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YNYSHIR IN MOURNING.

REV D. G. WILLIAMS, FERNDALE.

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I REV. D. G. WILLIAMS. REV D. G. WILLIAMS, FERNDALE. Wales' Greatest Essayist- All South Walians, and Ferndale people in particular, are delighted at the continued suc- cesses of our esteemed countryman, the Rev D. Y • Williams, whose photo we are able to pro- duce^ At the National Eisteddfod held last week at Newport. Mr Williams scored another tri- umph on two different competitions, and en different subjects. His first victory was recorded on Tuesday, when he was awarded the prize of £ 10 for the best essay on the "Folklore of Gwent." In their comments the adjudicators (Messrs Ernest Rhys and Colonel Bradney) said that "Gwynlliw's" paper was the most scientific, and that they desired particularly to commend the local colouring given to his work by the reminiscences of an old lady. and as an illustra, tion of the colloquial dialect and folklore of Gwent, they supposed nothing of the kind had ever been done so well. A compliment that any- one might be justly proud of. On Thursday again it was made known that it was Mr Wil- liams who had won the twenty guineas offered for an essay upon "An account of the Welsh dialects of Gwent and Morganwg, giving soeci- mens and geographical boundaries, also specify- ing the differences between them and the neigh- bouring Welsh dialects." The judges in this case were Professor Darlington, M.A., H.M.I.S. and his Honour Judge Gwilym Williams, who highly complimented his work, and stated that it was well worth publishing and distributing throughout the country and the Continent. This subject was quite a new field, as nothing had ever before been written in this direction. Mr Williams was the pioneer, and all the ref^arches made were original. In previous years Mr Wil- liams had won no less than five National Eistedd- fod prizes, and four of those in four consecutive years. The subjects-upon which he has won such distinctions are extremely varied, and on sub- jects that require great learning and a vast amount of research, as may be seen from their titles. His first prize was at Aberdare in 1885, when JS20 was offered for a thesis on "The com- parative merits of the recent speculation as re- gards mind and matter." Of Mr Williams' con- tribution, Professor Henry Jones, one of the adjudicators, said that it contained summaries of a great number of philosophical theories, and some of these summaries indicated intimate ac- quaintance with the work criticised, and were not faint and misleading echoes of them, ob- tained by paraphrasing and re-stating the epito- mies of philosophical handbooks. A compli- ment that nearly every adjudicator of his other essays have repeated since! At Pontypridd, in 1893, the prize of L20 was divided between Mr Williams and another gentleman from Liverpool whose name we cannot recall. The subject on this occasion was 'The respective claims of Em- ployers and Employed one on the other." Mr W. Thomas, Brynawel, and Dafydd Morganwe, highly eulogised both essays. At Caernarfon in 1894, the subject was "The Romans in Wales, and their influence on the people and their lan"ua<re"—a subject that required a learned ac- quaintance with all portions of the Principality and a thorough knbwledge of the philosophical history of the Welsh language. And to secure a prize of E20 at the National Eisteddfod for a thesis on this intricate subject, proves that the writer must have taken great pains to probe into the mysteries that evitably surround a subject of such vntiqtiity. That the work was to the satisfaction of the keenest critics redounds to the credit cf the successful competitor. In 1895 Mr Williams again won the whole prize of £ 15 offered by the Llanellv Eisteddfod Com- mittee for an essay on the "Folklore of Carmar- thenshire," a subject, although affecting his na- tive country, which required laborious investiga- tion into old traditions handed down from a superstitious long ago. And, besides, when we remember that Carmarthenshire has produced other able men as essayists, some of whom com- peted for the same prize, one must see that the circumstance enhances the credit to Mr Williams. At Llandudno last year, the subject for the chief essay was "The Welsh Language; its relation- ship to other languages, the source of its vocabu- lary, its developments, and its prospects." For this tlii, committee offered a nrize of £50. which was divided between Mr Williams an., the Rev Robert Williams, B.A., Porth. The adjudica- tors on this occasion were Professor John Rhvs. principal of Jesus College, Oxford—undoubtedly the highest authority on Celtic languages in Europe to-day—and Professor O. M. Edwards, M.A., who stated in their adjudication that never before had they seen such an excellent competition. What is surprising is the fact that Mr Williams find the time necessary, with his multifarious other duties, to study and com- pose literary work of such excellent merit as to deserve the high enconiums of the greatest men in the land. To win six prizes in the National Eisteddfod in five consecutive years is a feat that has not been accomplished by any other man and as Mr Williams is yet under forty years of age, we do not think he feels the least tired. Indeed, we believe that he cannot be happy to give up competing for many years fo come. It has been proved that it matter not how broad or how difficult the subject may be, that only gives greater impetus to Mr Williams to surmount difficulties. Again, it is not only in the National Eisteddfod that Mr Williams is known. As a minister there are very few be- longing to the Independent denomination better known than he, and as a Treacher he has but very few, if any, equals. His church at Fern- dale, which is one of the largest in the whole of Glamorgan, almost idolise him, and on the other hand he loves his flock with a father's love. For years he has been the recognised teacher of Welsh under the County Technical Committee, and has conducted classes with great success in that subject at Ferndale for the last four sessions. As a politician he is a Radical of the Radicals, and is looked un to even at Ferndale as a leader in that respect: and, naturally, being the scholar and advanced thinker he is, has been in the front of the battle over the Cymra Fydd and Federation question. It matters very little what Mr Williams takes in hand, it must be a success. He writes regularly to several per- iodicals, lectures almost every week in some part or other of the country, and yet whenever you meet him lie seems to have plenty of time at his command. We _asrain heartily congratulate him on his latest brilliant achievement, and wish him still greater triumphs at future eistedd- fodau.

Caerphilly,