Denbighshire Free Press

J- The National Eisteddfod. TUESDAY,8 MEETING. The National Eisteddfod was opened at 8wansea on Tuesday. The Mayor of Swansea, Mr Harris, presided, and for the first hour the reins were entrusted to Llew Tegid, of whom, as an Eisteddfod conductor, North Wales as just reason to be proud. At a subsequent stage of the procedings these duties were shared by the Rev Dr Gomer Lewis, of Swansea, and the Rev Penar Griffiths, of the same town. Dyfed, the Archdruid, at the official Opening, delivered a short ode, in which he enjoined, upon Welsh parents, the duty of cultivating a knowledge of the mother tongue among their chidren. The Eisteddfod song wart rendered by Miss Gwladys Roberts. THE AWARDS. A prize of L7 was awarded to a com- petitor styling himself lolo Goch," for patriotic songs after the styteof Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome." But in this, as in numerous other competitions, the real name of the victor did not transpire. A competitor under the name of Will yr Halier took the prize for a ballad in colloquial Welsh. The best "Wedding Hymn" was that of 14 Theodore." The Rev W Williams, Glyngarth, Menai Bridge, saved the reputation of North Wales by sending in the best metrical translation of Blanco White's sonnett, Night." The first musical event reached was a quartette competition, the prize being won by Mr D Chubb and pary, Pontypridd. Though the audience was in no mood to hear anything but music it gave, at this juncture, a respectful hearing to the Mayor's presidential address, in which he enlarged upon the development of national individuality in Wales. A pianoforte competition for children under 16 followed, the winner being John Morgan Nicholls, Pmycae, Port Talbot. The Pennillion singing with the harp as (North Wales style) proved an interesting competition. There were eight competitors, and this was Said to be the largest number for the last twenty-four years. The prize was divided between Richard Morgan, Brynamman, and J Devuall, of Neath. Out of numerous competitors at the pre- liminary test the best rendering given on the platform of a baritone solo was Mr Josiah Thomas, Swansea. In the poetry section the following awards were announced Soliloquy, 14 Pygmalion and the statue," Rev Ben Da vies "Hir a thoddiad in memory of Athan Fardd," Mr E Richards, Clydach stanzi, Christmas greeting," Rev Aaron Morgan, Blaeiiff,)s translation from Welsh into English of The King's Daughter," R>v Eltrrml 0 Jones, vicn of Ll *d' oes. LADIES' CuO-lAL COMPETITION. Several of the to-e^oing were interpolated while the competition for ladies' choirs was in progress, daring whieb, also. L ),d Glantawe took his seat as afternoon president, being accompanied by Sir Lewis Morris. The test pieces in this competition were "Snow" (Sir Edward Elgar) and "Change of key" (Bryceso;k Treharne), the prize being 220. Five choirs V<?Jnl,etJ, N orb Wales being only repr&JiuJ hy the Dingor choir, conducted by 31: TI.OQIM Thointis, Dr Walford Da vies, who delivered the adjudication witbiu fire mining of the close of the competition, pointed out that one of the defects of the Bangor choir was to siog some of the passage too rapidly to be eff ctive. Their expression was splendid, but ov.'rJone. The p. vze went to the PQul,nr:d L choir. S vor.I Lnpjrtant awirtls were made, including e portion of a £h. 1 priz9 to Mr C J Evan*, schoolmaster, (X 'rJiff, for a school reader on the omrn rcial and iadasiiial geography of Wales. Substantial prizes were offered *or -contribution to the economic history ° Wales, but the adjudicators awarded x 8 to I Howell T Eva';s. B.A., Cardiff, and a like sum to "A Welsh Student," to .whom a further sum 0" 94 was to be paid upon his revising the e;Siy. Mr .Moore, a Swansea journalist, took jaaff fcfte For < n essay on f< Shakespere's .J.1i/. THE ART, SECTION. In most of the Jrcijufdi^atiwns in the art sPC-i>n only assumed names were given. It tr inspired, however, that Mr D Edward?, Aberdare, was the winner of the ten !zi,)ini-,As prize fjr the oak chair to be pr- s.:nied to the successful bard on Tuuisd^y wbild the best design for an Eisteddfod poster was that of Miss Hackn y, Abrysl wyth, a minor prize being taken by Mr Rowland Owen, of ATHfTcHIEF CHORAL CONTEST. Altogether eleven choirs took part in the wwna-the chief-choral competition, to which the audience listened with com- paratively little impatience for about three hours. With the exception of two all the choirs were from South Wales, the other two hailing from Portsmouth and from Coleford, on the borders of Monmouth- shire. The choirs numbered from 75 to 100, the test pieces being "Moonlight" (Eatou Fanning), and He saved them out of their distress (D Jenkins). The firt priz, of R40 went to Pembroke Dock, aud the second to Treorky. At the evening concert a miscellaneous programme was sustained by the Eisteddfod choir aud orchestra, assisted bv « veral well-known artistes, bl 'WEDNESDAY'S MEETING. Tue Eisteddfod parsed off most success- fully and com.u need with the chief CHLORAL COMPETITION. A.L CO The choral competition was for cnoirs cumbering from 175 to 200 voices, the Pi. e-s being The Nations are the Lord s Ld See what love from Mendelssohn's St Paul." As many as nine choirs sang, ari l their performanc es occupied four hours. The choirs were Cwmavon, Llanelly, Car- ,I-tT, Newport, Rhymney, Pontyprydd, St Paul's (Swansea), Morriston and District, bii,i Brynaman and Rhymney United. At conclusion of the competition twenty mmntes elapsed before the adjudicators gave their decision. During the interval the auli^nce was engaged in singing witu 0 overpowering effect a number of Welsh airs under the direction of Eos Dar, the Pennillion singer. Dr Walford Davies. representing him- self and four other adjudicators, said that they had come to a unanimous decision, an announcement which was greeted with much enthusiasm. Mr Harry Evans, Liverpool, a second adjudicator, addressed the meeting in Welsh, and finally the decisive word was uttered by Dr Cowen, and then it transpired that the first prize of £ 150 had been awarded to Card ff, and the ssecond to Brynaman. OTHER AWARDS. Among the awards were the folir)wing Soprano solo Marion Squires, Cardiff. Contralto solo Winifred Lewis, Seng- henydd. Pianoforte competition Ivor Owen, Man seltown. Recitation Eleanor Daniels, Llanelly. Group of five in photography: Mr Williams, Rhyl. Three photographic chill studies Mrs Williams, Rhyl. Photograph after the style of one of the masters: Mrs Williams, Rhyl, and Mr Williams, Bangor. Landscape in oils (amateurs): Silver medal and X7 73, H James." Original landscape in water colours (amateurs) B A Lewis, Morfa House, Carmarthen. Seascape in oils (amateurs) Mr Fischley, Atlantic Harbour. Study of animal or group (amateurs) William Whiteliouse, Swansea. Still life in oils: H M Shellard, 4, High-street, Cardiff Flowers (oils, water-c Ilour, or tempora) Miss Clar:ce Y Davies, Cardiff. Painting on china Miss Edith Meiklo, Barry. Crystoleum painting Miss Margery J Matthews;- Swansea. Munich painting Miss Daisy Chapman, Swansea. Original study, bbck and white Winifred Bevan, Swansea. Charcoal or crayon drawing (ornament in high belief) Miss Mary Isabella Bonnyman, Cardiff. Pencil drawing, foliage flowers, or lands- cape Edith Meikle, Barry. Six pen and ink sketches, illustrating scenes and incidents in any Welsh novel Mr Downing Williams, Llmdilo. EVENING CONCERT. In the evening a first performance was given, by the Eisteddfod Choir, of a new cantata entitled" The Van Lake," written specially for this Eisteddfod by Mr David Thomas, Mus. Bac., the libretto being by the Bard Gwili. WELSH BIBLIOGRAPHY. At Wednesday's meeting of the Cym- rodorion Society, Mr J H Davies, registrar of Aberystwyth College, read a paper on Welsh Bibliography and its aims. He suggested that work should be undertaken on well-defined lines. There could well be Bibliography of Welsh ballads and elegies, and the information from old Welsh almanacs collated, while anothpr deeply interesting matter would be th:- collection of all matters pertaining to fcbc religious and political questions that from time to time swept over the land (applause). Work on the lines iaiic.ted would be of permanent 'value to all who took an in- terest in Wales and her literature. A discussion followed, and subsequently a meeting of the We!sh Bibliographical Society was held, Sir John Williams pre- siding. Mr Rhys Phillips explained what had been done so far. Professor Davies (Cardiff) thought the society should embrace the literature of the present as well as the past it would give it a living interest. Mr T Matthews (Fishguard) said so far as collating present publications that work was being done at Cardiff. Sir John Williams was elected president of the society, Mr J Bellinger (Cardiff), treasurer, and Mr Ehys Phillips (Swansea), secretary. The following were elected on the committee :—Messrs J H Davies (Aberystwyth), J Shankland (Bangor), Lleufer Thomas (Swansea), HE H ianies (Haverfordwest), ffano Jones (Cardiff), Rev J Fisher (Cefn, St Asaph), Vincent Evans (London), Rev D E Jeukins (Denbigh), and L J Roberts (Rhyl), the latter for music. PROPOSED REFORM OF THE GORSEDD. In the evening a meeting of the Gorsedd was held under the presidency of Archdruid Dyfed, for the special purpose of dealing with the proposals to change the rules fleeting the constitution of the Gorsedd, in o,ther words, of reading for the OTf d time a bill introduced at the Car-1 secool meeting last year. narvo* fo en(;en*ng Qp0n their business a lptter^wia re8d fr°m Ap EoS Mon* the Cimarron k Wp'1' r°greltiag *f tin,b"U3r' rnily bereavement, to attend owing to K ,d 07er (he Welsh ii"U" a "roFG<"71;iat n i ^A vote of condolence Carnarvon last year, i d with the donor, was unanimously r.0vFFRFVPP THE FAN-CELTIC ^NJEKENCE. Mr Foamier, secret^ °; Fa.n* Celtic Association^ attain invite representatives of the Goroedk to the Con- ference to be held r&nder the to nspices of the Association at Edinburgh a month hence. A hearty weleome was pl, ,nised < the Welsh bards, it being added tha\' the stone known as the Lia Ancii woold be j put on the Castle hill, one of the mos^jt historic spots in Scotland. a It was decided to comply with the re- I quest and to send the Gorsedd regalia with h the delegates who, as elected by the meet- 1; ing, consisted of the Archdruid, the s Recorder, Treasurer (Gwyneda), Machreth, t Cadvan, Arlunydd, Penygarn, Cochfarf, f and Sir Marchant Williams. f THE REFORMED CONSTITUTIO. a In inviting to the consideration of the I reformed constitution, the Archdruid as- a sured the meeting that those who suggested the changes had no object in view other than to make the Gorsedd a greater ( national power in the land. t The meeting then discussed seriatim a E number of amendments approved by a I sub-committee and others submitted by < individual members. < It was agreed by a small majority that in future the Gorsedd should be called Gorsedd of the B irds of the Isle of Britain and the National Eisteddfod of Wales." Gwynedd, who was opposed to incl d- ing the Eisteddfod in the name, give notice of amendment to be moved at the Llangollen Eisteddfod next year. A prolonged and interesting discussion followed upon a proposal, moved by Machreth, to the effect that the Gorsedd should have four orders, viz., that of Doetor, Order" of Privilege, Order of Discipline, and Order of Honorary Members. In defence of the proposal Machreth maintained that it was merely sought to resuscitate the old names attached to the Gorsedd, the three Orders now used-Druid, Bard, Ovate-dating only to the days of Iolo Morganwg. There was no desire to interfere with the external picturesqueness of the Gorsedd while the adoption of the new honorary order would not preclude persons who had worked loyally with the Eisteddfod from receiving it. The sole object was to make the Gorsedd the centre of literary life in Walts (applause). Mr Beriah Evans seconded. Cadfan vig,)rously advocated the reten- tion of the old names, which, he main- tained, were in existence long before lolo Morganwg they dattd back even to the days of the Romans. He moved, as an amendment, than the existing names be maintained. Gwynedd seconded, with marked emphasis. He declined to accept the suggestion that Iolo Morganwg was the inventor of the present names, and thought that those who made use cf the argument were vilifying the character of a fellow- countryman by imputing him to a fraud. Even the supporters of the proposal had «s«isted in establishing, in Brittany and Scotland, a Gorsedd whose degrees, according to their own admission, were spurious. Sir Marchant Williams contended that to adopt the new names would be an insult to the Welsh nation, inasmuch as the Gorsedd degrees as existing at present had been conferred upon Royalty and other distinguished personages. Though the proposed changes might open the portals to certain learned men he ventured to say that their adoption would cause members to secede. Machreth, by way of explanation, pointed out that the degrees conferred upon Royalty were perfectly in order, as they were honorary degrees. Rev D Adams, Liverpool, said that it was the duty of the Gorsedd to march with the times. It was the possession of the nation and not of a select few. I Arlunvdd Penygarn spoke on the sub- ject as it appeared to him. He was decidedly opposed to the proposed change. The Gorsedd was now in possession of a system of Triadism which had passed down to them for two thousand years according to the earliest cl-ssical writers, and hp ventured to say that a batter arrangement than the three orders could not he sug- gested. The Gorsedd banner wool I h«ve no meaning if the present orders were done awty with, and there would be no longer a place for even the A,, clidi uid as such (lacgliter and applause). Pedrog (Liverpool) also opposed, and upon a division the proposal was defeated by a substantial majority. Mr Beriah Evans thereupon pointed out that the eff- ct of rejecting the proposal would be to throw out all the consequential portions of the scheme, and thus make any j of the pioposed new departures impossible. This, however, was evidently not the in- tention of those who opposed the scheme, and he therefore moved that all the conse- quential sections affected by the resolution just pli Baed be referred back to the com- mittee with instructions to redraft them so as to harmonise them with the principle of the amendment just carried. This WitS eariit'd unanimously. THURSDAY'S MEETING. All went well and almost with clock- work regularity at the Eisteddfod meeting yesterday. While the Gorsedd was still engaged upon its own particular business in Cwmduukin Paik, peopte wese begin'iiutr to take oheir seats in the Pavilion in large numbers. Detained in London by his Pdrliamen- tary duties, Lord Plymouth was unable to take the Presidential chair at the morning meeting. The same reason wis ascribed for the absence later on of Mr D Lloyd George, who should have presided in the afternoon. THE ADJUDICATIONS. Taken out of its place in the programme, a soprano and contralto duet constituted the first competition at the meeting. This produced excellent singing by three parties, and the prizj was awarded to Miss Wini- fred Lewis, Sengheny id, aud Dora Dvils, Pontygwaith. Four c.mpetitive memorial odes to the late Archdruid, Hwfa Mon, had been received. Sedwg delivered the adjudica- tion, anl it transpired that the money prize of X10 ani silver medal of the Eisteddfod Association hid b'eo won by the well- nown crowned bard, Ben Davies, who wos warmly cheered when he ascended the platform to receive the spoils. Another crowned bard, in the person of the Rev J E Davies (Rhuddwawr), London, was announced to be the winner of the prize for metrical translation from Luin into Wtlsh of a portion of Virgil's Georgics." This announcement was left over from the previous day, and immediately lfter it came a competition which should jave likewise been decided yesterday. It t/tg a violin solo competition, which had ffoJ. the adjudicator, Dr Walford >avietvf extreme gratification. Few tbings tad impressed him more than the pre- iminary iest, sf which Dine violincello tudentspresellted themselves. He hought that there must be a great future or instrumental music in Wales, but at ireseut it was incipient rather than .cbieved. The prize had to be divided oetweeii Hyman Freeduian, Pontypridd, tod H Faulkner, AL)ertillery. THE CRAlit PRIZE. Barely had the cheers at the conclusion )f Talder's eloquent address subsided than ,he Archdruid, accompanied by Pedrog ind Elf.vn, stepped to the front of the olatfortu to give their adjudication on the ji^rb'; oles received for the chair prize. In icii 1 (.ton to the chair there was also given si sum of £ 20. The Archdruid delivered the adjudication at the request of his colleagues, wno, however, were entirely at one with him in the decision they had come to. Absolute quiet is usually en- sured when this, one of the most import- ant adjadications of the Eisteddfod, is delivered, but to-day Dyfed had to put up for some time with interruptions caused at the back of the hall by the passing to and fro of members of choirs. Consequently he had to abstain from giving any quota- tions from the successful ode. It. afPared that in the first-class there were the odes of Mab y Dydd," Elstow," and May- flower," but the last-named was pro- nounced the best, and worthy of the prize. h Mayflower,' was called upon to make himself known, and almost immediately the Rev T Davies, Baptist minister, Cardiff, stood up in the audience to the left of the platform, and Gwynedd and Machreth lost no time in stepping down to escort the victorious bard to the oak chair, tht, band meanwhile playing I- See the conquering hero comes," and the audience cheering mightily. After the formal investiture of the bard Mr Ben Davies sang the chairing song, for which he also was lustily cheered. CHILDREN'S CHOIRS. To deal next with what was regarded as the chief event in the musical section, though several adjudications were delivered, when opportunity offered, we come to the competition for children's choirs. A feature of this was the phenomenally large number of entries. Of 32 choirs which had been entered as many as 26 made their appearance. However the ordeal of listening to all 26 was spared the audience through the adoption of a preliminary test, out of which eight emerged with sufficient credit to entitle them to sing at the Pavilion. They all had an excellent hear- ing. The test piece was The Stream and the Flower (Tom Price). A Liver- pool choir, conducted by Mr R T Edwards, aud Canton choir, Cardiff, were each awarded half of the first prizo, the second prize going to Pantteg. Almost on the heels of this came a competition for boys' choirs, and of these there were six. Dr Roberts's The Flag of Britain Old was the test piece. The first prize went to Brynbyfryd School boys, and the second to Llandaff. Dr Dan Protheroe, the American Welsh com- poser, in adjudicating upon this competi- tion, expressed disappointment that a Welsh piece had not been selected. Unless Eisteddfod committees in Wales showed a good example in this matter, he feared that ) the Welsh who were abroad must come back to teach them a lesson (applause). LITERARY AWARDS. One of the most important awards made in the literary section was one of X30 to the Rev D D Williams, Greenheys, Man- chester, for a comparative difference to the Welsh text of the New Testament. The Rev J Davies, Wern, Ystalyfera, had the good fortune of taking half the prize off red for an essay dealing with the function of the State in relation to the commercial life of the nation, and .£10 for an assay on Co-operation." The author of the od<s Passing of Arthur," Mr J Gwynn Jones, Denbigh, himself took the £10 prize for the best transalation of it; while another North Walian, Mr D R Jones, Blaenau Fest- iniog, received the £10 prize for an eS'Iay on The Life and Work of John Penry." Mr Moore, a Swansea jo trnalist, had a similtr prize for two dramatic sketches in English illustrative of Welsh life and iJlO was awarded to a competitor styling himself Pryderi for three dramatic- sketches in Welsh. For want of merit the prize for an esstyoti "The Chief Defects of Modern Welsh Literature" and for three short stories in Welsh were withheld. Til-1 b at satirical p em OIl "Th Self- Advertiser w's that of Mr H Williams, C wmtvori. OTHER AWARDS. Tenor solo: Mr David Ellis, Bryn- mawr. Violoncello «olo Miss Clare Davies, Swansea, "h), however, trausferred the prize to a younger competitor from Pont- > rd >we, who had been c miplimented by th: a ijudicators. Teacher of the best quartette of best boys and girls singing Pel ndioil: Mr Abraham Richards, Aberdare. H.al-kiiitted ladies' gloves: Miss Evans, Bala. Musical competition Half p-. ize to Mr D D Parry, Llanrwst. EVENING CONCERT. Berl.oz's "Faust" was pe formed in the evening by the Eisteddfod Choir, the concert having Miss E A Dillwyu a its president. SIR NORMAN LOCKYER AND THE GORSEDD. Alter the un,voat d p pularity of the Gorsedd proceedings oIl the opening day one would not haw been surprised to find a marked diminution iu th a-t^n anco of the public this morning, but the e was no appreciable falling off. Th Bar ic cil cle was, if anythiug, m I e erl wdd than on Tuesday, th r, binv a veri abla gathering of the clans. Th; oreign delegates, if it b, permissible to designate the Breton aud Irish visitors as straiugcs, Wd e iutroJuced by the Arch- druid, and given a most cordial welcome. Acknowledging this reception, the Marquis d' Estourbeillon addressed some patriotic words to the assembly in Fiench. This, he said, was the fifth tima during half a century th-t the Bretons had come over to join hands with their Welsh brethren at their national festivals. By means of these gatherings they hoped to be brought closer together day after day, and kep their nationality ever Krten. A translation of the foregoing observa- tions was given by Taldir, the most familiar figure among the Breton delega- tion. Peder Hir (Bootle), amidst a great deal of laughter, dealt in allegorical fashion wjth the Auglicising spirit which he alleged was pervading the Welsh national eolleges and other institutions to the detriment of the Welsh language and Weleh nationality. Mr Foamier (Dublin), in Erse, aDd Father Kane (Tullamore), in a few Welsh words, invited their Celtic kinsman from Wales to the following pan-Celtic Con- gress at Edinburgh. Quite the most interesting feature this session was the conferring of a honorary degree upon Sir Norman Lockyer, the only gentleman singled out for the honour. He was invested by the Archdruid in the usual way, and afterwards introduced to the assembly under his bardic name of Gwyddon Prydain." From the Maen Llog Sir Norman Lockyer returned his thanks for the honour conferred upon him. He had been much impressed by what he had seen that day at the wonderful Gorsedd. He was all the more im-, 'i: pressed because three or four years ago he went to Egypt to study ancient monu- ments, and he found that there were there worshippers of the sun and stars who, in anticipation of the Welsh Gorsedd, pointed temples to the sun in May, after that to the sun in June, and next to the northern stars. He also went to Cornwall to study the circles there, and upon careful examina- tion those circles were found generally to consist of a dozn stones outstanding in different directions. He made a map of them, and to his great astonishment lie, found that the directions of those stones i wore identical with the directions of the, Egyptian temples. He said so much then and people laughed at him. However, by examining his plats in conjunction with these of the Gorsedd ha found that there was not only a similarity but that they were identical (applause), and if he were allowed to express an opinion he had ar- rived after a considerable amount of work, he was convinced that the Welsh Gorsedd, the circle with the outstanding stones, was the distinct descendant, almost without a break if the history were complete, of those circles which he examined with such care at Cornwall. And if that was so the bards were that morning doing what had been done in Cornwall, and he had no doubt in Wales also, for the last 4,000 years (loud applause). The circle to which he had referred was the Cornish Gorsedd at Boscawen, where he had no doubt more than four thousand years ago there were meetings held very much like that of that morning (applause). Degrees were subsequently conferred upon the candidates who had successfully passed the Gorsedd examinations. A SCENE IN LLANRWST POLICE STATION. At Llanrwst Police Court, on Saturday, before Messrs 0 Isgoed Jones and W Hughes, George West, a shoemaker, hail- ing from Manchester, was charged with being drunk and disorderly in the Police Office on the previous night. Snpt Woollam deposed that about 7.30 p.m. the defendant arrived in the Police Office in an intoxicated condition, and applied for a ticket of admission to the Workhouse. Witness-noticing that he was not in a fit state to go there, told him to go for a walk to get sober. He then became disorderly and refused to leave the office, at the same time using improper language. Defendant had to be locked up. When in the cells his conduct was disgraceful. He kept hammering at the cell door aud sing- ing from eight until eleven p.m. Police-constable John Jones also gave ) evidence of the disorderly conduct of the defendant whilst in the cell, and added that he was acting more like a madman than anything else. Defendant: Was I singing songs or hymns ? I generally sing hymns, you know. Witness: I could not say what you were singing. I heard you say What I want i* fairplay." Addressing the Bench, defendant said he arrived in towu from Beddgelert. He only had two glasses of beer, and then ho went to a number of lodging-houses, bat they were all full up. When he got to the p dice officer, he asked for a ticket for the Work- house, and the Superintendent said Put him in the cell, he's drunk." He had made no disturbance in the town, and this was the first time he bad ever appeared before a Beuch of magistrates. The Superintendent, in reply to the Chairman, said that defendant was a ¡ stranger. He was evidently hawking with- out a licence, as he had a lot of stuff in his pockets. Defendant denied this. The Chairman said they could not over- look the case, and a fine of 5a and costs would be inflicted, or in default 14 day a. Defendant: Well, I will do the 14 days. EXCITING RESCUE AT RHYL. Exciting scenes were witnessed at the Mat ine Lake, libyl yesterday morning. A young man from Lancashire, whose name and address were omitted to be taken, was swim- ming in the lake. There were numerous people boating on the lake, and the bauks were well lined with visitors. Siaddenlythe bather was observed to be in distress and began to cry for help. Two lake attendants at once plunged into the water, one from the bank and the other from a boat where- in were two other persons he had been engaged to row. The names of the men were Tom Furber and Jack Williams. With considerable difficulty the young wan was got to the side and assisted out of the vaster. Restoratives were applied, and Dr Eyton Lloyd was sent for. With the doctor's assistance the man recovered consciousness, and was taken away by his friends. Witnesses of the occurrence speak highly of the bravery of the two men.

DR ANDREW WILSON ON FIRST-AID. Homely Talks on First-Aid is the title of I a new work from the pen of Dr Andrew Wilson, the popular medical writer and lecturer. The comprehensive nature of Dr Wi'son s new work, careful indexing, and the handy nature of the volume, quite get over this diffi- culty. The book is happily christened, too, for throughout the 128 pages Dr Wilson steers clear of puzzliner professional terms, and really talks to his readers in a clear and interest- '"fn short, Homely Talks on First-Aid i3 a really sensible and useful book, and will un- doubtedly become the standard home treatise of this kind. Handsomely bound in stiff cloth covers; attractively aud profusely illustrated by well-known artists; printed in large, clear type; and suitable in every way for the home 1 brary, this volume at sixpence post free is really a gift. In fact, such an unprecedented bargain is only the result of the task of publication having been undertaken by O E Fulford, Ltd. (the proprietors of Zim-Buk., the popular healing balm); their desire being to supply the public with a reliable guide on fu-st- aid in the home from the independent pen ot some well-known authority; and surely, than Dr Andrew Wilson, tha eminent writer, no better choice could ha^ been made. Our readers may obtain the book by writing to the Proprietors at 15-, Greek Street, Leeds men- tioning this paper and enclosing 6d. I

LADY Osborne Morgan has taken a le;ISE of Caerdeon, Dolgelley, the residence of the late Mr S Holland, Meuber for Merionethshire. MB Ellis Jones Griffith, the new Re- corder of Birkenhead, was on Wednesday re-elected unopposed as member of Parlia- ment for Anglesey. THE Rev John Redhead has accepted an invitation to the Ruosymedre Primitive Methcdist circuit, and the Rev Lucas J Harvey to the Old Mill, Stafford, circuit. MR John Robert Jones, of Cefn Bychan, near Ruabon, who for many years led the life of a hermit, and wai known in his early days as a prize-fighter, and who died in- testate on April 5th, left estate valued at £ 886 17s 6d gross, of^wbie'a £ 288 oi 7d is net personalty.

The St Asaph Union. ELECTION OF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE DENBIGH DISTRICT. To-day (Friday), the St Asaph Guardians proceeded to the election of a duly qualified Medical Officer for the Denbigh District of this Union, comprising the parishes of Bodfary, Bylchau, Denbigh, Henllan (Urban), Llannefydd, and Trefnant. Area, 21,732, population, 7,899. The candidates were, according to requirements, conver- sant with both the English and Welsh languages. The appointment is worth Rloo per annum (subject to btatutory deductions under the Poor Law Officers' superannua- tion Act, 1906), to include all medicines and surgical appliances (other thau trusses). &c. The appointmenb is subject to the approval of the Local Government Board. The candidates were Dr R James Hughes, Deubigh (who for several years has acted as deputy to his uncle, Dr J R Hughes, the retiring medical officer, and was therefore fully conversant with the work, and the pauper patients of the district), and Dr David Lloyd, Denbigh, who is f well-known practitioner in the town and district. Mr Bennett Jones proposed Dr Davi,) Lloyd, and it was seconded by Mr Robeifc Jones, Rhyl. Mr Hugh Williams (Denbigh) proposed Dr R James Hughes, and it was seconded by Mr William Jones, Penporchell. On going to a division 22 voted for Dr Lloyd and 17 for Dr James Hughes. Dr Lloyd was therefore declared elected There were 8 or 9 Guardians absent.

WORDS OF WISDOM. No man has ever discovered all the good there Is in a fellow-man. De Maistre says that to know how to wait i. the great secret of success." Imagine you are happy, or determine to be ao, and happiness comes to you! You can never handle your ideals without rob- bing some of the bloom off. Friendship is a word the very sight of which in print makes the heart warm. Intemperance wipes out God's image and stamps it with the counterfeit die of the devil. Still to ourselves in every place consign'd, Our own felicity we make or find. An uneasy conscience is an eternal dirge, but an easy one rings like marriage bells. "Time and patience," says the Eastern pro- verb, "change the mulberry leaf to satin." To be cheerful when the tyrannic mob of cir- cumstances smiles on us deserves no praise. Old friends are best. King James used to call for his old shoes; they were easiest for his feet. How small of all that human hearts endure, That part which Jaws or kings can cause or cure! We all have an influence in our journey through life; let us use it for the good of others. He touched the secret of the matter who said of love, All other pleasures are not worth its pains." Nothing" is wretched, but thinking makes it ;:0, and conversely every lot is happy if borne with equanimity. Great results cannot be achieved at oncer and we must be satisfied to advance in life, as we walk, step by step. The cheerful man is he who is born king of circumstances, or he who, by right of conquest, crowns himself their king. If there is unseen good in those whom we love, there is still more unsuspected good in those who are unattractive to us. Human spirits arc only to be drawn together and held together by the living bond of having found something in whieh they really do agree. All men arc bores, except when we wsnfc them; there are somo men that it weakens one to talk with more than a day's fasting would do. We make the world we live in, and we weave About us webs of good or ill, which leave Their impress on our souls. In friends and foes, those whom we love, and those to whom we are indifferent, are veins of precious ore that we can never exhaust, try as we may T If a man does not make new friends-hips as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. We rarely know our best friends on their best side; our vision of their noblest selves is con- v stantly obscured by the mists of preoccupation and weariness. Happy are they who carry about with them a Ic sunny appreciative temperament: and thrice happy those who can also diffuse the cheery in- fluence, and brighten the lives of their fellowa through their gift. THE HELPING HAXD. Let no one despise the day of small things. Hold out a hand to a friend in distress, though that tiny act of sympathy may be the limit *f your ability to help him. Since each has his trials and troubles to bear While as pilgxims we journey along the same WhenTv^'meefc witj> a brother with more than Tis'humanity bids us to lighten hia load: 'Tis a plea-sure that selfishness never can know, A joy that no language, no pen <-„n express: Ah, who can forget that has onco ,c;lt the glow. Which the heart feois while helping a friend in That sensation is one worth living for! "Inas- much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." GOOD NATCKE. • ii,ilf the mhuman life might be. ex- tinguished wouid men alleviate the general curse they lie unaer hy mutual offices of compassion, benevolence, and humanity. There is nothing, therefore, which we ought more to encourage in ourselves and others than that disposition of mmd which in our language goes under the title of good-nature, and is more agreeable in conver- sation than wit, and gives a certain atr to the countenance which is more anaiable than beauty. It shews virtue in the fairest light, takes off in some measure the deformity of vice, and makes even folly and impertinence supportable.— ADDISON. Parisian streets cost 9d. per SQUftro ymrd per year to keep clean;, but in Berlin they are so much more economical that the cost is only 2d. Dor sauarn vard.

:¡O' FACTS AND FANCIES. STILL WATERS." There it probably no better proverb in t English language than Still waters run deep; No other nation goes one better than thA though many come near it. The Turk saj9l EHstruat the water that does not warble the bird that docs not chirp." This lacks V? elomont of paradox which occurs in our Engli-4 rendering. The African parallel has more of tba element; "Beware of the silent man" it run#; he has a brass band in his mouth and a more southern tribe puts the idea equally well JP the shape of Silence hath a mighty noise."

Do SFIDEBS SLEEP ? The question, Do spiders sleep at night? it not easy to answer, says a writer ° in tbf St. Nicholas Magazine. I have made a carcM observation of the sleep of ants, and that coul" readily be done by watching colonies in theIr artificial formicaries. It is almost impossible td deal with spiders in the same way. I woul" answer, however, in general terms that sleep, as all animals do, and doubtless parts the night are spent in slumber. Many specieS. however, prey on the night-flying insects, and 9? must be awake in order to catch their prey. you will watch the porch or outbuildings of votif home on a summer evening yni will be likely to see an orb-weaving spide- i'r »;> slowly down a single thread in the feathering dusk of t-W evening. From this beginning a round web soon be spun, and either hanging at the centf* thereof, or in a little nest above and at one side is the architect, with forefeet clasping what We call i the "tap line," and waiting for so night-flying insect to strike the snare. In tbJ9 position spiders will sometimes wait for houtol and it is just possible that they may then take little nap. They might easily do that and not lose their game, for tho agitation of the would rouse the sleeper, and thon it would rtio down the trap line and secure its prey. qotO pecies of spiders do the chief part of their hufl'' ing at night, and there are some who chiefly hunt during the day, but as a rule these indur trious animals work both night and day.

SHIPS' NAMES. French ships are usually named after French provinces or towns, wines, victories, ideas, 0; sentiments, but no French names, excepting those of great men of French history. Gerinso ships bear the names of German rivers, porf.Ø1 poets, states, and characters in German litef*j ture. Spanish ships are almost invariably nam«J after their cities or the great commanders ancient Spanish history.

» A CURIOSITY OF ARITHMETIC. Here ia something to exercise the calcuiati"? faculty. A mathematically-inclined correspon"' ent has discovered that the number 142 357 io odd in more senses than one. If we multiply iO by any number from 1 up to 6 we arrive at ptO" ducts expressed by exactly the same figure as th" original. Not only so, but, with the excepti"" that a different figure Jeadn off each time, t order of the figures is the same. 142,857 mult" plied by 1 is the same. 142.857 multiplied by 2 f_ 285,714; 142,857 multiplied bv 3 is 428,5?V 142,857 multiplied bv 4 is 571,428; 142.857 mvW. plied by 5 is 714.285: 142.857 multiplied by 6 1 857.142. With this multiplying by 6 the 8tran new stops, though the result of multiplying Wj numher by 7 gives the rather odd number 999,999. — ♦ —

A CHILD'S QUEST. I saw on heaven's boundaries A something gleam and shine. I said: "A golden star it is, Out on the world's dim line." Iran where led the little ray << T through the twilight spun. Now, follow here." it seemed to say. And L p the ledge now run." Cold, cold, the winter blew the sands, But on and on I passed. j Said I: The star will warm my hands* When once I hold it fast." j But, ah! no golden star I found And no horizon's edge. Only a spot of ice lay round And shivering on the ledge. And so I weep, as you would do, If you had run so far, To come upon the ice, where you Had hoped to find a star! —Agnes Lee, in Collier s WeeUP'

WNR HORSES NEED SHOEIVG. As soon as the horn of the hoof begin? to -t worn away faster than it is renewed by natu1^ growth, and that is as soon as the horse liged to do regular work upon ground which not itself in a state of ^nature, or to undent more than a voluntary amount of traveliiJl J under imposed conditions, on any sort of gro^ whatever, a shoe of some kind becomes a Bity. hen shoes, of one kind or another. Pi gan to be worn by horses has always twen pufed by learned gentlemen. Nor. perhaps & I of much consequence whether the horse* f Pharaoh were shod, or how thev were when they perished in the Red Sea, or whetj1^ Homer, \irgi!. Horace, and other" ancle" classics," when" they arc poets, are to be tae literally rather than figuratively in the ep,tlie which they i-Vplv to horses. These would doubt, be considered by a farrier to indicate til reference is made to a luxif garnished with s&jf sort of metal. Certain protections for the hoof may be mentioned in the works cf Col1^, ella and Vegetius; and in the time of Con?*^ tirie the Great there is said to have been kt1l1ø a foot-gear for horses which was fastened to pastern. However, the earliest known specie1 ii of an iron horse-shoe fastened with nails is-fp to have been that which was discovered in tomb of the Frank King Childeric, w)10 died 4J1, and whose tomb was opened in 1653

+ HAPPY PHRASES. I Many of the happiest phrases that have* fflr come household words through their be uttered by popular politicians have been rowed. Take, for instance, Mr. John Morl^y famous expression, Mend it or end it." in a speech at St. James's Hall, in 1384, reference to the House of Lords. Here lie cop'•' Sir Walter Scott,, who in The Monasfer-j|* makes one of bis characters say. "ly fiit,i. caor me elsewhere to scenes where I shall end It A mend it." Another well-known Pa,,Iiaiii(,Oto r phrase, "The greatest happiness of the are, number," was first seen in a pamphlet by Kp Joseph Priestley, and the Nonconformist? c science made its first appearance in an an° ;|j mous letter sent to the Timrf, while GoM*1j,<j was the author of Mea sures. not men," '!«, I Napoleon III. must be credited with thc' \'i@ l Defence, not defiance." But we have to to Disraeli and Gladstone, says the- D jt Chronicle, foir the most striking political gh* j# evor coined. To "the forri^gr is due FinaJi'* not the language of politic, Partv is- otfK- ised opinion," and the much-quoted, J brained chatter of irresponsible frivolity V Inebriated! with the exuberance of iiis °\t, verbosity. One of his best-known. "Peace wiih honour," was not his invention all. for it can be found in Shakespeare. stone s famous phrases include "The tide is with us." "Within measurable distar1^^ By leaps and bounds." Within the raojffyf practical politics," the famous expression. masses against the classes," and that happy v ecription of himself as the old ParLiaalo ary hand.

♦ THE OLD BAILET: The origin of the term Old Bailey I not 3e pother clear, but the Law Times thinks the, reason for the suggestion that itmoant the lium «r outer space beyond the City wall, a vfy tion of which, indeed, lies at the back of site. According to Stow as early as 1356 "dJØ fsitc was granted to the ChaixtiM?rlain., "who to have held his court them; but die J molished building was comparatively having been built after the destruction of & former SeSSlOI!S. Houe In the Gordon RiOto(O 1780. Of all tie celebrated trials which f¡J jI been held at the Old Bailey, perhaps more picturesque than that of tho regiclhe* who were tried there after the Reptoratian, ten of them were executed. Lord \Viiiiarn of tried and condemned at the Old p. f°r alleged complicity in the Rye Plot, and. bv a curious coincidence, Courv° Jk the murderer of another Lord William R11 y\ was tried at the old Sessions House soIT1 t years aftcrwarcls--fb trial ever memorable fO Of controversy excited by the dramatic defct> yy Phillies after the prisoner had confessed the commission of the crime.

..i Great Britain's lighthouses and cost £ 529,000 a year. Against this sum is received in light dues. » ———— The weasel tribe are undoubtedly the cruel and bloodthirsty of animals. All Of kill far more than they can eat. (Ø The term "British Empire," in its seme, seems to have been first employed Letters of Junius," about 1770..