneipe. The pars nit singing and brass baod in- .strumientali8111 m»y be ajdttous, but it would nevertheless at the worft-, furrw^i that change at work which is as gwdi play. Wales and Ycvrkshiie akme m the United Kingdom can bo described ab "musical"; and there are limits to that demutioti. In t-I.e North it is the tte»n-e to escapa liom a-n environment tliat would retnler Life oihet- wise un>bea»r;<ibiy deprossed; in Wales it tiiis inaction phis a wide-spmicl disspersion of fair vocrd talents. But m nertinar ctse is it quite plain whether love of lmusic in the abstract would, be reedSy present, if we ex rdnded tine aj^i^ xxxnadeoaitons. "I only wish I was a Carnegie.(Mayor I Spring at the. Grand Theatre.) Madame Clara Butt has the reputation of being able to sing "Abide with Me" in a style unequalled by any other artiste. She will sing it at her forthcoming Swansea visit. The whole of "Stabat Mater," as. rendered by the Moody-Manners Co., at the Grand Theatre, Swansea, on Sunday, was in latin. How many adequately appreciated the feat? _+- The wedding present sent by Mr. Ben Davies, the popular tenor, to Madame Clara Butt Rumford bore the apt inscription "To the tallest of her sex, from the broadest of his kind." Rev. A. E. Barnes-Lawrence, who was an interested listener a.t the Trinity Chapel, Swansea, revival meeting, is a brother of the High Court Justice, Sir Henry Law- rence. It is asserted that the manufacturers and traders who conferred with t.he Parliamen- tary Committee were impressed with iha loquacity c-f the Corporation side of the con- ference. Who couldn't be? Sergt. Cuff told the Quarter Sessions Court on Saturday that people-were under the im- pression that the police did not act fairly, and Mr. B. Francis W illiams, K.C., added that be was quite sure there was a wide- spread impression to that effect.. "A Loudon Visitor" (Liandilo) writes anient our paragraph TO t>hc "groping about" operations in Llaneliy consequent upon light- ing economies in that town, with tragic em- phasis :—"HERE you are compelled to grope your way on hands and ieet any time. There is no sun, moon, or stars out at this time of the year. After you have had your tea in the afternoon, it means good-bye to walk- ing." We draw the attention of the Llan dilo County, Urban, Rural, District, and Parish Councils to the tragedy. The strike in the Wesphaliian coal held possesses more than an academic interest for ns. In the French, Gertnan, and Italian markets the coal from this area, where 150.000 mno are employed, is that competing- eo vigorously with Swansea, coal, There are many different points of difference between the Westphaiiaji miners and their employers, and should the strike become general—25,000 men ha.ve already thrown up work-West. phalian coal will necessarily disappear from the competitive areas, and Swansea and district will substantially benefit thereby. Not. even the roost ardent of Free Traders can seriously content that Sir John .Jones Jenkins had had the better of the argument with "Manufacturer" as to the effect of hostile tariffs on the t.i,npiatet.r.w. Manufacturer" practically close? thn conittoversy with the following suggestive statistics and comment: —"Now as the total exports of tin plates in 1862 were 1,000,457 cwt., in 1872 2,361,680 cwt., in 1882 5,500,420 cwt., in 1889 8,612,460 CVv-1t.. in 1890 8,374,500 cwt., iu 1891, 8,967.560 c.vt. and in 1903 only 6.769,200 cwt.. 1 leave it to the judgment of your intelligent readers to say whether I am jnsti- fied in my remark and correction, and who has made the 'blunder. It was expected, and by many even hoped, that. Llewellyn wcsuld ba unable to play for Wales on Saturday, but, the statement aut-honsed by Mr. Walter Rees, Secretary of the elsli Rugby Union, disposiss of that f>fAS.sibility. It. appears that everyone of the hftecn has intimated his ir"tent.i.on to pIa-y. In these- a defeat, if experi- enced, muet be attributible to one of two two causes, either a lack of talent in We.Wi football, or Jack of judgment in the selecting body. If the criticisms in the English pre-s are trustworthy, the English forwards a.re pa.1"ticul a.rl y good. 'Hieir foot work at Black heath (ffi Saturday last was diescribedi by the "Thnas" correspondent as "wonderful." Th.i.s is where tuo danger lie*; for Wales. Unless the Welsh eight can. keep that "wonderful" footwork in check, there will be trosWe, for is not a strong point in Woleh backs. At Swarasea we aeem to be ignoring the rivalry which, the modernised docks at POll t Talbot and Llaneliy making iserious. Even a locxd .shipper, who profesfied to have a great knowdedge of the chcum^ta noeti. de- rides as ridictiious, the suggestion that these two ports are actually infiueooing or ;ire capable of iiiliuciicing the coal exports of Swansea. But what do we tired-, l^ast yea;- in 1904, the total quantity of coai exported from Swansea, showed' a falling off of 42,000 ton. This the sliipper in question to be very grave- On the other hand, true increase in the coal shipments in Port Talbot during the period was >~jo 1ess than 204,348 tons, and in Lkunellv tlie increase was 49,000, or than equal to the decrease I of Swansea. These figures ai« o^lculat sd to give pau-se to &?>pant derision of the possi- bilities of local competition in the shipment of coal. -+--+--+- Only tliose wlw have lived in t\irdiff can adequately the pcofourti irn.pres- siifix produced by the dnedosaires ;¡t the Shop hard examinatijO(n. Mr. Lewds Williams, for tens of years hasi been the most con- spicuous figure in religious, t^mp^rance, poli- tical and social rescue work at Cardiff. During the whole exi6wnœ of the School Boa.rd he was its chairmf^j and his personal influenee was enarmoui^ Consequently, eVffll the statements put forward by the solicitor re- presenting him are caleukltøl toO have a deep and disa.groea.ble effect- upon the public mind. There is an element of tragedy in this be clouding in the autlurH1 of kfo of a- Uk.! n canKnanding E.11C:h ree/pect and influence. H. is to bo tliat in the iateaissts of religion itself, w'iieh is liable to be damaged by anything detrim.r.Iital to the good repuw of i.tts represtrH^-ive exponents that sonw explanation sBti^ia'itory. not in a loegal, but in the laager sent'!6, will be fo:blooming ;I,t the adjctirnetl c-xaTOinat.io»n. of Dd. Shepherd, wlien Mr. Lewis ^'Bliams lwmeejf is to g-iwe evidence. Saturday's gaane at Cardiff is not regarded' with much misgiving in Walafi. The Welsh Union, may not ^'■ve piokrol the best- men; but those picket are regarded a6 "goüfl enough" to put il wiargin of lifteeai or t-wmty points to the credit o[ Wal£8. This is the kind of comment which has beesi offered in 1903 ;wnd 1904, and possibly will be in 1906 and 1907. But it íi; inevitable as things stand. There is a kind of "as it » in the beginning, is no^'» and for ever shall he" a.ir about Internationa.1 n-witclies with lijg. larnd, which has ,,v^ung thean for yeai^, and does not increase tlv interest- displaycvl. At iut/ervais an extraoieoag daiocttt, sucli as the i-efereeiaig at I^cester Inst season for example, introcki^ « little o-f the beauty of variety and jolts an otherwise unruffled conuplacency. Each y~v apparently but ac- oewtirates *Weteh superiority, and even niak^ies wWi Soot-la^l a.way are no longesr approached with t rej^dfliion ;uk1 trembling- This Ui»-rhalk8!ged s»P^miicy does not make for t.h*> berw?lit of foot-ball., and 'tis a tliousand ptk-s that the Engl^h and S^ch sdsoals do n-,4 make up ti.eii- minds <^e- tinitely to at.st^in f'™11 endeayomriiig to imitite a Welsh style that for s>o«ii>e occult reason, reraains ioiirtiiAttlA, and <leveik^t their owm partscolar points of sbrsngth. One of tlie numerous favours accorded to Mr. Kennerlev Rumford (who is to visit Swansea) by Queen Victoria was permisciou for two days' fehdng on Dee side. These fish stories must, of course, be received with caution, but it is said that Mr. Rumford is a.n expert angler as well as a star musician, and did full justice, to the resources of those well-stocked waters. A publican near High-street Station is cer- tainly not included in the number of those in Swansea who, owing to loss of business through the revival, is going to cause a riot (vide London paper). He .says that the in- flux of visitors to hear Mr. Evan Roberts lias been most beneficial io his business. Fur- ther, t.hat when open-air meetings were held n-^ar the station, it .st.ill helped him. So many stood listening to the singing, got cold, and then came in for a glass of whiskey toO warm them This publican is quite cheerful. Swansea Police Court has grown very quiet lately, and rarely lasts over an hour. Things are always slow in police work after Christ- mas, old ha.nds say, but the really notable change is in respect, of private summonses. No longer do we hear of four or five hours' fights, with hosts of witnesses on either side, to decide whether Mrs. Selina Jones did or did not refer to Mrs. Rebeccah Morgan a.s a "cow" or not. Nor do the affiliation cases run up to six p.m., and then have to be ad- journed for want of time. In such cases, if at all, is the influence of the revival felt. In loss of business lawyers c'.fier with the publican. Miss Enriqueta Crichton, the prima donna at the Swansea Grand, has seen two seasons at Go vent Garden and one at Drury Lane. The most exciting incident of her life was on board the Monowai, coming from Australia at the close of her Antipodean tour in 1901. When a few days out the shaft of the ship s propeller broke, and, added to that, there was a thick fog, which only lifted at inter- vals. Six days they drifted at the mercy of the waves, almost without hope. Every- one was put on short rations. On the seventh day a steamship of the same line came across them. Mr. C. Tilbury, also in the Moody-Manners company, was on the same boat- a.s Miss Crichton. Mr Kennerley Rumford, who is shortly to sing in Swansea, had once been com- manded to sing at Windsor, the date fixed being that on which his sister was to be mar- ried. Additionally unfortunate was the fact that the bride was to be given away by her brother. There arose a serious clashing of Royal commands a.nd domestic necessities, and relying on the kindness with which he had always been treated by h's Sovereign, Mr. Rumford telegraphed a full explanation of the dilemma to the Queen, with the re- sult that he received a message postponing the occasion of his singing to a subsequent, date. Afterwards, at Windsor, the Queen asked Mr. Rumford for an account, of the weddirrg, and evinced the kindliest interest in its various details. Travelling hi Wales a hundred years ago was more risky than to-day. Witness the foUowing from the "Cambrian" of Decern ber 28, 1804: —Yesterday an inquest was held hv E. Sn^ad, Esq., coroner, on view of the body of John Paul, driver of the mail coach between Swansea and Carmarthen, which on Sunday night last was unfortu- nately overturned about two miles from hence whilst proceeding with great rapidity down a hill, it being supposed the coach- man's hands were so benumbed with cold that he could not restrain the horses' speed the unhappy consequences of which was that he was 60 much bruised as to occasion his death on Wednesday night. The guard was slightly hurt, but the passengers escaped un. injured. Verdict, accidental death. XEvSTA &EIFFTTH5. >5esba you're with glory laden, Neatly you performed the trick. Were you not a little maideii We should &ay you were a bricJd Fa.r too oft we find civilians Cure not to aesist police. So that criminals—the wily 'uns— Often tiius obtain release! Xesta is a givi of aict-kxn (Ma-Qy would have felt, quite. oowed}, H03ij-a.ted not a fraotion. Suat-ched the whistle, blew it loud! IJ.an at once to ca.ll assistance, Through her help it wa;;¡ assured; So tha-l after some resistance He—the "w,antcd"-w.a.5 enured: Pluckiiy the maiden did it: Thank-s to her are fully due. !\est.<¡, you re a real creddt- Would that there were more of you! M. How long will public interest in Rugby" fo-Yt-ball survive mch sere trials a« it has had to endure this year? Football i." not exempt- from the ills that amusements are heir to, and it is necessary to distinguish carefully between its app;arajQC.PS in the guise respectively of a lmtnoh of athletics and a branch of popdnr amusement. It is equally ridiculous to assume that tlie public, that floc.-c in tnoosands to witness good phy these latter seasons, and in hundreds to wit- ness hopelessly onesided play or farcical display s of overwhelming superiority ías Swansea, did against Bristol last week) will continue to extend even the meagrest of patronage to exhibitions of the last descrip- tion if they are extended over two or three seafX»n« more. Luckily in duo time the fru.it will be reaped of the w-Me foresight exercised in fostering the game amongst the sohools in Wacas. There are mauy who object to the excessive advei*ti<~ing of the Tnteniatio;iiyl school-bov" matches; and rightly, for it is iMt good that mere children shouldi be publicly eulogiwsd al"" prodigies in a way that may permanently injure their proepects by eonoentratiaig their ;>t'tention exclusiveiy upon football. Bait the idea is somnd at bot.tom, and in time, Ixssides encuring the popularity of Rugby a-mougst the rising generation, will discover and train pfayen-s w,oo wiH be of infinite value in maintaining its hold upon the affection of the present generation. With reference to the paragraph that ap- peared in tm "Daily Post" announcing that a Swansea, boy- Mr. W. Cumniings, was de- putising for ^r- Jimmy WTeIch in the part originaUy intended for Dan Lerto in the Drury-lane pantomime, "W. T." (Swaruiea) writes "All his friends will be ploaccd to 1 ear of h*5 Success, and I can assure you there arc ma.ny on both sides of the Atlan- tii'. I tnet him quite unexpectedly 111 Mexi- o. Ho standing on the verandah of (1)8 of the offices. What a look of joy to 11Ket another Swansea boy to get news from home- On entering his room I saw the walls were well decorated with photos of friends and celebrities. The Swansea football team bcid the most prominent position, with! copies of the 'Daily strewn about,. What a whole-hearted reception! He ac- tually shared his room, ,and Would certainly have shared his labt dollar In a needy --aee. It is only those who know csn appreciate, what it Is to meet eocb friend, espectally tJIQse that are 'broke' in a mining camp in Mexico. "Bil'y Cuninmigu/ as lie was known to his friends, was the very life of the mining camp of Canada; aLso in the l'isbee mining camp ol Arizona. I may aieo say there was no more frequent visitor U> W E. Greene the mii'ionaire's palace on the 'Mesa' than Billy Cummingg. His parents a^e rightly proud of him: so are al1 his] fneod £ .V uoA £ j»ore thau the writer.