The North Wales Weekly News

SUN FIRE OFFIOE FOUNDED 17x0. THE OLDEST INSURANCE OFFICE IN THE WORLD. S I R" Insurances effected on the following risks FIRE DAMAGE. Resultant Loss of Rent and Profits. Employers'and Liability Personal Accident, Workmen's Compensa- Sickness & Disease, tion, including Fidelity Guarantee, Accidents to Burglary. Domestic Servants. 166 Scholastic. { UINEA CORRESPONDENCE CLASSES for V all Sanitary Examinations. Health visitors, school nurses, sanitary engineers, write to-day.— S. Barlow Bennett, 26, Park-lane, Darlington. 1764 LANAVON, Cadwant Park, Conway.—Girls V Boarding and Day School. Preparatory for boys under 10. Excellent care, diet and education. Fees moderate. Principal Miss Shaw. Langues and Music. 168 LONDON and Bangor Matriculation, Lampeter Civil Service Examiations. MR. W. BEZANT LOWE, M.A., F.C.S., has classes in Bangor and Conway; also private Tuition or Classes in Classics, Mathematics, Modern Languages, NaturallSciences in Bangor, Llandudno, Conway, Colwyn Bay, Abergele, &c. —Apply, Cae Carw, Llanfairfechan. Art & CRAFTS CLASSES MISS HOLMES Certificated Art Mistress, South Kensington Exhibitor at the Principal Exhibitions in England and Wales; Instructress for the past 12 years to the Technical Art Classes, Colwyn Bay. RECEIVES Pupils for instruction in Draw, ikg, Shading., Painting in Oils and Wat&i Colours from Life, Models, Casts and NatunaJ Objects; Sketching from Nature, Modelling, Casting, Design, Embossed and Cut Leather, Metal, Marque terie, &c., Ac. Special arrangements for Private Lessons, Pupils at a distances, and for Visitors. LARKF ELD, STUDIO 11 COLWSN BAY. PENRHYN ROAD. 47 HIGHER GRADE SCHOOL AND PUPIL TEACHERS' CENTRE, COLWYN BAY. HEAD MASTER: E. GRIFFITHS, C.M. SCIENCE MASTER S. GLYNNE JONES, B.A., L.C.P. ASSISTANT MASTERS: J. HENRY ROBERTS, B.A. LL. WILLIAMS, B.A ASSISTANT MISTRESSES: M. SNODDY, B.A. L. C. JONES, B A. S. PARRY. COOKRRY MISTRESS: J. P. WILLIAMS (Diploma of Training School of Cookery, Chester) THE School is pleasantly situated, has a large Assemo.y Hall, separate Classrooms, Science Laboratories, Workshop, and a large Kitchen well adapted for the teaching of Cookery and Laundry Work. The School also possesses extensive Recreation Grounds. Pupils must be twelve years of age on admission. The course of instruction provides preparation for London and Welsh Matriculation Oxford Local Examination (Pre- minary, Junior and Senior). Particulars of Fees on application to Head Master, or to Mr. F. J. Holmes, Bank Chambers, Colwvn Bav. 45 GIRLS' COLLEGE, 11 Gorphwysfa, Old Colwyn. Principal: Miss M. M. MELLOR. Assisted by an Efficient Staff of Resident English asrl Foreign Governesses and Visiting Professors. Pupils are prepared for the Oxford & Cambridge Local and London Matriculation Examinations. The College, which coEsma-Bda an extensive view stands within its own grounds of 1 acres. Spacious and Well Ventilated Glass Rooms. Tennis and Croquet Lawns. 46 Musical. ON WAY QUADRILLE BAND. Violin, 'Cello, and Piano (augmented if necessary), Large Repertoire of all the latest dance music open to engagements for Balls, Private Dances, &c.—Terms apply, John H. Stott, 2, Oswald-road, Llandndno Junction. 1558 IANOFOKTE, SINGING, HARMONY.—P. P W. MATHERS, A.R.C.O. (formerly for 16 years Organist and Choirmaster of Lymm Parish Church), Baycliffe," Seafield-road, Col- wyn Bay preparation for Examinations many past successes. Lessons at own or pupils' resid- ence. Terms moderate. 34-IA Miss Maldwyn Price, I.S.M., R.A.M., Cert., Gives Lessons in VOICE PRODUCTION, SOLO SINGING, PIANO. Visits Llandudno and Conway. Terms on application to- A. J. FLEET, Music Warehouse, COLWYN BAY, AND OSBORNE HOUSE, Bay View Road, COLWYN BAY. 49 MR. F. GURNEY BARNETT. L.R.A.M., A.R.C.M., Teaching Singing, Teaching Pianoforte, (Former pupil in London of R. J. PITCHER, Esq., Mus. B., F.R.C.O., &c., Professor at the Guildhall School of Music). CONDUCTOR of the Colwyn Bay Philharmonic Society, and Colwyn Bay Ladies' Choir. LESSONS GIVEN IN VOICE PRODUCTION, SOLO SINGING, PIANOFORTE AND ORGAN PLAYING, HARMONY, COUNTERPOINT, ETC. Candidates prepared for all recognised exam- inations and competitions. ADDRESS: NORMANHURST, LLANERCH-ROAD, COLWYN BAY. 4 IN MEMORIAiM CARDS. Choice Designs Central Library 8, Station-toad, Colwyn Bay; in Stock. To be had at R. E. JONES & BROS'. Rose Hill-street, and Bangor-road, Conway. THURSDAY FOR FRIDAY. PRICK ONE PENNY Che north Wales W«eklp news And series of 12 Popular Weekly Newspapers. The Colwyn Bay Weekly News. The Penmaenmawr Weekly News. The Llanfairfechan Weekly News. The Bangor Weekly News. The Llandudno Weekly News. The Llanrwst Weekly News. The Conway Weekly News. I' The Bettws-y-Coed Weekly News. The Vale of Conway Weekly News, I The Abergele Weekly News. I The Vale of Clwyd Weekly News. I The North Wales Weekly News 8 I (General Edition), SPECIAL NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. Advertisements appear in the whole of the above News, ••apers at ONE INCLUSIVE CHARGE, and at a price usually sked for insertion in one newspaper only. Scale of Charges will be forwarded on application. SPECIAL PREPAID ADVERTISING SCALE, For SITUATIONS VACANT AND WANTED, ARTICLES FOR SALE APARTMENTS AND HOUSES To LET, MISCELLANEOUS, &C. One Three Six Thirteen Insertion. Insertions. Insertions. Insertions 16 Words s. d. s. od. s. 9d. 3s. od. 214 os. 9d. i s. 6d. a8. 6d. 4s. 6d. 3J1 IS. od. as. od, 3s. 6d. 6s. 6d 40 „ I s. 3d. 2S. 6d. 4s. 6d. 8s. od 4B Is. 6d. 3s. od. 5s. 6d. 10s. od 56 s. 9d. 3s. 6d. 6s. 6d, us. od. 64 2s. od. 4s. od. 7s. 6d. 13s. od. It booked, double these rates will be charged, RELIGIOUS SERVICES, &c. SPECIAL PREPAID SCALE FOR ADVERTISEMENTS RELATING TO RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND PREACHERS. CHARITIES, ENTERTAINMENTS, &C. 1 week 2 weeks. 4 weeks. 20 Words is. od. I s. 6d. as. 6d. 30 Is 6d. 2s. 6d. 4s. od. 40 2s. ad. 3s. 6d. 6s. od. 50 2S. 6d. 4s. ad. 7s. od. And 6d per insertion for every additional 10 Words. Half-penny stamps accepte in payment of all sums under 5S The charge for Births and Deaths is is. each. In Memoriam Notices, zs. 6d. Marriages, 2s. 6d. An extra charge is made for booking. The announcements of Births, Marriages, and Deaths must be authenticated by the name and address of the sender. Thursday morning's post is the latest time for receiving Advertisements. Address- Head Office)—R. E. JONES & BROS. (Proprietors), "The Weekly News Office, Conway Telephones- No. 3x-Editorial and Publishing Offices, Station Road Colwyn Bav. No. 12-3, Rose Hill Street, Conway. No. 12a-Printing Works, The Quay, Conway. Telegrams—"Weekly News," Conwav.

TIDE TABLE FOR THE NORTH WALES COAST.* DECEMBER. Date. Morn, Even. height. IT 9 50 10 9 15 7 12 10 27 10 43 ib 3 13 11 1 11 20 16 9 14 11 39 •• — i7 o IS 57 o 19 17 6 16 0 37 o 58 17 2 17 1 28 1 39 16 6 18 21 2 26 15 11 Conwav 10 minutes later.

THE CHURCH AND THE SOCIAL CRISIS. THE NOBLE SPEECH of the Archbishop of York, in the House of Lords-a speech which has been so widely read that there is no need to. quote from it-serves to direct public attention to. a question of great importance to every citizen in this Christian country. The question is: What is the right attitude of the Christian Church towards the movement for social reform? It is much easier to. ask that question .than to answer it. But it is evident that answered it must be, and that upon the nature of the answer depends both the future of the Church itself and the solution of the most pressing problems of the age. One primary difficulty which presents itself is, that Socialism has not yet clearly and finally defined. itself. Various schools propound their peculiar theories, advance their claims, and offer their remedies for the evils which exist. With some of these the Christian Church can, have no deal- ings whatever. There is a form of Socialism which ignores the Creator of mankind and scorns the very name of religion, thereby violat- ing one of the most sacred instincts and institu- tions of the race. With that form of Socialism the Christian Church will ever decline to negotiate. But there is also a form of Socialism which aims at elevating society, morally, mentally, and physically; which seeks to con- secrate labour as well as secure the just re- cognition of the worker and his rights. With this form of Socialism the Church must ever express its deepest sympathy, extending a help- ing hand and praying for an abundlance of Divine blessing upon its energies. One great and serious fact forms a common platform for both the Christian Church and Socialism, namely, that there exists a woeful need for a deep-rooted and far-reaching revival of society in general. For obvious reasons that revival must adopt the working classes of the country as its Istartling point and base of operations. It is here that the greatest problems exist, and it is here that the dire results of the exist- ing evil are most acutely experienced. A casual glance at the annual returns of the Board of Trade will reveal the fact that the worker does not enjoy the status he deserves in the life of the nation. It is a self-evident truth that the working classes of a country produce the wealth of that icountry. 'Take the statistics for 1907. In that single year the commercial profits (ex- clusive of the profits of the railway companies) amounted to £ 367,814,155. Add to that the sum of ^41,241,692, the profits of the railway com- panies, and we have a grand total ot ^409,055,847. But there is a sad, a tragic, side to this picture. In the production of this gigantic total of profits 4,369 precious lives were lost, all of whom were bread-winning members of the poorer families, of our land, and 135,914 workers were injured. In the face of these sor- rowful figures, apart from any other appeal to public sympathy, the workers of our nation de- serve the most generous consideration, and. the deepest respect of every member of society. Ana there are other and not less striking aspects of the same great question. In this wealthy land of ours., the richest country in the world, the great majority of the people are poor, and in the* chief cities thousands of working men and their families eke out a miserable existence on earnings considerably below the sum which is reckoned as a living wage. Here are. some of the figures. In wealthy Glasgow 59 per cent. of the families have to subsist on less than a living wage; in York, the proportion of such familes is given as 43.4 per cent. and in the great Metropolis the number of such families is represented by 32 per cent. If you add to these facts the conditions under which labour is car- ried on in many instances, the effects of the fearful sweating system," and the revelations as to the housing of the working classes in some off the largest industrial centres, then the demand of the workers for due consideration and the cry for the immediate reform of existing conditions must appeal to the reason and con- science of every sane man and woman. It is in ,answer to this cry that the various social in- stitutions of the land are putting forth their energies; and here the question may be asked What should be the attitude of the Christian Church to this great social movement? Some of the leaders of that movement have sought to advance their cause by condemning the Church; but it is obvious, in the light of history, that their criticisms are far from being fair, to say the least. Admiration is due to the courageous fidelity of these men to the cause they have espoused, whose zeal is doubtless the outcome of a burning sense of the injustice from which their fellows suffer and of an honest de- sire for real and permanent reform. But while all this may be taken for .granted, and while we may all admit and deplore the many defects of the Church (irrespective of sects and denomina- tions), it is still true that many of the epithets hurled at it by some of these men, and the bitter criticism directed towards it, are unjusi- fiable and uncalled for. Many of them forget tliat all along the centuries (with a few painful exceptions when the ,spiritna.1 life of the Church was at a low ebb) the Christian Church has fought the very evils which they so vigorously denounce at the present day, and has toiled to the point of fleath for those very principles which underlie the demands upon their pro- gramme. Moreover, whilst every other section of the community turned a deaf ear to the cries of the victims, the Christian Church, notably dJumimg the last century or so, has founded, or caused to be founded, institutions for their pro- tection and welfare. Let not the Church be exempted from blame, when and where blame is due, and let it not be above criticism, however keen, when that critic- ism is conducted on reasonable lines and by persons guiltless of the defects which they attribute to those whom they accuse. But, at the same time, let not these men, who. never raised a hand to assist the Church in its great work, but whose vision of social life has been suddenly illuminated, abuse an institution which has been .steadily working for the uplifting of mankind since first it received its commission from the greatest Reformer of the ages. Much of this abuse, no doubt, is a result of a misconcep- tion of the duty of the Church and the scooe or sphere of its activities. It must be admitted that many of the problems with which present- day Socialism is concerned are primarily and purely questions of economics, and as such are without the immediate power of the Church to deal with—if not, indeed, outside its functions. They are, and will remain, questions to be dealt with by the legislative assemblies of the country. But it is equally true that the Church has a duty in respect of many of these problems, the neglect of which will bring down upon it not alone the criticism of men but the extreme displeasure of its Spiritual Head. Christianity is ahead of every known; religion in its advocacy of the claims of man's physical nature, based upon the idea of its sacred relation to its Creator. Many of the deficiencies in the past history of the Church in regard to social service may have been due to an incorrect conception of this doctrine. All the woes and physical sufferings of humanity, all the injustice and tyranny of mankind, are directly attributable to the terrible fact of sin, by whatever name it may he called. Were sin to be expelled, as a factor, from the life of humanity, the reform of society would already be an accomplished fact. Expel impurity from the fountain, and all the streams will become pure as crystal. The Church's primary duty is to offer to mankind the great medium whereby this freedom from the dominion of sin may be obtained. A power which will transform the sinful heart of man and redeem his lost character must necessarily do much ito improve 'and eventually perfect these physical conditions and circumstances. Therefore, let the Church direct her efforts primarily and chiefly towards this end. By so doing she will furnish man with the means of securing his own release from, the enemy and equip him with the arms necessary to a success- ful conflict with the enemy and the succour and redemption of other victims. Every true re- formation of society must start with the in- dividual, and every true form of the individual must commence inwardly. This must be the starting point of all real reform. But the Church must also keep her eye upon the enemy, and must direct her most powerful weapons of at- tack upon his forces and it is here that lie can join handls wiith the outside agencies which are at work. Her attacks must be directed against all those forms which make for injustice oppression, and vice. Whilst directing her wrath towards the assaulter, she must as in the past, exercise charity towards the assaulted The aims and work of the Church and those of every true social reform movement form a com- plete parallelism, and should in' no instance be brought into conflict. If reforms arc to be ac. complished, they can only be brought about by the unity and harmony of these two great forces.

Our Library Table. The Christmas number of The Lady's World," published on the 9th December price 6d., by post 9d. (Horace Marshall & Son 125, Fleet-street, E.C.), contain: real Christmas stories by Orme Angus, J. J. Bell, William Le Quenx, Owen Oliver, Katherine Tynan, Alice and Claud Askew, as well as a long instalment of the fascinating serial by John Oxenham en- titled A Maid of the Silver Sea." This num- ber is full of Christmas articles, Christmas fancy Work," "Christmas Cookery" "Fash ions for the Festive Season," Amusements for Children," along with all the usual features. Society and Drama hold prominent posi- tions, while poems, pictures, &c., fill up the remainder of the book, and make very excellent Christmas reading. A gratis pattern, is given away of a dainty Dressing Jacket, which is fully described, and illustrated so that it may be easily made up at home. Order this number early from your newsagent, or from The Lady's World Office, 6, Essex-street, Strand, London, W.C. -c: Children's Parties. The children look forward with eaeer anticipa- tion to the Christmas party season and all the good things that come with it The success of a children's party depends as much on the catering as on the entertainment afterwards. A good meal, with plenty of dainty sweets, fancy cakes, trifles, &c.. is what the children like, rather than meat and savoury dishes, and if they have a good time at the table they are sure to enjoy themselves afterwards, for the first half hour is always the critical time. If there is a good number to be catered for. the cost will be no small item. If the hostess studies economy, however, she will not send a large order to the confectioner, but will make the cakes herself, as she can very easily do with Cakeoma. Whatever she wants in the way of variety can be all obtained by using this most excellent cake flour. There is a list of useful recipes supplied with every packet, and the cakes made are delight- fully light and digestible, and the children may tuck into them without raising the maternal anxiety.

CURRENT TOPICS. The Future of Llysfaen. A VERY STRONG CASE has been made for the absorption, of the Carnavonshire parish of Llys- faen by Denbighshire, and as far as can be ascertained the majority of the inhabitants would welcome the change. Whether Llysfaen, if that change were brought about, should re- main a rural parish or be added' to the urban district of Colwyn Bay and Colwyn remains to be seen but as far as the tradespeople in the lower part of the district are concerned, such an alteration in the system of local government is mucl1 to be desired. It would mean a con- siderable loss of revenue to the Conway Rural District Council, but, on the other hand, it would also result in a considerable reduction of expenditure, and would probably, amongst other things, obviate the now pressing necessity for engaging a second sanitary inspector. Whether the parish remains in Carnarvonshire or is transferred to' Denbighshire, the movement in favour of separate urban powers is dead,. y Conway Guardians. MR. H. R. WILLIAMS, the Local Government Board Inspector for Wales, visited the Conway Board of Guardians on Friday and paid them a splendid compliment. IHe had no fault to find with their work no criticism to off-er in any department; was interested in and pleased with the cottage ihomfes; and had praise for the classification of indoor paupers, and the reduc- tion in. the cost of outdoor relief. Mr. Williams spoke in favour of a scheme proposed by Mr. William Davies for the classification of out- door paupers and we feel sure that when the plan is put into force it will have the dual effect of decreasing the cost of outdoor pauper- ism and securing that only the really deserving shall have relief. Drastic measures must be taken with the won't works and the work- shy," who are at present able to take advantage of our otherwise excellent Poor Law system. Delightful Deganwy. WE HAVE much pleasure in inviting special attention to our full report of J public meeting held at Deganwy, because the speeches are well worth reading and are of much more than local interest. In a recent action at the Liverpool Assizes certain statements were made which must have a prejudicial effect upon Deganwy as a health and pleasure, resort, and this meeting was called by the local Ratepayers^ Association to dissipate the erroneous and harmful rumouis which had got into currency. as a report of the trial. Not only did the speakers justify Deganwy's spLendid. repntaltilon for sanitation and healthfulness, but some, of them, including eminent medical gentlemen, were able to point to their own long experience of the locality as proof positive of the benefits derived from resi- dence in the place. The residents of Deganwy must follow up this meeting with an advertis- ing campaign which shall convince the visiting public of the salubrity and natural charms of this delightful little beauty-spot on the famous Welsh Rhine."

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL. Miss Davies, of Treborth, near Bai;sov has contributed ^500 towards the cost of erect- ing a sanatorium at Shillong Assam, India, for the use of the missionaries and their families who labour on the plains of Alslslam under the auspices of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Foreign; Missionary ;Society. A marriage has been arranged, and will take place after Easter, between the Rev Henry Bromley Maling, Vicar of Leighton Bromswold, Hunts, eldest son of Mr. Thomas James Malin., of Merivale, Christ Church, New Zealand, and Harriot Emily, daughter Off the Rev. Canon the Hon. Hugh Wynne Mostyn, of Somerset Place, Bath, formerly Rector of Buckworth, Hunts. Canon' Mostyn is a son of the late Lord Mostyn, and consequently an uncle of the present Peer. Owing to the recnt fire at Beaudesert Hall, Lady Alexander Paget (mother of the Marquis of Anglesey), as patroness of the Staffordshire County Infirmary ball, was unable to accommo- date her guests at the family mansion. The party included the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord and Lady Ingestre, Miss .Sybil Chaplin, Miss Charlotte Little, Mr. and Lady Evelyn Guin- ness, Lady Gerrard, Mr. R. G. Duff, Captain Brassey, and 'Captain Howard Vyse. The Earl and Countess of Lichfield's party included the Countess of 'Leven and Melville, Lord and Lady Richard Wellesley, Lady Marjorie Coke, Miss Codrington, Sir Victor Mackenzie, Bart., and Sir George Aberco.mby, Bart. Lady Anglesey, who, after her marriage with Mr John Gilliat, will no longer use her title, contemplates spending her wedding holiday on a dahabieh on the Nile. The marriage takes place next Saturday, and in the absence of her father, Sir George Chetwynd, who is abroad, the bride will be given away by her uncle, Lord Berkeley Paget. After the Nile honeymoon (adds the Globe ") a visit is to be paid to the Duchess of Marlborough on the Reviera. Her Grace has taken a villa at San Raphael for the sake of the health of her younger son, Lord Ivor Churchill. The house party at Eaton Hall, invited by the Duke and Duchess of Westminster to meet the King and Queen and Princess Victoria during their visit next week, will include the Prince and Princess of Pless, the Duke and Duchess of Rut- land, Lady Marjorie Manners, the Duke of Alba, the Earl and Countess of Essex, the Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury, the Countess of Mar and Kellie, the Hon. Charlotte Knollys, the Hon. George and Mrs Kepnel, the Marquis de Soveral, Viscount Milner. Colonel G. Holford, Lord Colehrooke, Colonel Streatfield, and Col. Ponsonby. The Duchess of Westminster, who has been indisposed for some days, is now con- valescent, and has left Grosvenor House on a visit to Mrs Cornwallis-West at Lymington, Hants.

SAYINGS OF THE rVEEK. LORD KINNAIRD. The temptations of life are often too strong for us.—At Wormwood Scrubbs Prison. MR. HENRY FORSTER. Eivery girl should put her looks on the credit side of her bank book.—At Tottenham. CANON RICHARDSON. In true sportsmanship there should be no quarter either asked or given.—At Castleton. MR. R. DIMSDALE STOCKER. Wealth is not what one or two own but what all distribute and use.—At Brighton. MISS A. SARGENT. Up to a certain limit a woman is ashamed of her years after that, she is proud of them.—At Eastbourne. BISHOP WELLDON. It is the duty of the State to make virtue easy and vice difficult.—At Manchester. BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM. In every department of life perseverance is a constant succession of fresh beginnings.—At Miinworth. BISHOP OF CROYDON. I defy any nation to stand the strain of its women giving way to drink. That spells ruin. -At Manchester.

WEEK BY WEEK. Blaokmore, the author of Lorna Doone," was a frequent visitor to North Wales, being particularly fond of the Llanberis district. An event likely to occasion a good deal off interest this side of the Channel is the Lorna Doone Pageant at Lynton next year. It is proposed that the event should take place in the Valley of Rocks, and no more appropriate site could be selected. The Valley of Rocks forms a wide, natural amphitheatre, splendidly adapted for outdoor displays, and admirably described by Jan Ridd himself as a green rough-sided hol- low, bending at the middle, touched with stone at either crest, and dotted here and there with slabs, in and out the brambles." A thunderous knocking dragged me from bed (writes a correspondent in the Manchester Guardian "), and I flapped drowsily down a cold staircase to the front door, where a post- man waited in the dark morning with a lantern dimly burning. Penny to pay," he observed, handing in a heavy letter. I flapped upstairs again in my sleeping suit, groped, in my clothes for an elusive penny, crept with it to the offi- cial, and sneaked back, shivering, to bed again. When daylight came and I inspected the letter, it proved to be a chemist's advertisement of a nerve tonic. iI iI 11- The smile of the Cheshire Cat in Wonderland was nothing compared with that of a Hawaiian belle described in an American romance. Here it is in all its beauty:—"Her rich red lips parted, and there flashed upon the landscape two rows of beautiful white teeth. Slowly her mouth opened wider and wider. Deeper grew the dimples on her bronze cheeks. Brighter danced the sunbeams in her eyes, until a stray ray, darting through the foliage of an over- hanging bough, illuminated the deep cavern of her mouth, bringing into view the back of her head. Then, seeing us gaze intently upon her, she shut her jaws, and darkness fell upon the scene." The following paragraph is bound to be true, as it appears in the "Western Mail" :—A Welsh engineer, who sailed this week, was thrown into a joyous state on arriving at Cardiff by a tele- gram stating that an interesting event had just happened. Many years had he yearned for these tidings, and general festivities amongst his shipmates followed. After prevailing on the mate's wife to make several costly purchases for his son and heir, he hurried home to North Wales. At the station he met his mother-in- law. For a wonder he warmly embraced her. How's Mary and the boy?" he inouired eager- ly. Well, look you, Evan," was the reply, Mary is very well, indeed but you have been three times home from sea at that wicked place Cardiff, and you never set foot in your own home. I sent that telegram. There's no baby, whaiteffer!" a A story in the Sunday Magazine tells how Thomas Jones, who owns a big ranch on. ban Juan Island, lost a collie dog last autumn for nearly a month, and for several days searched the woods without success. One day, when killing a sheep, he tossed a bone to another collie. Instead; of gnawing it, the creature picked it up and started for the woods. He kept turning his head, apparently to see if he was followed, and Jones concluded to follow him. The dog trotted along for a mile and stopped at the edge of an abandoned well. He dropped the bone over the edge of the well. Jones got a ladder, climbed down, and found the dog that had been lost. There was only about two inches of water in the well, but the animal would have starved to death had it not been for the other. The lost dog was in good condition, so well had its friend kept it supplied with food. Intending aviators and others interested in the scheme for making a flying ground of Rhuddlain Marsh, are warned by the Manchester Guard- ian that they will avoid an initial difficulty successfully by not rendering Rhudd as if it rhymed with mud." Instead they should rhyme it with with," taking care to give the aspirated r its full value. As it happens, the form of rhudd suggests its meaning, which is ruddy or red. Associated with lan," which means river bank, shore, or strand, rhudd suggests a rather ominous origin of the place-name in this case, for the Marsh (or Morfa, as it is named by the natives) is a famous battleground, and it may have been from the frequent shedding of blood on the banks of the Clwyd that the spot came to be called Rhudd- lan. or Red Strand. One of the best-known Welsh airs is a dirge named Morfa Rhuddlan," associated with a legendary battle that was fought hereabouts. William, aged nine, came in from school at 7.30 p.m. The school disbanded at 4 p.m., and was about a furlong distant. It was the foot- ball season. It had happened more than once before. His father reached for his flexible razor- strop. William noticed the movement, ancr spoke firmly but gently. Father, unless that instrument has been sterilised, I must protest." The father hesitated, and his son was not slow to follow up the advantage gained by the brief respite. Moreover," he said, the germs re- leased and becoming volatile in the atmosphere by reason of the violent impact of leather upon a porous textile fabric but lately exposed to the molecular particles of matter from the dusty streets would be likely to have a very deleteri- ous effect upon your own lungs." His father slowly and thoughtfully filled his pipe and lit it, and while he was still thinking the matter out, Willie slipped away. The Merry Widow hat is still giving trouble, this time to the Sunderland education author- ities. The lady teachers in that district are provided with lockers, one for each teacher. Since the introduction of the wheel species of feminine headgear these lockers have not sufficed to contain the hats. A meeting of teachers was held to discuss the matter. The question to be debated was whether the hats were too large for the lockers or the lockers too small for the hats. The result was a foregone conclusion,. It was unanimously decided that the lockers were at fault, not the hats. A peti- tion for enlargement was, sent to the committee, who inspected the lockers, also the hats, and then gravely discussed the matter. In an age when Nero-hearted magistrates and bloodthirsty prison doctors treat the gentle suffragettes so cruelly, it is a relief to know that chivalry triumphed in Sunderlard, and that the commit- tee have acceded to the ladies' request. The lockers are to be enlarged.

I The House of Lords. To THE EDITOR OF THE Weekly News. Sir,—Mr. S. Glynne Jones, B.A., in presiding at a political meeting held on the premises of the Congregational Church, Colwyn Bay, told his audience that Lord Lansdowne has in the innnooency of his heart moved the amendment to the Budget, and he (Mr Jones) says that it is a glaring example of humbug and hypocrisy," &c. A short while ago Mr. Jones delivered an address on the House of Lords in the same room not very complimentary to the Upoer Chamber. I would ask what proof can he give that the record of the Peers has not been creditable in the past, or that the constitution of the Upper House is not such that it has defended and pre- served the just rights of the people and State for centuries. The talk of ending the House OIl Lords as a Second Chamber is sheer nonsense, for every government in the world has got a second chamber, and as to mending it, then, of course, you only do so by paving it more power or control. Mr. Jones refers to the revolutionary period of Charles I., but we know too well that our present Monarchy holds the happiest alliance with our King and country, which has con- tinued from the Victorian era and is the most loyal the world has ever known. We know that in the period of 1649 the House of Lords was abolished (the only time in its history), but does Mr. Glynne Jones believe that the execution of the King at that time and the abolishing of the Lords, and the substituting of a one-chamber system of government really conduced to the liberties of the people of those times ? The country did not think so itself, evidently, because the people found that they had created a tyrant in the form of an oligarchy, calling itself a House of Commons. It was tolerated, not because they did not object to it, but be. cause it was held by the force and might of arms, and it was only after eleven years they rebelled again, and overthrew the tyrant they themselves had created, and they then restored their Monarch, they restored the House of Lords, and all their old institutions. And although Charles II.'s Court was not all that it should have been, it was much preferred to the tyrany of a House of Commons un- bridled and uncontrolled by a Second Chamber. But why is it that our Second Chamber, our present House- of Lords, is so much ill spoken of and called a "conclave of nobodies"?—as was done by the present Lord Advocate. It can. not be too, weill known that at the time when the very foundations of our liberty and justice were being laid the predecessors of the House of Lords were the only body actuating the King, and that for two centuries, from the Nor. man Conquest to the date of the first repre- sentative Parliament in 1265, the Barons, Earls, and Thanes were the only arbiters of national policy, the real deciders and fixers of national taxation. In the House of Lords of the present year, 124 of the members owe their seats to no her. editary rights whatever, and of those who were in by virtue of the hereditary right 167 have served a good apprenticeship in the House of (Commons, II9 had been distinguished in milit- ary service, 24 were judges or eminent lawyers, 39 have been Colonial Governors or Ministers, and 5'5 have served their country in civil and diplomatic services. Surely, a House so illustrious and with a record of centuries of achievements cannot be superseded. It was the late Lord Salisbury who said: If I am to endeavour to describe in one sentence the functions of the House of Lords, I would .say that the House of Lords interprets the per- manent as opposed to the passing opinions of the people." There seems to be no question as to the legal right of the House of Lords, but every evidence that was overwhelming for them to exercise thosei rights in the way they have done during the last 200 or 250 years. So lately as 1861 Mr. Gladston.e-the Grand Old Man—said that the House of Lords had never abandoned its right to amend or reject the Finance Bill," and Mr. Gladstone's opinion on that subject should carry weight in present. day politics. There is great significance in the attitude of Sir Robert Perks, for there is no question that he represents a large body of solid Nonconformist opinion. No one has been more doggedly faithful to the Liberal party; but the irresponsible Socialism of his people was too much for him, and Lord Joicey, a for- mer Liberal M.P., addressed a letter to the Sec- retary of the Montgomeryshire Boroughs Liberal ASlSIOciation explaining his resignation of the presidency in a most striking attack on the Budget. I will not xveary you with its contents, which I think ought to be universally distributed by the Press. Whitfield's Tabernacle, London is perhaps the matter is introduced into the Nonoonfoirnist Churches and their Lecture Halls. It surely must affect the membership adversely of many m who would seek only for that spiritual guidance and comfort they expect to receive in a church. Whitfields Tabernacle, London, is perhaps the most prominent case of a chapel beinc used for political purposes of a violent type. It was used by Mr. Hemmerdle, M.P. for East Denbigh- shire, who addressed a gathering on Sunday, November 14th, on the virtues of the Budget and the vices of the Peers. And at the Angel-street Congregational Church, Worcester, an address was given, by the Rev. A. T. Guttery, of Lon- don, who urged: the sweeping away of arro- gant Parliamentary Chambers," and said it would be a scandlal if Nonconformists did not make Mr. Lloyd George's position triumphant. But we need not go out of Wales to find the misuse of God's House for such ungodly pur- poses and this leads me to the belief that the proud boast of the Government that hungered for the Disestablishment of the Church has been cut short by the intervening hand of Divine Providence, and in such a manner, too, that those who planned the overthrow of our ancient inheritances will have something more to occupy their attention with for a long while after the new Government is formed. 1873.-How history repeats itself- Mr. Disraeli in the Commons debate before the fall of Mr. Gladstone's Ministry on March 3rd, 1873:—"You have had four years of it: you have threatened every Corporation in the country; you have examined into everybody's affairs you have criticised every profession and vexed every trade. No one is certain of his property, and nobody knows what duties he may have to perform to-morrow. I believe that the people of this country have had enough of the policy of confiscation."—Yours, & G. DUCKERS.

Colwyn Bay Free Churchmen. At the annual meeting of the Welsh branch of the Colwyn Bay Free Church Council on Fri- day night the following officers were elected: — President, the Rev. W. Williams; treasurer, Mr T. Griffiths; secretary, Mr E. Williams, Gwyn- llys. The following resolution was passed unani- mously —" Whereas, as a branch of the Free Church Council of England and Wales, we do not wish to interfere in political matters except in so far as they bear upon upon moral and religious questions, we feel it incumbent upon us in the present crisis, the issue of which is of paramount importance to our country and' king- dom to call the attention of our members to their personal responsibility as Christians as well as citizens, humbly to acknowledge the rule of the Most High God over the kingdom of men, praying that He may so guide the minds of our rulers and people in general, that their actions may bring about the ascendancy of the great principles of liberty, righteousness, and peace, and to exercise their rights as citizens of this realm with sincerity and sobriety, accord- ing to their lights, to promote these great prin. ciples when the time for so doing arrives.