Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

14 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

! EPITOME OF NEWS. j

OUR LONDON LETTER. lb.-

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

OUR LONDON LETTER. lb.- [From Our Special Coi-,t-espondent.) The 150th anniversary of the conquest of Quobcc by General Wolfe, was one of those occasions which no self-respecting Briton could allow to pass unobserved. Perhaps there was a touch of remorse among those who assembled at the dinner over which Sir George White, the Ladysmilh hero, presided, for certainly the memory of Wolfe has been sadly neglected since the day whers the young k ,\i laid down his life on the Plains of Abraham. It has not been sufficiently real's'd how much he did for England, and for that British Empire which in his day was hardly thought of, when he smashed the opposing forces, and won Canada for us. The point was referred to by Sir George Wolfe, a member of the gallant soldier's family, who also said that the campaign, short and de- cisive, sprang from the brain of a young man who had nothing but his abilities to recommend liim.. He might have added that even these abilities were not always dis- played to the best advantage, for Wolfe, it is said, was somewhat given to boasting, as his friends regarded it, although as a matter of fact he was always ready to back up his boasts by actions. The proposal is on foot to erect a statue to his memory in his native village of Wcsterham, and I trust it will be realised. A penny subscription from the boys of England would put the fund on a substantial basis. Many old play-goers will regret to bear that the Kcndals are about to retire from the stage into private life. For more than a g nci-ation they have delighted London and provincial audiences with a series of pkvys which have proved that the stage can be made to pay on a highly moral level, and their wifhdrawal from the -footlights will be tlie withdrawal of an influence that has in- vawtit-iy made for good. It has been pointed out ;hat of late their appearances in London lLve been few and far between, and that tlity have shared the fate of Irving, Ellen Terry, and Sir Jehn Hare, in having to rely for support mainly on provincial audiences. To all of which one can only reply that London has suffered while the provinces have gained. At the sittings of the Commission to enquire into the working of the Stage Censorship, a great deal was said by various witnesses in favour of the existing arrange- ment. But it would be hard, however, to justify the predicament in which Mr. Philip Yorke now finds himself. He undertook to give a series of promenade concerts at Ald- wych Theatre, and spent a large sum of money in advertising the fact. But every- thing seemed ready, and music lovers were putting their hands into their pockets to find the necessary admission money when the Lord Chamberlain interfered. He pointed out to Mr. Yorke that the theatre was not licensed for promenade concerts, and that he (the Lord Chamberlain) had no power to grant such a licence. That power rested with the London County Council, to whom Mr. Yorke should apply. But time is short, and getting a license from the London County Council is not so easy as getting a packet of sweets from an automatic machine. Certain formalities have to be observed, and it is quite within the bounds of possibility that certain structural alterations may have to be made before the Council authorises the holding of the concerts. Was such a ridicu- lous situation ever known? It has nothing to. do with the Censor, but it is an excellent illustration of the absurd restrictions an<t obstacles a London manager finds in his path when he sets out to entertain the public. Mr. Sydney Perks, F.S.A., the City Sur- veyor, is to be congratulated on the dis- covery of two early fifteenth century win- dows in the London Guildhall. Such a trea- sure, so antiquaries declare, has not been disclosed for centuries. The windows are in the walls close to the ancient figures of Gog I and Magog, and evidently formed part of the Guildhall when the present building was put up in the early years of the fifteenth century. But, as every Londoner ought to know, the Guildhall has suffered much from fire, and perhaps more from the hand of the "re- storer," and it was this gentleman who saw fit to cover up the windows with lath and plaster, and to fill up the space in front of them with brickwork and cement. However, it is satisfying to know that they have again been disclosed to view. One of them still .contains the ancient iron fastenings, and most of the glass, certainly a, hundred years old, through which our ancestors peeped out into the Guildhall yard. The other is in far less perfect condition, for the glass, lead- work, and some of the stonework has dis- appeared, but sufficient remains to indicate the orginal appearance of the building. The two windows, I am told, are all that remain of the windows which originally stood in the Guildhall, and are probably those which were glazed out of some of the money left by Dick Whittington. Long may they be pre- served. A few weeks ago the "Quiver" asked the pointed question whether England was be- coming less Christian, and a variety of opinions was obtained on that important point. Among others the view was expressed that the week-end habit, by encouraging travelling on Sundays, was helping towards the non-observance of Sunday which many preachers deplored. I. now learn that the lamer Circle railway is proposing to do some- ttùngin that direction. Hitherto, for long years, there has been what may be call.ed. Church service suspension, between the hours of eleven in the morning and one in the afternoon, the opinion being that the public did not wish ito travel between those hours. But they do, as the company has come ;to Yecogiiiae. London life is getting busief, e*«it on Sundays, and to meet the condition of affairs the Inner Circle propose to run a continuous ten-minutes service I throughout the Sunday morning. On the II Out-or Circle this system has long prevailed; the only wonder is that the other Circle, which is very keen after dividends, has not done likewise before now. There was a distinct gloom in both Cham- bers of Parliament when it became known that Lord Twccdmouth had passed away. Those members who know all the ins and outs of public life were fully aware of the serious nature of his lordship's illness, although they did not expect his demise at an age when most men should be reasonably expecting to I enjoy a little leisure. Lord Tweedmouth, in fact, never recovered from the heavy blow he received when he was compelled to retire i from the office of First Lord of the Ad- miralty. He was an able and conscientious from the office of First Lord of the Ad- miralty. He was an able and conscientious worker, and admired as much by his fric-iids as by his foes. Perhaps this faculty of friendship his undoing, for it led the Kaiser to write a letter to him in which the condition of the British navy was discussed, and Lord Tweedmouth to reply in an equally frank and candid manner. "This will never do," Mr. Asquith seems to have said, after the style of a famous exemplar, and so Lord I Tweedmouth was deposed, ostensibly that the I representative of the Admiralty might be in the House of Commons. But everybody knew why he had gone, although few imagined that Ms final departure would take place so soon. E. H. R.

BOY'S TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE.

CRIMINAL LAZINESS.

IMUTINOUS CONVICT.

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