Cymro a'r Celt Llundain

The Welsh Club. A special meeting of the members of this Club will be held on Monday evening next, when the proposals for a new set of rooms will be discussed and decided upon. We understand that the Governing Committee have a very practicable and economical scheme to be placed before the members at this gathering.

LITERARY AND OTHER NOTES. THE South Wales Daily News has done me the honour of naming me with the Isaiahs and the Jeremiahs of history, for in its comments on my remarks in this column last week, it ventured to suggest that I must have suffered from a bad attack of jaundice when I wrote of the sectarian squabbles and the selfish jealousies of the Wales of to-day. Ah well, it gives me some comfort to re- member that it is the old, old way of the world in its effective attempts to forget bitter truths. Not on this occasion, even, has the S.W.D.N." uttered an original criticism. ? ? I have just been reading a shilling book- let bearing the promising title of The Betrayal of Wales," and written in very prosy prose. This writer, who calls himself The Member for Treorchy," seems to think that the greatest need of Wales to-day is theDisestablishment and Disendowment of the Church of England, and did all the liberationists of Wales view the question from Treorchy's lofty standpoint, he would be quite correct. There is a nationalist aspect of the question, 'tis true, but there is not one in a hundred of the admirable vocalists of the Welsh platform, who is able to apprehend that aspect of the question. It may, indeed, be a wonderful dispensation of Providence (as the Irishman said) that the matter is delayed. There is some very subtle irony in this shilling book-for instance "Listen to a few of their names (i.e., the names of Welsh members) and let them fall pleasantly on the ears attuned to the music of Wales II Sir George Newnes: Eminent Welshman No. I. Edward Heinincrdi: Eminent Welsh- man No. 2. Sidney Robinson: Eminent Welshman No.3. Keir Hardie: Eminent Welshman No. 4. William Brace: Eminent Welshman No. 5." Treorchy applies the etymological test, and finds the Welsh party sadly wanting. As all KELT readers know, there are other tests, almost as effective. Suppose we wrote :— J. D. Rees, Devoted patriot No. 1. Vaughan Davies, Devoted patriot No. 2. Ivor Guest, Devoted patriot No. 3. How it appeals to the Welsh imagination It is so easy to conceive of all these suave and velvet souls fighting and dying 'neath the banners of a Glyndwr or a Llywelyn. Our salvation must needs be at hand. Certain journalistic notices of the pro- gramme of the 1909 London National Eisteddfod have been pointed out to me. A few London Welshmen may know that some enthusiasts have worked both in and out of season to make this programme a successful one. It is, no doubt, very encouraging for them to find members of the Committee, who forget to attend their Committees, publish- ing commonplace criticisms in newspapers with a wide circulation. The programme may not be "wondrously and fearfully original," but remembering the fact that certain people have withheld their advice, perhaps it does not fall very far short of originality. NORICK.

LABOUR NOTES FOR LONDON WELSHMEN. The London Welshman, busy with his yardstick and milkcan, and as frankly materialistic as an Arab slavedealer, has not yet realised the great changes in thought that is taking place in his native land. Among the young men of South Wales this is especially true and even North Wales- dear, conservative, self-satisfied North Wales —has heard the glad tidings of a new gospel, and is receiving it with gladness and wel- come. This message of hope is the Political Independence of Labour, with its battle cry that the fruits of labour belongs to the labourer. METHODISM AND LABOUR. It would be no exaggeration to say that Wales has seen nothing like 'it since the great Methodist Revival, when those three great sons of the people-Daniel Rowlands, John Elias, and Williams o'r Wern pro- claimed with burning eloquence the great democratic doctrine of the absolute equality of the human soul before the Throne of Grace and after the nation has been for over a century casting yearning glances dros y bryniau tywyll niwlog searching for this ideal of equality in the great beyond, to-day it has heard the message that the appointed place to strive for it is here—in the coal-smirched and smoke-defiled valleys of Wales, and that the time to strive for it, is now. THE SPREAD OF THE MOVEMENT. The instrument of this new idea is the Independent Labour Party, and its increase in Wales is quite phenomenal, so much so that the Rev. R. J. Campbell, of the City Temple, described Wales as the hope of the West." Five years ago they had five small branches in the Principality, to-day they have 120, spreading from the unfre- quented parts of Card iganshire-that virile nursery of Welsh Democracy—to the popu- lous confines of Glamorgan and Monmouth and from Carnarvon in the North-that Mecha of mediocrity-to Haverfordwest in the South. And these are served by enthusiastic bands of voluntary workers who give freely of their time and their money. In the big industrial centres like Cardiff and the vales of Glamorgan, there are strong branches which can subscribe hundreds of pounds for pro- paganda purposes, which can sell hundreds of pounds worth of literature and hold about 300 meetings during the year the biggest halls in their neighbourhoods being insuffi- cient to hold the multitudes that throng to hear their messages. WELSH NATIONALISM AND THE MOVEMENT. And now, that the watchdogs of Welsh nationalism are silently munching their biscuit of office, and Welsh Disestablishment in danger of falling into the beer cellar of the publican, it may well be asked how does Welsh Nationalism stand in relation to this new movement. Though it is, as far as Wales is concerned, of English origin-with that honest and picturesque figure, J. Keir Hardie, as its chief apostle, who, like many a poor Welsh boy, learned his letters from the capitals of the old family Bible at his mother's knee, and learned to write in the darkness of the coalpit, with the coal seam for his slate and a piece of chalk for a pencil-so was the great Revival. Howell Harris and Daniel Rowlands received their inspiration, and much help from White field and Wesley, but the hymns of Pantycelyn and the consuming love of Rowlands for the spiritual welfare of his countrymen converted it into a great democratic Welsh religious movement. And the same thing will happen again.

who loves his native land the preservation of the Welsh language is much more im- portant than even the Disestablishment of the Church. Once you kill our language, you kill our nationality. Let Welsh nation- alists be thoroughly independent like the Irish, and then they will get more respect and fair-play from Parliamentary candi- dates." LAST Thursday, at Nunhead Cemetery, there were laid to rest the remains of Florence Clare Williams, the wife of Mr. William Williams, Food Inspector, West- minster. She died very suddenly at Brighton on the previous Saturday, and owing to the widefelt sympathy with her bereaved family and the deep personal loss felt by so many friends, the funeral was one of the saddest we have witnessed. Mrs. Williams was born at Pontnewydd, and she and her husband spent the earlier part of their married life at that place, where they attended Bethany Church. Some years ago, they removed to London, and Mr. and Mrs. Williams devoted themselves with undivided energy to the work of the Church at Falmouth Road. Mrs. Williams was one of the quiet and faithful ones. Her influence, however, was felt by all around her, for she had the supreme gift of making others happy and joyful, and she knew the great arts of self sacrifice and devotion. The regard in which she was held by her friends and acquain- tances was shown by the innumerable signs of grief at her funeral, and the general sympathy felt with her husband and one little daughter of 10* years of age, who are 2 mourning an irreparable loss. The officia- ting ministers at the funeral were the Rev. S. Prytherch, of Falmouth Road, and Mr. T. H. Davies, a personal friend of the family. A funeral service was held at Falmouth Road on Sunday evening, April 26th, when the Rev. S. Prytherch delivered a powerful memorial sermon. MR. VIVIAN REES, of Cardiff, told an amusing story, at a South Wales meeting, the other day. Mr. Rees said that there was once a lawyer who acted for a man claiming compensation for an accident. The client was awarded £ 10 by the court, and when he went to his advocate to settle matters up, the latter presented a bill for Y,9 for services rendered, and at the same time handed the client a sovereign. The man, non-plussed, was leaving, but, turning back, he said, Tell me this, guv'nor, was it you or me 'as met with the accident" ? The lawyer replied, Oh, it was you; another six and eight, please." SIR S. T. EVANS, M.P., had a most enthusiastic reception, at Bridgend, on Easter Monday. This is how Penar intro- duced the Solicitor General to the audience Fe ddaeth y Marchog mwyn i'n plith, A bendith ar ei ben Mae blodau'r goron dan y gwlith- Gwlith cariad Gwalia wen. Ei enw fydd yn gwefu'n gwlad. Fel haul y bore clir Ei hanes bery mewn mawrhad- Tra calon Cymro'n bur.