Rhondda Leader Maesteg Garw and Ogmore Telegraph

Thel Workers' Educational Association. ? To the Editor of the Bhondda Leader. Sir,—Your correspondent, in your issue of the 12th, gave to your readers an admirable account of activities of the W.E.A. Will you kindly permit me to add to the information already placed before your readers some further facts relative to the national work that is now being done. There are, it is true, many organisa- tions who consider it to be part of their duty to provide entertaining and instruc- tive meetings in order to maintain a high level of purity in the colliery districts on the other hand, there are other per- sons who do similar work with the idea of purely financial gain. We see no reason to quarrel with them. They are, according to their own views, all doing more or less good; but there is absent from practically the whole of the Rhondda Valley an organisation devoting itself entirely to educational problems. True, the various Labour organisations are always doing their share in maintaining the present facilities for education. The first question one might reason- ably expect to be asked is, What do you mean by education? A very pertinent and reasonable question. Spencer says: Education is the preparation for com- plete living." Here, then, we have an ideal, the preparation for complete living." What does it mean to the collier, to the collier's boy, who, away from the beautiful sun- light, is engaged in adding to the nation's wealth? The problem is, how are we going to reach this ideal ? Despite all the efforts of reformers, some of whom have gone to their rest, the problem is still with us, just as acute, just as important, nay, even more so. There still appears in the minds of a few people, will-intentioned, no doubt, but hopelessly out of date, Manderille's fear. He, who showed his intense feeling for the poor, when he said To give the poor knowledge is to make them dis- contented and rebellious. Virtue, obedi- ence and honesty are most to be found amongst the poor, and those who do the hard and dirty work must be inferior in knowledge and understanding." Manderille's days are gone, never to return. Time has proved that education is the most profitable investment for increasing the productive capacity of the country, and, equally important, that to turn uneducated people out into the world is little better than to turn a, mad <log or a wild beast into the streets. But, you will ask, what has all this to do with the Workers' Educational Asso- ciation? It has all to do with it. The W.E.A. stands for the making of the workers of this country better ac- quainted with its glorious literature, with its great history, and to the opening of his mind to the great questions pertain- ing to his daily welfare. It stands for a free highway of education right from the Elementary School to the University. It stands for a complete system of educa- tion which will allow the highest kind to be accessible to all who have brains and character. The Universities, now practically mono- polised by the rich, must be freed for the masses. We. see daily evidences of the fact that cultured opinion still holds to the idea that the main reason for the existence of these great seats of learning is that_ it may give to a select class the education of a gentleman." The W.E.A. is out to fight this opinion, to prove the rights of the humblest toiler to the joys of education. Your correspondent explained fully the work of a number of branches. There are now nearly 70 of them studded in different parts of the country. In Wales, we have them in North and South. The Pontypridd Branch has done con- siderable work in helping to maintain the attendance at Evening Schools, in ex- pressing to the authorities the need of the workers as expressed by them. Wrexham boasts of a Tutorial Class, with the best of University teachers. There are 40 of these Tutorial Classes, each with 30 students, pledged to a full systematic three years' course of close and careful study. Each pledged to write a specified, number of essays. The most experienced History Examiner in Oxford went through, quite haphazard, a num- ber of these essayis, and pronounced deliberately that over one-third of them reached the First Class Honours standard in the Oxford Modern History School. This, then, proves the mass of un- developed capacity that is in existence, undeveloped only for want of opportu- nity. Your readers will ask, How did this scheme come into existence ? The Asso- ciation claims, and rightly so, this as one of their main accomplishments. In August, 1907, a conference was held at Oxford, composed of delegates of working class and educational organisations. This conference agreed to the establishment of a joint committee of seven representa- tives of Labour and seven representatives of Oxford Universities to report on the best means of meeting the need of the workers in regard to education. Their report, which can be had from the office of the Association, or from the Oxford Press, price Is. 2d., post free, is worth a place on any bookshelf. The recom- mendations were placed under the follow- ing heads: 1. Teaching beyond the limits of the University. 2. The admission of working class students to Oxford. 3. The position and payment of teachers. 4. The authority for organising work- ing class education. 5. Ruskin College. 6. Diploma in Political Science. 7. Special inquiry department. Since the compilation of this report, constant demand has been made by num- bers of Associations, Educational Institu- tions and other bodies for help and advice. It has become recognised as an estab- lished body, and also an important one. The Board of Education, in -its report for 1906-07, saye: One of the most hopeful signs of a growing appreciation of this truth is to be found in the larger influ- ence and activity of the W.E.A." Mr. Arthur Henderson, M.P., says of it: It is of importance that democracy should not only be conscious of its powers, but of its responsibility, and seek by the intelligent use of those powers to pro- mote a higher standard of life .for the whole community. The ignorance which has proved such an obstacle to the attain- ment of democratio ideals must be removed, and in this work the Associa- tion must play an important part." The scheme of Tutorial Classes, now such a growing one, we claim to be one of the greatest movements that has taken place in working cla§s education. The pleasure we have in seeing the students enjoying the opportunities provided is sufficient for the labour entailed in the provision thereof. They have their struggles. Long hours of labour, un- employment, family troubles, long dis- tance to travel. All show their desire to seek the truth, knowing That to-morrow, I when the civilised world, no longer greedy, strifeful, and destructive, shall have a new art, a glorious art, made by the people, and for the people, as a happi- ness to the maker and the user." What part are the Rhondda, people going to take in this work? Will it be too much to expect Rhondda education enthusiasts to start a branch to join with the stalwarts who are even now working so hard in pushing on the great and glorious cause of education? E. J. H.

The Earth-Shake in the Rhondda District. To the Editor of the Rhondda Leader. Sir,—I venture to ask the kindly help of your readers in collecting materials for the study of the earth-shake felt on Wednesday morning in the Rhondda dis- trict. The details which I wish to obtain are so simple that they can easily be sup- plied by those. who have had no experi- ence in observing earthquakes. I should be very grateful for accounts, however brief, from any place whatever, both in the mines and on the surface, and espe- cially for answers to" any of the questions given below. 1. Place of observation. 2. Time at which the shock was felt. 3. What was the nature of the shock, and how long did it last? 4. Was the shock strong enough (a) to make doors, windows, &c., rattle; (b) to cause the observer's seat to be percept- ibly raised or moved (c) to make chan- deliers, pictures, &c., swing; (d) to throw down ornaments, vases, &c. ? 5. Was any unusual sound heard, and what did it resemble ?—Yours faithfully, CHARLES DAVISON, Sc.D., F.G.S. 16, Manor Road, Birmingham, February 17 th, 1910.

The Oontinental Sunday.' To the Editor of the Rhondda Leader. Sir,—It was with much pleasure I read Mrs. Stone's plucky vindication of her husband, whose armlication for permis- sion to give a benefit Sunday concert was refused by the District Council; as also another letter from a. Treherbert trades- man anent the overcrowding of "loiterers" in the streets and doorways. Now, may I ask where- are these "loiterers" to go, especially on a Sunday night? They cannot go into the parks- there are none. They cannot listen to the band, as in more advanced towns. They cannot attend a sacred concert, it is vetoed by the District Council; it was a means to an end," and foreboded a Continental Sunday." Have our local Solons ever visited the licensed ice-cream shops in their district on the Sunday as it now is? I doubt it, for they would find them tilled with the gentle shepherds and shepherdesses of the Valley, in all the playful glory of their youth, whiffing the poisonous cigarette, or sucking the microbic cream to their hearts' content, and as Shakespeare says, thus bad begins, and worse remains behind." But surely, our Councillors, when coming out of their various temples of worship on Sunday nights, must have seen the crowds of loiterers and the playful hooligans of both sexes, and doubt- ■ less have been rudely pushed more than once into the g.utter. Would things be thus if there were some public park, a band, or a sacred concert ? But no! the mandate has gone forth: all must be dulness and disgrace, it threatens a Continental Sunday." The extraordinary conduct of the Rhondda District Council has naturally caused as much indignation as amusement and contempt. Messrs. Chadband, Stiggins and Co. and other local authori- ties have actually had the assurance to declare that a charity concert was not calculated to direct the intellects of their young people in the right direction," and by virtue of a local Act have ordained that there shall be no brightness in the Valleys on the Sabbath. The insolence of the insult to the kindly disposed persons in question exceeds only the impudence of the affront to the in- habitants of the Rhondda, who, whatever they may be, are not, or do not claim to be, more easily shocked or corrupted than the inhabitants of more advanced and larger towns in the Empire. But I suppose one must get used to this sort of treatment from our local Dog- berryfl yet, it is impossible not to feel that the district has been humiliated, but surely, with time, the increasing influx ence of the more enlightened can be looked to in order to bring about, not a Con- tinental Sunday," but a brighter day of rest, and a more wholesome and clearer state of mind. One cannot' be expected to convert District Councillors all at once, but one may at least go on hoping for the best. May we not picture music and innocent amusement animating an ideal Rhondda, in which the jaded galley slaves of the coal seam might firrd a respite from their week-day wear and tear, and a stimulus to their imaginative faculties? Can it be possible in the future? Time will show. Yours faithfully, q mTJJ1fR 20, Ely Street, Tonypandy, February 21st, 1910. To the Editor of the Rhondda Leader. Sir,—Kindly allow me a little space in your valuable paper to say a few words in regard to the question of charity'con- certs. In the first place, I want to inform you that I am not an intimate friend of Jfr. W. Stone, but I always like to speak of a man as I find him. When the work- men of Abergorchy (Blaenclydach) held a benefit concert to assist one of our fellow- workmen, namely, Fred Eaves, I was the secretary of that particular lodge. When we approached Mr. and Mrs. W. Stone concerning the concert being held in the Hippodrome, they willingly consented to do so, and not only that, but they defrayed all expenses connected with the concert, such as tickets, printing, light- ing, &c., and also gave the service of their staff and themselves free. I may be allowed, to point out that the reason we held our concert on Sunday was because we could hold two concerts on the same day, whereas if we had a week-night, we would only be able to have one. The takings at the two concerts realised over £ 100, from which Mr. and Mrs. Stone did not receive one farthing, as all the pro- ceeds were handed over to Fred Eaves. In conclusion, let me say that in all my transactions with Mr. and Mrs. Stone, I "have found them practise what they preach, Love thy neighbour as thyself, -and help him in the time of need."— Yours, &c., EL H. THOMAS. 18, dydach Road, Blaenclydach.

THE PEERS OR THE PEOPLE ? It matters not whether you appeal to the peers or the people—either will tell you that in cake and pastry making the best results are obtained by using Borwick's Baking Powder.

To the Members of the Exhibiion Committee, Workmen's Hall, Pentre. Gentlemen,—You are to be congratu- lated upon the beneficent work you are doing by devoting the profits from your Hall towards alleviating the distress of your fellow-workmen. I understand you have already eased the silent wants of respected sufferers to the sum of £ 159. Truly a good and glorious work, and all thanks be accorded you and the sup- porters of your enterprise in charity. Yet, may I respectfully and humbly beg of you to. exercise a jealous and dis- criminate eye upon the- choice of subjects illustrated? I am a. frequent visitor to the Hall, and enjoy the excellent pic- tures reproduced on the screen but I regret to state these are sometimes marred by productions of questionable morality and unwholesome influence. I allude to those which are illustrative of infidelity to the sanctity of marriage vows. I feel certain that no man—accentuating the man—would willingly receive benefit from anything that tends in any way to lower the moral standard of his child. I do not know whether or not these are shewn at the matinees for children, as I have not attended a, matinee; but if they are, I consider the powers that be culpably negligent of their moral duties to the young. Educational pictures are not so much used as they should, and I should like to impress upon the Com- mittee the grand and effective opportu- nity they have in utilising the bioscope as a strong factor in educating the masses in matters not easily obtained, especially as' illustrations, e.g., travels, manufac- tures, historic events, &c. I write with the best intentions, a.nd earnestly trust the Committee will accept .them in like spirit.—Yours faithfully, BIO. Looker-on."—We cannot publish your letter, as you have omitted to enclose your name and address.

Open Letter To the Members of the Rhondda Educa- tion Committee. Mrs. Nicholas, Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen,—As a body which has the educational good of the Valley as a whole at heart, you will, I am certain, allow me to express some surprise that no move is evident amongst you for providing ample accommodation for Secondary Edu- cation in the upper portion of the Rhondda Fawr. About fifteen year ago, Mr. W. Jenkins, Ystradfechan, made out a clear case before the old School Board for the erection of another County School at Pentre or Treorchy; but the County Council met the School Board with a non possumus, as the scheme in force for Intermediate Education in the County could not be altered without Parliamen- tary procedure. Since that time, how- ever, a new type of Secondary School has been established by the Board of Edu- cation. Schools of this kind have been built at Cardiff, Swansea and Mountain Ash, and one is projected at Merthyr: and the Upper Rhonddaites wonder why the Pentre Higher Elementary School cannot be. converted into a school of this type, A school of the kind has been recog- nised at Ferndale, though the grant has been imperilled for several years owing to the want of a, proper building; but here.. at Pentre, the building is ready to hand, and you as a. Committee will show weakness if you fail to secure the neces- sary grant from the County Council. The advantages of such a step hardly need demonstrating. The disadvantages are serious and numerous: — 1. The children who go to the Jrentre Higher Elementary School for three or four years must, if they wish to go on to the higher branches. change their school at a, critical period in their career as students. 2. Owing to the change, there is a break in the continuity of their studies. This hampers them and endangers their success at examinations, and, as a rule, lengthens the time necessary to prepare for the Matriculation or equivalent ex- aminations. 3. Just when-the students are reaching the age when they are becoming a heavy drain on the household exchequer of the workman, their expenses are increased by their removal. to the County School at Porth, which is now full. I should also like to mention that the Governors of the Porth County School hold that they are not allowed by the Intermediate Education Scheme for the County to grant bursaries to children because of the distance they have to travel to reach the school, or because of the extra expense necessary to provide dinners, &c. and, as a result, the cost to a pupil from Treherbert is double that of a pupil from Porth. Again, it is only a matter of time for the present Pupil Teacher System to be superseded by the Bursar System, and in most of the counties of Wales the latter svstem is now in force and if the Pentre Higher Elementary School were recog- nised as a Secondary School, there would be no need of providing a new building for the pupil teachers (they are now in a temporary iron building), for the bursars could be accommodated in the Ferndale and the Pentre Secondary Schools. Under this arrangement the young teachers would spend less time in going to and coming from school, and there would be less cause of complaint of the rowdyness which we periodically hear of from over-critical old if not wise heads. The question of the provision of places for the staff of the P.T. Centre would naturally arise, but I don't think that would present an insurmountable diffi- culty in our large and growing district. I should also like to call your attention to the need of giving the boys of the Upper Rhondda the same facilities for manual training as are enjoyed by those in other parts of the Valley. This might help to stem the rush towards a purely scholastic course and serve to improve the efficiency of the boys as workmen in whatever career they may take up. I feel certain that you will not resent my calling attention to these important matters.—I am, yours faithfully, PENPYCH.

iPontygwsLft h.. A Mock Parliamentary Election was held at Soar Vestrv on Friday evening last. The candidates were Messrs. F. Hughes (Conservative). Sydney Reets (Liberal), and P. G. Hughes (Labour). Unfortunately, the Conservative failed to put in an appearance, but two lively election addresses were delivered by the. Liberal and Labour candidates. The meeting renewed their confidence in the sitting member for the Society, Mr. Sydney Rees. Anniversary services were held at Soar (W.C.) Chanel on Saturday evening and Sunday last. The Rev. BeU Davies, Ystalyfera, officiated. We deeply regret to announce the death of Mrs. Bevan, wife of Mr. W. Bevan, Ferndale Road, which took place on Tuesday morning last. Deceased, who was among the oldest and best known inhabitants of the place, was a sufferer i #

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Glamorgan Mission to the Deaf and Dumb. Tea and Social Evening at Ton-Pentre. On Saturday, the 5th inst., the mem- bers of the Ton branch and their friends held a tea and social evening at St. David's Hall, which, together with every necessary apparatus, was kindly lent free of charge by the Rev. W. H. Hopkin and the wardens. The tea was prepared and; paid for by the deaf and dumb them- selves, and such friends as were present, with the help and guidance of the super- intendent, the Rev. J. Bodvan Anwyl, of Pontypridd, and Miss Anwyl. Messrs. Jeremiah Griffiths and Edward Jones acted as stewards, and it is to their energy and capacity that the success of the gathering is largely due. Mrs. Jeremiah Griffiths, Miss Mary. Felix, Mrs. Edward Jones, and Mrs. Galliefnne pre- sided at the tables, and rendered ralu- able help in other ways. After tea3 amusing games and competitions were indulged in, and all dispersed eager for another such gathering when the time comes round.

The late Judge Gwilym Williams Memorial. The sub-committee of the above memo- rial was held at the Royal Hotel, Car- diff, on Saturday, Mr. 0. H. Jones, J.P., D.L. (chairman of Quarter Sessions), ia the chair. It was arranged that the un- veiling of the statue to the late Judge should take place in April (a date to be selected later on), and the matter of making arrangements should be left in the hands of Mr. Godfrey L. Clarke, J.P., D.L., Mr. 0. H. Jones, J.P., D.L., Colonel Phillips, Sir William Crossman, together with the lion, secretaries, Messrs. Tom Davies, Ton-Pentre, and T. LI. Evans, Newport, Mon.

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Tylorstown. Our hearty congratulations to Misses i Mabel Griffiths, P. Price, Rachel Fenwick and Mr. J. George on their recent suc- cesses in Part 1 of the recent Preliminary Certificate Examination. St. David's New Welsh Church is to be* opened on Tuesday next by the Lord Bishop of LJandaff, assisted by Arch- deacon Edmondes and Canon Lewis, R.D.. On Thursday evening last, festivities were conducted at Bethany Congregational Church to celebrate the clearance of the church debt. A sumptuous repast was provided, followed by a meeting, presided over by the pastor, the Rev. T. Evans, in which the following speakers took Part:-Re,v. J. E. Harris (Ferndale), Messrs. Tom Morgan and Arthur Davies. Mr. J. H. Davies (secretary) spoke on behalf of the church.

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for a considerable time from chronic rheu- matism. The funeral takes place onv Saturday at Llanwonno Cemetery. The quarterly services of Sardis (E. C.) Chapel were held on Sunday last, the Rev. D. J. Rees, Barry, being the- preacher for the occasion. The soloists. were Miss B. Griffiths and. Mr. W. D., Roderick. The meetings were rery suc- cessful and the attendance throughout; was excellent.