The Aberdare Leader

To Readers and Corres- pondents. All contributions of local interest will be gratefully received at the offices of this paper. Clergymen and Ministers, Secre- taries, and organisers of social functions, political meetings, and all public events are respectfully asked to acquaint us of these events before hand, so that we may secure reports of the proceedings. When a reporter is required, notification should arrive at our office punctually. Our Correspondents will oblige us by for- warding their reports at the very earliest convenience. All communications to be addressed, "Leader" Office, Aberdare.

WELSH HYMNS AS EISTEDD- FOD LULLABIES. MOST of our readers are aware that it is a common practice at our National and other eisteddfodau for the whole assembly occasionally to join in singing Welsh hymns. Sometimes this is done to lull a restless crowd into quiet and silence, just as a mother lulls a restless in- fant to sleep with some favourite lullabies. At other times there are on the Eisteddfod platform dis- tinguished visitors from over the border, and in order to make a demonstration to these illustrious strangers of the wonderful congre- gational singing of the Welsh people some Welsh hymn-tune is struck up by Mabon, or some other musical Eisteddfod conductor. This- is on all fours with the action of King Hezekiah who was condemned for exhibiting to an alien monarch the sacred national treasures of Judah. Sometimes the words sung are most inappropriate to the occasion, for it appears that funereal dirges form the speciality at these musical demon- strations. In his address on Our nation's musical taste delivered at the meeting of the Tonic Solfa Con- ference at Mountain Ash on Thurs- day last, Mr D. W. Lewis, Bryn- aman, strongly denounced the prac- tice of utilising Welsh hymns as means to satisfy the vulgar curiosity of strangers, or to pander to our own national vanity. May his words be pondered over and digested by those who are responsible for these things. 0:

THE HEROES OE THE COAL- FIELD. IN his lecture at Aberdare on Satur- day evening on The Lighting of Mines" Mr Henry Davies, the mining lecturer of the County Council, incidentally mentioned that now, while the Nelson celebrations were riqging in our ears, would be a propitious time to point out that the memory of such men as Humphrey Davy ought to be honoured as well as the memories of Nelson and Wellington. Victoria crosses, pen- sions and rewards," observed the lecturer, ought to be given for saving lives as well as for destroying lives." We hear sometimes of the martyrs and heroes of science, but we seldom hear of any national recognition made of them. As a rule their labour is the rewardless, thankless labour of love—love for their work and love of humanity. We are all acquainted with the heroism of the mine. Un- fortunately the frequent calamities in our mining districts provide ample opportunities for the exercise of that heroism. But the hero of the coalfield is not glorified in the same manner as the hero of the battlefield. We are glad to note, however, that the old order is chang- ing. Last Saturday evening at a meeting held to honour the general manager of the Clydach Vale Col- lieries, it was announced that the Royal Humane Society would award medals to all who went down in the first bond on the occasion of the recent explosion. Mr D. A. Thomas, M.P., remarked at the meeting that never before had the Society awarded their medal for gallantry in connec- tion with an explosion. We trust that henceforth this gracious prece- dent will find many parallels. The man who gives life and labour to the study and practise of the safety of his fellow-men, whether be does It in the laboratory or in the mine, deserves the highest national honours. o:

THE GYMANFA GANU IN PERIL. It was admitted on all hands at the time of the National Eisteddfod at Moun- tain Ash that the revival had been of great detriment to the Eisteddfod, and that the deterioration in literary and musical contributions must be attributed to this movement. This was the unani- mous opinion of the Welsh press at the time. Now it appears that the Welsh Cymanfa Ganu is, also to suffer owing to the same cause, and it is a strange coin- cidence that the degeneration of both in- stitutions should commence at Aberpen- nar. The second annual singing festival of the Calvinistic Methodists was held there on Thursday. The congregations were immense, the singing excellent, and the spirit of devotion very manifest, but surely the introduction of revival methods into the proceedings did not tend to up- lift the status of the Cymanfa. We have no objection to the granting of free scope, to the spontaneous element, and per- mitting fervid worshippers to intermingle praise and prayer promiscuously, but let it be done at the proper place and time. In, the name of musical culture someone should protest against the drifting into impassionate revival lyrics at our cyman- faoedd canu. Culture is incompatible with chaos. The present efficient state of congregational singing in Wales—ac- quired through the cymanfa ganu-wa. not attained by the sudden, flights of spas- modic revivalists, but by the slow and steady plodding of persevering workers. At the Mountain Ash festival the con- ductor, Mr. J. T. Rees, madei a praise- worthy effort to firmly maintain the authority of the ibaton, but eventually he was compelled to make something like a compromise. We sincerely hope that both fthe .eisteddfod and the Cymatifa. Ganu will survive these obstructions to their efficiency.

ASTHnq/V CAN BE CURED. A Noted Physician Win Prove This to All Sufferers. The astonishiug statement that Asthma can be cured, coming from so well known authority as Dr. Rudolph Schiffman, will be of interest to asthma sufferers. The experience of most Asth- matics has been that little if anyrelief has been afforded by the methods heretofore employed, and, in fact, the disease has up to now been regarded as incurable. This noted physician has, however, after a life- long study of asthma and kindred diseas- es, discovered a remedy which not only instantly relieves the severest cases of Asthma and Bronchitis, but has actually cured thousands whose cases had been pronounced incurable. So complete is Dr. Schiffman's confidence in his remedy that he requests this paper to announoe that he offers to send a liberal sample package of Schiffmann's Asthma Cure free of charge to all persons sending him their name and address, plainly written on a post-card, within the next 4 days. He believes that an actual test will be the most convincing and in fact the only way to overcome the natural prejudice of thousands of Asthmatics who have heretofore sought relief in vain. Although most chemists in Great Britain have sold his Asthma cure ever since it was intro- duced to the British public, still the Doc- tor fears there are some persons who have never heard of it, and it is with a view to reaching these that he makes this liberal offer. An opportunity to test, without cost, a remedy so celebrated and promising so much certainly should be eagerly grasped by every sufferer. Address Dr. R. Schiffman, British Depot, 32, Snow Hill, London, E. C.

The Theatres. MR. JAS. HABEAS CO. AT ABERDARE AND MOUNTAIN ASH. Mr. James Hare's Co. hold the board6 at the New Theatre this week, and at" tract full houses by their excellent pro- ductions. U A GuiJty Man," a, tale of a gang of coiners, is a thrilling play, and full juS tiee is done to it by the company. TIli6 was produced on Monday, Tuesday, tld Wednesday evenings. "The Golden: Chance," a pretty melo-faree, will be staged to-night (Thursday), and Friday and Saturday evenings. Next week Mountain Ash play-goers Will" have an opportunity off witnessing tbie eminently successful company. In Guiltjy1 Man," a real working ;inferIlal machine is introduced. This machine was specially bought from the Head Of the Police in St. Petersburgh, for tbIS production. The plays will be staged in the same order as at Aberdare.

on% B. RUNGE, 1. DUKE STREET, ABERDAB& Practical Watch & Clock Maker" I Jeweller, &c. Best Workmanship. No Old-Fashioned Price- A TRIAL SOLICITED.