The Cambrian

FRIDAY, MAY 5 1905, NOTES ON MEN & THINGS Mr. S. T. Evans, M.P., and Mrs. Evans left Llandrindod Wells on Monday after a brief sojourn at the Spa. .r. Mr. Bryirmor Jones, M.P., presides over the Liberation Society Council on May 3rd. Mr. John Rowlands, Waimarlwydd, has just finished a novel in English, dealing with Welsh life. Sir George Newnes, M.P., is liaring a erniee on his yacht the Albion in Devon- shire waiera. Inspector Francis, who retires from the Swansea, police service on Friday next, in- tends taking up farming in Breconshiie. Duke of Beaufort Hounds have killed 291 foxes during the season which is now closing. This is sawi to be a record total of ki3« for any pack. "In any branch of life where there is work to be done, there MUST be enthusiasm. It brings out all our good qualities."—Vicar Evans, at St. Thomas, on Sunday. One of the witnesses in the railway case at Swansea Police Court on Thursday had considerable regard foe the letter "e." He said, "cura-ED," and "knock-ED" with truiy delightful emphasis. Tlle oold, old taio of rural depopulation was again the theroe of a speech at tibe amonal meeting of the Gower District Cottncil on Tuesday. In the Inst quarter there were in the Peninsula 19 deaths—three, at kaot of very old parsons as weil—and only eight Ixrtbs. There was also only one Damage. ahiraily this speJle extinction. Truly the disposal of the popclatioo of tjhe white British Empire to-day is paradoxical and grimly ironical. Oar home cormtryskle to bewng drained empty of people; oar towns are crryv»ded and stifling with humanity. Yet, tljere ? a considerable stream of emigration away to America and Canada. In have the conditions of the Hated Kingdom reprodnoed-a few great towns amid a vast empty country behind tneim. In South Africa again four fifths of the popubfa^ » swaJlo^d up in (nwnB In (>nada alone is there a brge and growing rurai ooimnumty, And there aloue au.r "ooloiHsatuon," in the true sesame of the word successful- It is a picture that i* calculated to breed despondency The ,nateraJ of the population m both South Africa and Australia is insignificant. Enrigmtiokn, in the agricultural sense, has oeaaed at' the Cape; and in Australia the colony haa grown aged whilst still young in years, and her statesmen are busier with making the lot of the citizen as comfortable as legislation can make it tha<n with building up a prosperous state. The fact is that we have, for colon- isation purposes, a far bigger empire than w, want. We have bitten off more thai* We can chew. In America we laid the frame- work for the present republic; Europe dovered tbe scaiBoklpig with bricks and mortar, roof and walla. It would be better m the long run if we had contented ourselves with staking out one or two modest olaims, instead of ajsniexing a-H the most ri«wirable spote on the earth's surface. One strong colony is better than half-a-dozen weak ones, and the task of the Imperial Federa'tfoiiiist would be vastly easier. Onr acquisitive pnlicy in the past has, hofwever, only bur- dor-ed ourselves with a multitude of tiring^ which other countnca also covet, axid it is the rankest fofly aod in justice to blame Im- pcaTafly-caMided Germans—who are few after ail from coveting only one of the many po*seG*anofi whaoh nafc the papulation (t-o develop. r Capt. Thomas, of Swansea, corimences his duties as head-constable of Brecon on the 3th inst. Since their establishment, over 62,987 children have been admitted into the National Schools of Swansea. One of Vicar Talbot Rice's maxims is to ask for double what you want, and then you will get half of what you ask for. Literary bulls are not confined to Ireland. "If I am living, and nothing should happen, I should like to be buried at Martletwy," said a dear old Haverfordwest lady. Miss Gladys Llewelyn, attired in red with a dainty little hat to match, and offering a lovely spray of honeysuckle for sale was a winsome picture at the Orphan Home bazaar. The original building fund of the present National Higher Grade School, in Oxford- street amounted to £2)18, raised entirely by voluntary donations. The list of sub- scribers was headed by the then Queen Dowager Adelaide. During the last year or two, there has been a great multiplicity of teGtimoarials described 38 national. That the public are beginning lo weary of the regular recurring appeals may be deduced from the. fact that after months of circularising, the total amount collected for the WaAcyn W yn fund is under .£330. The Ha.rbour trade returns fee last week showed a. falling off, ootmpaired with those of the corresponding week of last yew, amounting in the aggregate to 28,000 tons. Tins is not so surprising since for all prac- tical purposes work was at a standstill at the docks for quite half the week, by reason of the Easter holidays. Glamorgan County Cricket Authorities were most unfortunate in their second big venture. The weather completely spoiled cricket in South Wales. A guarantee which, with other expen&es, meaart some hundreds of pounds, had to be given to secure the match with the Yorkshire team. It is a matter for congratulation that the lows was cmiy about jeeo. .«.. At last, the new draw-bridge over the N GrLh Dock lock has become available for public use. The history of this undertaking indicates that the Corporation is not the only public body at Swansea capable of blunders. 1 he bridge was to have been opened as far back as July last, and the original cost is very different to the amoTKrat, between £lG,OOO a.nd £12.000 actually spent upon it. 'i he Harbour Trustees are themselves con- scious that someone has blundered woefully, and a detailed report aaad explanation of the circumstaooes have been ordered from tie officials concerned. ■» • ■» 1 The anthracite trade, which is peculiar to West Wates, is seriously depressed; in fact j rearly a. thousand men have been temporarily thrown out of employment because of it. As th. buik of the ooal is consumed in this corntry it cannot be pretended that the de- pression is due to the oooJ. tax. The slack- .jess experienced at the Swaoieea docks and Dhe failing off in the coal exports generally, seem, to point to some dieepar a.1'.d more wide- spread cause for the depression. We hope 'no coel trade is not about to enter upon one of its kiaui periods. Provided the consent of Mies Taibot can be obtained, the annual competitions of the Glamorgan Rifle Association will be held at Margam again Whiteun week. It had been intended to transfer the meeting to Gors- esinxm, but the difficulties encountered at the latter place have compelled a return to the old a.rrajlgmenrt. This involves a decided losg to Swansea, since the town) would mater- ially benefit by the nearly week-long visit of some hundreds of volunteers. The com- petitions, too, would certainly acquire greater popularity if conducted within easy reach of a large town. One effect, which might have beemi foreseen of the new tram-way extensions is beginning bo make itself felt. Swansea cabmen:, who have not, in. recent years enjoyed much pros- perity, find a serious inroad made upon their takings, amd tradesmen, whose businesses lie along the routes, a.re ateo complaining that the trarrnraye do not bring them new crxstom- ws, but take away many df their old cus- toroers. This diversion of trade takes place whenever a new tramway is laid. At sorae points property improves fn value, at others it greatly depreciates. It is an instance of h< w advantages Émctoyoo by the many are liable to operate prejudicially to tflxe interests oi particular classes. The reproach which has laid upou the friends of the Ohurtfh of England national schools at Swansea, of doing practically nothing to support the tatter against the attacks ma.de upon them, was to a.n extent removed on Monday, when an influential I ar.d representative meeting took place at tie Shaftesbury Hall, with Sir John Llewelyn in the chatir It was there decided that de- mined, sustained, and united action was reoeasary to preserve the schools, the pre- vailing sentiment being that it was the bounden duty of the churchmen to carry 00. too tra^t, handed down to them. It was verged by more than one speaker that it would be utterly fatuous to rely upon any pos- sible compromise with the local Education* Authority, on the groaned of the illegality of 6uch compromise and its insecurity. To pfece the national eohoods in such a position as to difpofe of any reasonable objections raised by the Education Committee wouM, it is estimated, involve an expenditure of about £10.000. An effort is to be made to Tiiaae this sum by meatns of a fond which is to take precedence of all otilier funds for! buildsngB in the various parishes concerned. Dr. Rawlings, iirr his letter to the local preos, urgmg the public to withhold their support from the tram oars on Sunday, makes r; singular admission. Although a member of the Town Council, which has conducted ne- gotiations off and on daring the Jaefc three years with the Tramway Company, in con- nection with the leases for the tramway ex- tenRons, the Doctor has to put his protest m the newspapers becauee no opportunity has been, afforded him of doing 80 in the Council Chamber. The fact is, Dr. Rawlings' interest in municipal affairs is in the main conrLned to one or two things, and conse- quently mUlCh the greater part of the work of committees and Council is done witbowt his participation or personal knowledge. Had tie intervened before the teases were agreed to. and attempted to secure a clause pro- hibiting the life of t.he cars 00. Sunday, the chances are that he would have received very iitt-Jie support from has colleagues, bocauoe such a restrictive clause, if insisted upon, would have meeunt either the abandonment of the agreement with the Tramway Cem. pany, or such a aubotaniHaJ rwhicfcum in the rental as would render the tramways exte>a- 6ions an uaremumerative investment for the public. As matters now stand the Council IJaiI no lega4 power to interfere with the1 running of the cars on Sunday, aod whether the practice is maintained or not mast de- pend entirely upon the measures of patro&aga given to the taaoHvaga. The majority of the Welsh pictures at the rioyal Academy this year deal with North Walet; subjects. But Mr. C. W. M. Lewis, of Stradey Castle, Llanelly, has a picture of tree6 overhanging water, entitled "In the Golden Weather." Lord Cawdor, First Lord of the Admiralty, paid his first official visit of inspection to Portsmouth Dockyard on Monda.y. His lordship was accompanied by Admiral Sir John Fisher, First Sea Lord, and other mem- bers of the Board. "Will you have your great coats?" the men of the 1st G.V.A. were asked at the Old Castle, on Sunday. It was raining, too —a good, old-fashioned Swansea, Sunday afternoon "weep." The dauntless first re- plied as one man: "We prefer getting wet." And they did! "'1' "Wm. Morgan, pugilist, Orcbard-^treet," to quote the name and address familiar to a certain type of official documetat, played another and more creditable role on Wednes- anv afternoon He seems to have exhibited considerable piuck in grasping the head of a runaway horse, which had bolted the length of Wind-street at top speed, and has now undergone the unique expieriraoe—for him- of being sincerely complimented by the police end public, to whom he has been such a fafoilar figure f(xr <?o many years. The profits of the Swansea, municipal tefle- phones undertaking up-to-date a.re roughly estimated at £5CO, or the equivalent of a little more than a farthing rate. By the time the tul for the inter-oormnnraTafoLoin litigation, which began in Iondon on Wednesday, is coiiic&uded, how much will remain, when al- loTvance has been made for the deduction ot the legal costs? Wednesday's proceedings TEa-mly consisted of the statement of the case for the Corporation. The report of the argu- r ments is to the layman b»it as "darkness made visible," leaving a general misty im- pression tha.t the gentlemen of the legal fraternity were "sitting down to their work," its they say i'n the hunting field, a.nd resolved fA) spia an extensive cob-web of confusing verbage out of a dispute which is peculiarly aca|ted for such manufacture. When public affairs get into the machinery of the law, the public is not to be blamed for the sudden death of its interest in them. By the time tie average reader, who boldly pkmges into this Hampton Court maze of print had ar- rived at the third sentence, he would have forgotten the first; and when the fifth was reached he would be lost by then., lost hope- ltssdy and rretr^ably. Lord Gnenf e-M has ever a warm corner in hi" heart for Swansea, as he has just demon- strated onoe more by hw intimation to the Royal Institution that ie intends giving Egyptian relics which m&.y be unearthed by ;1.I1 archaeological party &t preemt excavating en the sites of anaeat Egj'ptian ruins. A little diplomacy will bo needed here, how- ever, as the Cairo Govemme&at is exceedingly strict, and j ustly, regapdijiig the removal of antique remains from the country. All the really important discoveries are consigned to either the Ghezelh Museums at Cairo or woasioinally, to t'h« British Museum. Tour- ists on the Nile, however, would never be aware of the existence of these regulations rnder ordinary circumstances, as the alert fellah is never re'net ant to earn an honest piastre by driving a flourishing trade in scarabs and simifex relics from the tombs of dead dynasties. But it is quite another Sfory concerning these "redics." The gentle- mar. who OOugbt. at great cost and no small personal ithIc, i(Jols from Chinese priests am- conveyed them to London: t.o learn, oa arrival there again, that idols oould be bought at loss inconvenje^vg and much rednoed cost at liirmingham, not the first nor the last tj0 be woefully deoerived; nor was his exper- •<?!.oe peculiar to China. The prot^ Dr. Rawlings against the running of Sunday trams at Swansea had been antici^^tiod by all who had given a thouglit to the matter. But without in the Jefifrt disjiafa^ing his patent senoerrty and earn.est'^w, it Tmay be reaeomahly contended that »ns is a,kici to tilting against a windmill—-f^yr a protest against a. necessity of modern civilisatim is eqiiadJy as futile as in<kilgeo«e in the Quixotic pastime. The argument advanseed that by meaais of the trains at Snnday peopio escape from the cUrpressing enviTonanent of industrial sur- roTindiiags does not apply with the same co- I gency ae if it were advanced in defence of t'be ninnang of the Mumbles trains, amid of gxi.day a stringent supervision of the liquor bur. But to most pfople the tram has become a necessity of life ajid they would keenly resent, any pro- posal to deprrvo them' of its fa^ilidias to sattefy tlie rigid Siabbatajians. The protest i« actuated by a solicrbude for the religious welfare of the tramway but has tile doctor thoroughly investigated first I whether these men oonsSler they have a There is an axrainger/ieivr where- by they can choose their day off, either on a week day or Sunday; a<nd they are t'iso cot tiSTi^^y credited with belonging to the j class—very large and oomprehensi.ve ot^e— regarded as consKtent chiundi-goers. The feeding of poverty-stricken scholars H" the coon:munity is at length legally ren- dered possible by an aknost wholly Tmantpl- ligible documefst issued by the Local Gov- 'I enmnieMb Board, which throws the task upon the Gtfcwraans however, and provides them with the machinery—the worst conceivable machinery for the purpose—of the County Court to bring defaulting parents to book. I The Country Court miUs grind small, it is true, but they also grind exceedingly slow; and the trouble will be m this case to brmg any grist to the mills at all For if the parent in quest-ion is not out of work or incapacitated by illness, in which aase he cannot be sued, he is either a drumfeard or "waiter. He is a "man of straw" in either case. The simpj^, machinery would be a Hend of the Education Authority, feedittig; school attendacjoe officens investag^ting, and Police Coart pumshing. Bat the Local Gov- ernment Board eeems imbued with faith in the passion of the average Britisher for auing m the County Court. Kipling has woven a richly humorous tale upon this theme. A navvy travelling on the railway on SiMKbiy is dosed with a powerful emetic by an American doctor, who imagines the navvv has become poisoned. The navvy accept the drink, being afflicted with the perennial drought of his tribe. In due season, the flood gates are operated. He staggers, white as death, out upon the platform at a wayside station, the American oaptive by the coat-tails( which he bae gmeptid. The avvy sinks upon a bench, heaving and rorki-- in the volcanic paroxysms of deadly sickness. Between the eruptions he spLut- teis forth alternate prayers to heaven for relief from the etraroge ill that. has befaleo h11D, and lurid threats of judgment and re- tribniion to come against the giver of emetics, emphasised with the pounidiings of a huge fist. The latter, dreading assault and battery and consquent disablement for life, ic however reassured in the direst extremity hy a fetiow-passenger, who has ateo alighted to see the comedy played orat to fcbe aad, who says: "Don't he afraid. HeU do no- thixig so foolish. If I know my peopie ha^ eoe yon in t he Coonty Oooci!" The latest romance—the wedding of a rich young lady with her father's chauffeur—has I Welsh interest. It was at Llandrindod that Bishop first met Miss Baldock, a.nd taught f her how to motor—and to love. j Last week. the tramways of Swansea. carried 160,000 passengeira, as compared with 90,000 during the oar-responding weak of last year. A local contemporary draws the iIl- fereeoe from a. comfparisoo. of the figures that the first week's traffic disposes of serious doubt as to the expediency of the enterprise responsible for the extensions. Comparisons embracing short periods of time are generally falHacdoos, and in this particular instance, the comparison is trebly 50. The last week of April, 1904, did not include Easter Monday as did that of 1905, and Easter Monday, as already reported, xseaoiy crearted a record in the whole history of the Swansea. tramways. No trustworthy opinion can be based upon the receipts until at least three month's traffic has been dealt with. The wet weather of the last week or two has aaturafly checked cricket thremghoat the country, and made a late opening of the season unavoidable. In Wales, the visit of the Yorkshire team to Cardiff provided a nwtch-needjed strkn/uios. The precise price paid for the same cannot be ascertained i; mil the financial result of the undertaking has been ascertained'. At Swansea, a start in earnest is to be madle on Saturday next, and as practically all last year's players are available there seems to be no reason why a. eatisfactory season should not be experienced. 1 he measure of public support given to the summer pastime here is oartainly far from what it ought to be, and although the best cricket in the principality is seen at St. Helen's, there is no sensible growth in the gate money taken. Curiously enough, at UanoHy, where cricket is divorced from football, the adherents of cricket are increas- ing rapidly and the gate money in 1904 was quite twice the amount received in 1903. When Newport played their match at Slnadey over .£20 was taken at the gate, a. soim miserably small compared with good local gates in football, but a large sum for a cricket match played at a plaoa like Llanafty. Whatever may be the cause, it is unques- tionably the fact that during the last year or two Swamsea has yielded but an indifferent response to appeals made to its generosity, ihe Hospital and Lifeboat funds hatve both suffered, and the subscription list for the National Museum, if established at Swamsea., is scarcely in keeping with what has been done on former occasions, when appeals to tine public have been made. The same indif- ference or incapacity to give is conspicuous Jon connection with the fund opened to pro- vide the means whereby the "invincible" scaison of the Swansea football team may be suitably celebrated. One suggestion put for- ward is that public appeals ha.ve become so frequent in Swansea as to tend not only to limit the resources of those who habitaally give, bot to chill public generosity generally. in regard to the football fund, a disposition is shown to repudiate the responsibility for making it a. eucoeas. Followers of football declare that the principal subscribers should be the tradesmen and publicans, who benefit so largely by the crowds attracted to Swamt- eea by football, whilst tradesmen, who are not enthusiasts, considered it a matter eti- tirely for those who follow the gaoae. Another feering which operates to the detri- ment of the fund is the sentiment entertained bv more thaai a few that the players get quite enough done for them during the sea- tx*rf, and aTe therefore individuals to envy ratlier than to further reward. But this is a. petty way of looking at the matter. The players lTa.ve won for Swansea, an ad- vertisement of great value, apart altogether from the their efforts have had u]/ou the business of the town. The memorials presented on behalf of t.he various towns with claims to the proposed i\ ational Library and Museum, were to reach London by Tuesday last, and no doubt did. It is impossible to feel confident regarding the prrotspscts of Swansea, as oniy the rmsoenm is asked for. Too decision of the Privy Council to recommend that the two institutions should not be separated would be fatal to OUT case. This weakness is aiso present in the memorials put in for Aberyst- wyth and Carnarvon. Cardiff, on the other hand. bolcMy asks for both library and mutemn, and brings gifts in ite hands of such value as must prejudice the prospects of its rivals. This financial consideration is un- hlcoly to have the importance that the Car- diff people imagine; at the same time it would be fatuous to conclude that the eom- irespioners wiffl altogether disregard it. Con- sequently, the circumstances possesses a sag- naficance that Cardiff offers a fund of about ;£I){\,OOO, as against £10.000 by Swansea., in addrrkm to a site and the proaeeds of a half- penny rate, which in Cardiff amounts to abont £2,000. as agaanst the £1,000 which a similar rate in Swansea may yield in the cmtrse of the next two or three years. It is difficult to resist the impression that our r.v&Is up East have devoted considerably mqgo energy and tact to the strengthening of "their posiUm1 than has been visible in Swansea, where the meane adopted to reach the public have been painfully inadequate and uriinspiring. We fervently hope, neverthe- less, that fc>wamsca will fa.re better liD. this conapettM*i that it did when the laeb OOttI-a of the sites took place. It would be chi&Ksh not to rccogrtrae that the krger resources of Cardiff, and the public, spirit'manifested in thtt raising of a palatial pile of buildings in Caihays ParK, Tender oar prospects dubious. The resoiot&on adopted by the Swansea Trades (Jouncil, urging all Jhe Labour mem- bers to vote for the payment of voluntary school ceachexs on the same basis as the teachers of the provided schools, introduces » new eiememt into the situation. That the Trades Council in this matter is consistent with its professions as an organisation, repre- sentative of labour, admits of no doubt. One of the fundamental principles of trade urkioajsm is that no one in a given area shall be employed at a. below that accepted as customary in that area. At Swainsea. however, we have tAva bodies of teachers, working under yubsfcarafciaJiy the same 000- ditions, a.nd performing precisely the same duties, bui paid on two absolutely different scales, although they are all under the same authority, and the revenue is drawn from the same source- The absnrdaty of this arrange- ment was no douty obvious to the Labour members of the Coraacal, when the point was under discussion, but scmoe, amiable to eman- cipate themselves from their allegiance to the Liberal Party, and for purely partisan purposes, voted for its perpetuation. Hav- ing regard to the extreme pretensions of the section responsible far the present policy of the Swansea Education Authority, the lan- guage employed by members of the Trades Council in ccnderoning the treatment of the voluntairy school teafciMes as illegal and dis- I Ifconest, muøt have been read by them with sometluug of a shock. It is an open secret that in the Cbunoil Chamber the feeding of impairtenoe ip growing with the dictatorial methods which bid fair to bring about other finajicaal disasters for Swansea. The past twelve months have been richly productive of Corporation blunders, for which the rate- payers will presently have to pay in increased rates, so that the prospect of having school grants withheld, or for the Corporation to be declared a defaulting body under the EdiucataoD Act is by no means relished. I Rector Potter of Bishopsion, and his parishioners will sorely miss Miss Violet Potter, who was married last week. They will also soon lose Miss Isabel, who leaves 0.1 May 15th for Canada, where Miss Olive has only just returned. The Rector may philosophise that "this is a world of com- pensations." That was an undeniable royal rap on the knuckles Princess Christian gave Cardiff, on Friday. The address of honour purported to come, as was grandiloquently and unjusti- fiably claimed, from the "Capital of Wales," the Princess alluded, in reply, to "one of the industrial centres of Wales." Dr. Douglas Reid, Tenby, pioneer of the West Wales Sanatorium, the stone of which was laid by Princess Christian, was one ol the many who were severely injured in the Loughor railway disaster some months back. His condition at one time was very serious, but Dr. Reid has now aliaost completely ..e- covered from his injuries. "A common thing," said the diairman of the Swansea School Attendance Committee, "for school-mistresses to ten parents that if they will only send their children (who are ill) to school, they shall sit beside the fire. That's done to raise the average atten- dance." Giving children the prospect of a "warm time," however, isn't usually allur- ing in its enects. 8 Mr. lies narrated at the Swansea. Cham- ber of Trade on Wednesday how he induced a tradesman, to join the association: "I don't see any good in it," said the recal- citrant one; "my customers went away ast summer." Mr. lies retorted "Did you find any falling-off in your takings?" The tradesman admitted he hadn't. Mr. lies' next observation was, "Stump up!" He "stumped." In a West Wales refreshment house window is prominently displayed -the 'legend. "Cymry, dewch at y Cymry!" It is nar- rated that a parly of excursionsts from one of the hill districts, who entered the premises and were confronted with a blank &tare in response to demands In the vernacu- lar for refreshments, had the explanation afterwards vouchsafed them that the pro- prietor ;i*d acquired the sign under the im- pression that it was Welsh for "Tea and coffee aKvays ready!" The dwuppoiniti-ng financial results of the fixture between Yorkshire and South WaJes at cricket, a.re dealt with elsewhere, but the athletic results have bean almost equally as Cisapponitmg—or shall we say that WeLsh cricketers have learned by actual experience the width of the gulf which separates intent from a really fjr&tcla^s county English organ- isation? Hitherto Glamorganshire—which is practically "South Wales" in cricket-had shaped very oreditabdy in its fixtures against second-rate teams. But it is not recognised that a large number of counties in English cricket, though officially bracketfced in tihe first-class are really totally undeserving of suoh classi- Bcatttm, aDd should more properlv be rated as second class. The few great teams are as far above their rivals as is the case in foot- ball to-day. Cricket has manifold disadvan- tages to contend with in South Wales. The class which furnishes the bulk of cricketers is Unrated; the game is long and dragging to spectators accustomed to the compressed ex- citement of footbaJJ; and besides being in- suincierrtly democratic, the practice of spread- mg games over two or three days is., locally at any rate, regarded as unfavourably as wculd be a proposal to play one half of a football match one Saturday, and the latter half next week. The cluaractor of the petreio-c^l of the Militia has improved a good deal of late; but it cannot be gainsaid that the local repneseim- tatives have contributed an Appreciable quota to the cases at the police court during their embodiment. A year ago in one aissaudt case the excuse was that the civilian assaulted had insulted a militiaman with a contemptuous epithet. In another assault case this week there was, however, no such excuse to be advanced, and the offending iriiritiamom received sentence of two months h;,rd labour for striking and stunming with Irs belt an inoffensive cdvilaaa. The force an unlucky one in many ways. The public laughs at it.; the volunteers are not eepeoisSiy proud Off the comradeship of the clo&k; *ssd the regulars are equally urrenttharsiastic. Yet, were the auxiliary forces organised on a sane model, it js this force m whose ranks there six: old be serving the more martial individ- uah of the community. A Mr. Jones, a t'hrol-cgiml etudemt, by the way, has, at a North Wales chapel, been making what were intended to be insulting and derogatory re- marks regarding the character of men in the a1 my generally. It is a great pity that this gentleman cannot he compelled to repeat theiap criticisms in an Aldershot barrack- room; a. still greater pity thai he has not perforce to serve in his turn amongst- the men a* whom 00 sneers. The experience would be salutary. So Mr. Lloyd-George and the Welsh Par- liamentary party have declared "wa.r to the knife," to reproduce a nhrMe that-, although in this connection ridiculous, ha.s been fre- quently applied to describe the nature of the strife against the Education. Department. 4s the warfare is wordy, and more breath than blood is likely to be expended, it is therefore amusing to read aM these cheap comparisons with the heroes of the past and mock heavies in a campaign of sheer windy g;.rrtflity and nothing else. The more es- pecially as in T^'issra to-day we have an illustration of the real nature of the 6Itrugg-le which Mr. Lloyd-George amd his friends pro- fcs" to wage against the incarnate despotism of the Education Department. Really, it is almost a pity somebody does not import a few score of German police, in order that by their cas^iron methods they may teach us to and value the milksop liberty which is our portion to-day. The salient feature of this glorious twentieth cen- tury campaign against tyranny is depress- jjjgly prosaic—a single ptiInscription list. And this raises the equally depressing ques- trion—where is the money to come from? So ma.ny thousands a year will be needed for this precious "fight" in Merioneth alone; who itS to contribute them, when the great majority of rich mm in Wales are either serenely indifferent to the whole movement altogether, or are in politics the antithesis of MT Lloyd-George. The landed gentry will not contribute; a deputation of Nonconform- ist. may wait upon members of the Cardiff Coal Exchange, and solicit subscriptions tbore for the glorious straggle for liberty of conscience- But this spectacle of top-hatted and bespectacled divides preaching their "jehad," to use the Mohammedan term for a holy war, to the busy brokers and shippers of Bute-street is a very good joke, but. only a joke a.fter ail. It seems a certainty that the education of the childrenf in the affected area. will 6 uffer, and suffer severely. The parents can console themselves with the thought that they have made a sacrifice for "con- science" vicariously. Tlip struggle is not bkety to endure lotng, but whilst it lasts it will serve as an object lesson of what extra- ordinary delusions eloquent men, "cuirsed with tlie gift of an unstanched speech," can talk themseves into. Mr. Lloyd-George will rank himself in haoterv by tobe sub oi Hamp- den before it k over I den before it k over I I There is a full-length portrait of Mr. John Dyer in a Swansea photographer s window. We don't know who ought to feel flattered the moot by an observation passed by one of the hardy sons of toil: "Good photo o' Sir John, that is." ..a. Lieut. W. T. Davies, who has been re- ceiving a month's training at the depot, at Cardiff, made fine practice at Grangetown Range, last week, making an aggregate of 96 at the 200, 500, and 600 yards ranges, although it was his first shoot of the season. The bandmaster of the 2nd V.B. Welsh Regiment is evidently a. humorist. He sel- ecbed "Drinking" to play the guard of hon- our to the Great Western Railway Station to meet Princess Christian, whose chief func- tion was the opening of a Band of Hope bazaar. The moral in the example set by Rev. John Pollock, vicar of St. Gabriel's, Swansea, may not be discernible at first blush, but "t's there all the same. He said that the in- terior of the new St. Augustine's* Mission Church would not be decorated before the debt on the building was cleared off. W6 trust there is no truth in the rumour which reaches us of a grave Passive Resist- ance scandal. It is said that the anonymous payments of rates, of which we have heard so much lately, have in many instances been made by the individuals who were sum- moned for non-payment of them.—"Punch." Mr. Oswald Brooks, the manager of the Grand Theatre, Swansea, has lately had His daybills of the theatre printed in French, Welsh, Spanish, German t d English, and for "clientele" who ought to pack the theatre next week to see Zangwill's master- piece, the management's most recent bill is printed in Yiddish f A Swansea Harbour official says he has seen pretty near all nationalities on British ships, but never a North American Indian until recently. This man, a donkeyman, on a large boat, had the type of features of the Indians pourtrayed in James Fenimore Cooper's novels. He joined first a lake steamer on Lake Huron, as fireman. The Gower nonagenarian, Mary Clement, of Vine Tree Cottage, Port Eynon, who died early this month, was born in the year of Waterloo, and used to act as female "post- man," carrying letters from Reynoldston to Pert Eynon ior a penny apiece. A female also preceded her in this occupation, one Mary Williams, who was born in 1760 and died in the poor house in 1845. The mallet with which Mrs. Rice, who laid a foundation stone of St. Jude's Hall, Swansea, was presented, was excellently carved and unique. On the under surface of the boxwood was a represctTtation of St. Jude's new Church that is to be. Even the trees that are to grow were not forgotten. The happy possessor of a s ver trowel and mallet, Mrs. Rice said it was wel1 worth laying a stone for. "Amateurs are ruled out" (writes a re- presentative of the London "Daily News" anent a trial on behalf of Mr. Oswald Stoll of budding Dan Lenos and Marie Lloyds) "so that we are denied the pleasure of hear- ing from the charming young curate whose success at bazaars and charity fetes justi- fies the hope that his famous recitation, 'The Women of Mumbles Head' may find appreciation among a wider audienoe." To-day is the sixty-fourtti birthday' of .the' Commander of the Forces in Ireland, General Lord Grenfell ot Kilvey, the famous Sirdar of the Egyptian Army, and hero of half a dozen great campaigns, anging from the Kaffir War of 1878 to the Dervish War of 1389. He was one of the most popular I Governors Malta ever had, has been In- spector General of the Auxiliary Forces, and had command for a year of one of Mr. Bro- drick's vanished Army Corps. The current issue of "St. Gabriel's Maga- zine" says:—"The Bishop has just pub- lished the list of confirmations for the com- ing year. There are 73 in all, 45 of which j are in Lent. A notice in the 'Cambrian' j under the dates of April 23 and 30, 1808, shows the increase of Church work in a cen- j tury. 'Diocese of St. David's. A general confirmation will be held this summer in June and July next at Swansea., Laugharne, j Pembroke, Tenby, and St. David's.' The columns of the 'Cambrian' always seems to have been the medium by which the Bishop in those days acquainted his clergy with what was to take place." Well deserved were the compliments paid j to Mr. John Griffiths, chairman of the Pon- tardawe Rural Council, on bis re-elect on to that office last Thursday. High office has I sobered and given a healthy sense of res- ponsibility to the chairman. It is probable 'I that things have turned ouJJ better than Mr. G. anticipated when he first accepted the office, and the remark that there have been "no disagreeable incidents" during the year comes from him with a deep feeling of relief and thoughtfulness. That there are mutin- ous elements in the Council, no one knows better than the imperturbable chairman, but I Mr. G. has borne himself during these twelve months in a manner that has furnished no loop-hole for complaint, but has overwhelm- ingly added to his own reputation for com- monsense and reliability. "Jupiter" writes:—"Missionary James, the preacher at Capcl Gomer who protests against alliances with heathen nations, might, were there reasonable probability of an intelligent response, be asked— 'Where on earth is there any Christian na." tion?' The thing is scarcely conceivable. Christianity is the opposing of a positive spiritual force to a negative material. The first ideal of the Christian, as it is the first word in the New Testament, is 'Peace.' Where is the nation that is, or can be, at peace? Britain, with her crushing weight of fighting armaments, least of all. The poor missionary is unfortunate m his ety- mology. In all that can be nationally ab- sorbed of Christian principles, Japan is easily first among the nations. It is luss 'heathen,' more 'Christian,' than any. The best way is not to mention Russia in this connection." Mr. J. N. Maskelyae, the modern magi- cian of Egyptian Hall fame, was nearly un- done at Swansea in his younger days. Mr. Maskelyne and his friend, Cooke, were tra- velling, giving an exhibition of the Daven- port, trick, and amongst other places they [ visited was Swansea. "It was a sailmaker who almost did for us," remarks Mr. Mas- kelyne. "Sailors used to come on the stage and tie us up in knots, but sailors are not much good at tying knots, although most people think differently. This Swansea sailmaker tied me up until every part of my body was absolutely rigid. Fortunately, the man who tied up Cooke was not so skil- ful, so when he released himself he came to my assistance. When I went home that evening I thought over the sailmaker's methods, and at last saw the secret. When he came on the following evening I was ready for him, and although he took three-, quarters of an hour to tie me up, I got out of it in a few minutes." <

< r SWANSEA VOLUNTARY SCHOOL* Rather more than 3,000 childern in febl borough of Swansea are receiving their edtt. calaou in voluntairy schools, where definite reigious instruction is given. During the existence of the five national schools assoca^* ted with the Church of England, neariyj 62,000 have been entered in their books. For years they represented the principal and nearly the whole machinery for imparting knowledge to tlie children of the masses in Swansea. Their searvioes in this regard have i>ren of incalculable value. At the present tame their extinction is threatened. This is the avowed purpose of the policy adopted by the Local Education Authority. To thwart this the friends of the scbaals most and at least jei0,000 within a. few months. It if estimated that about £14,000 have already been spent upon the buildings. There are strong sentimental considera-tiocs which plead !or the continuance of the schools; there ana also the considerations arising from the oon- scientious belief that education, which doee not embrace the teaching of definite religious truths is imperfect and unsatisfactory. So that it may safely be assumed that an earnest • ti'rt will be made to raise the necessary JB10,000, and that local generosity will be supplemented by genorous gifts from the 11a.6ior.al organisations connected with the Church of England. But in the meantime we think sight should not be lest of the probability, nay the virtual certainty that Jeer this sum has been collected and spent upon tlie buiiaikigs, the national schools wffl continue to bo persecuted and harassed by the Lc-cal Education Authority. For the UIA- concealed purpose of the latter iis not to ensure the efficiency of the voluntary schools, y but their disappearance. And knowledge of this, and want of faith in the power of the Education Department, or in the permanence of the Education Act, may deter many people from subscribing to the fund. So that there is a. possibility that the effort may fail. In which event a situation will be created of considerable importance to the Swansea rate- payers as ratepayers. If the voluntary schools of the borough fail to maintain their existence as establishments for a distinctive purpose, the Education. Authority will be called upon to provide new schools, with their respective sites to accommodate be- tween. 3,000 and 4,000 chidren. Th capital cost cannot fall short of be-tween £ 50.000 and £ 60,000, or the equivalent of a. 2d. or 3d. rate, and the increased co&t of mainten- ance will aocount for another rate nearly as large. With the rates already on the brink of 10s. in the £ and likely to be 116. in the £ in a. space of time to be counted by months, this new and avoidable imposition i* hardtv likely to be welcome. The Trades Council, at a. meeting held last week, con- demned as unfair and even dishonest, the existing arrangement, whereby over J33,000 a year, given for the specific purpose of placing provided and unprovided schools, on the same level, is coolly pocketted by the Corporation, which refuses to <k> the work f or vhich tlie new grant was to pay. Whether or not the Trades' Unionists can influence the C-ounty Borough Council to act honestly and equitably in this respect remains to be seem, but it is certain that if the volumtary schools are permitted to be squeezed out of existence, far more than JE770, the sum required, to place voluntary school teachers on the same footing as their colleagues in the provided schools, will have to be spent as the extra cost of staffing schools replacing the vahm- tary schools of Swansea.

Swansea Band of Hope Demon- stration. "Water for me said one of the banner- ettes carried by a small boy in the Swansea Band of Hope Union.dem<rfn6fa»tion on Thurs- day. >0 Well, tlicy had a little, but not enough to do any injury, or damp the ardent spirit oi the juveniles or their grown-up friends. The weather had been beautiful all the 'orrang, and the sun brightly shining, but as the Bands of Hope from all parts ± the town, from Sketty and St. Thomas, 6athered in Oxford-street, clouds came over the sky and presently slight rain fell. The affair was excellently marshalled by Messrs. H. Griffiths, J. Griffiths, A. E. Furs- land, Evan Rees, A, Featherctone, J. Chap- man, A. Ace, T. Wignall, S. R. Ceorge, D., R. H. Price, D. M. Davies, and T. J. Wil- liams. As the bands arrived each were d'rected to its own station in the Market, in Union-street, in Orange-street, and in Church-street. By a quarter to three o'clock all was ready, and the big procession, which could not have numbered much less than 10,000 were led off by the Swansea Band of Hope Band. Sixty-six Bands of Hope were represented in all. First came York-place Band, the oldest in Swansea, having been established in 18.53. Thereafter the order of the proceeion was alphabetical. Every child wore a smile and a blue rosette (among other things), big banners and bannerettes were numerous along the almost interminable line. For the day church and chapel were in unison, and though all of the Church Bands of Hope were not able to attend, these added from 2,000 to 3,000 to the throng. Ministeis in all cases headed the oands from their pl&oa« of worship. The beautiful banner heading Rev. Penar Griffiths' children, and under which the rev. gentleman himself walked, attracted ad- miration. But perhaps the most effective set of bannerettes were that sported by Mount Zion. "Yield riot to temptation," "Taste not touch nqt," "Total abstinence promoters p I I happiness," "Drink leads to poverty," "TIw Bible is our Guide," "Truth fears nothing," etc., were favourite mottoes. Crowds lined the route, and the general public evinced great interest in the pro- wdings. At the Albert Hall the Church ot England section broke off, and prooeeded to St. Mary's Church, where a. special service for children was conducted, and an address given by Rev. D. Jenkms, Oystermouth. After the procession tea was supplied in the various school and meeting rooms.

Late Mr. T. D. Lewis' Funeral. The funeral took place at Danygraig Ceme- tery, on Wednesday morning of the late Mr. T. D. Lewis, Priorton-terraoe, Swansea, formerly estate agent and private secretary of the late Lord Swansea, amidst every token of respect and sympathy. The chief mourners were deceased's three sons, George, Trevor, and Leslie, Messrs. W. H. Lewis (brother), and Herbert and Ernest Lewis (nephews). Amongst other friends who paid deceased their last respect were Capt. H. L. Beynon, Messrs. Griff. Beynon, Philip Kneath, F. Sandry, Sydney P. Davies, and P. Dailey (L- and N W.R.). The service at deoeaseds's boose and also at the graveside was solemnly conducted by Rev. J. H. Watkins Jones, Vicar of Christ Church. Floral tributes were received from "His loving wife and children," Lady Swansea, Hon. Odo R Vivian. "Maud, George and Beat," "Willie, Maggie, and family," Mra. Robert and Miss Marian Daniel (Heath- field), Mr. and Mtb. C. P. Passmore, Mr. aud Mrs. W. P. Davies (Manchester), Mr*. Elizabeth Davies and family (Swansea), Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Hulley, Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Richd. Qnentrall, Mra. Griff. Bevnon, Messrs. The Stretton Hills Mineral Water Co., Ltd., the Swansea Club (per A. Kirk), Miss A. Brock, and others. Mr. J. Gwyn, Sketty, carried out the arrange, ments.

Help I Fels-Naptha is the greatest help that has come to woman sin ce soap itself. 39 WflwattwittMiw/