The Merthyr Express

?"' =———— 4- You Must See THE ttttNtL U!tt!!H Hk Whitsun Show in every of our Establishment. '7 Ours is now a veritable treasure house af rare and beautiful articles for Holiday Wear. Every jr department is crowded with NEW GOODS-Goods that have been selected jr with great care and good taste. Not nwrely THE LATEST THING," !?ut JUST THE THING FOR YOU will be found in our Superb Stock of LADIES' I COSTUMES- -Not merely the pretty dainty gown—though wo have thara in abundance—but the more serviceable garment; I the Tailored Ocwtame, the Light-weight Coat., the Trim Walking Skirt, will be found in choice assortment in our Costume i Impart men k Our Garments are designed by Expert Tailors, and are Trimmed in the daintiest possible manner. The work- I n»aship is good, and the prices are exceedingly moderate. Hundreds of Smart Summer Costumes and Coats and Skirts, at I 25*. lid., 29s. lid., 35s. 6d., 39s. lid., up to 5 guineas. 1 BLOUSES. To combine simplicity w'fch eierance—that ia the duty of our Charming Blouses. They are made of soft. 8 IfyfjWt, fine materials, enhanced by beautiful combinatirms of Exquisite Laces. We have Hundreds Of Delightful Styles for jm to select from, ranging from Is. 11 Jd. lo 39s. 6d. All French and British Model Blouses, in Silk, Lace and Hand- Wfooidered Lawn; and Specially Low Prices. MILLINERY. If elegant styles, immerse variety, and exclusive models interest you, we are confident we shall receive a call from you, far OUT showing is one that it is impossible to surpass. Our Millinery has that chicness which distinguishes it as having pwwd through the hands of Skilled Milliners, and which is not observable in the Millinery of any other House. NECKWEAR AND BELTS. We call your special attention to the rich assortment we present of Dainty Neckwear, CWtft, etc Most of the lines have just arrived," and in order that they may be cleared before the holiday we have marked tferaD at unmaally Low Prices. The very latest Production is to be found in our selection, and the charming blending of Coifwrs will delight all lovers of the beautiful. ° GLOVES. We are displaying these in such large assortments that we cannot tell you about them all here; but Just make a- mental note of the following:— Impart men k Our Garments are designed by Expert Tailors, and are Trimmed in the daintiest possible manner. The work. I hip is good, and the prices are exceedingly moderate. Hundreds of Smart Summer Costumes and Coats and Skirts, at I 2!11. lid., 29s. 11d., 35s. 6d., 39s. lid., up to 5 guineas. 1 BLOUSES. To combine simplicity w;th eiftr%nee that is the duty of our Charming Blouses. They are made of soft. 8 I fine materials, enhanced by beautiful combinatirms of Exquisite Laces. We have Hundreds Of Delightful Styles for jm to select from, ranging from 11. 11 Jd. to 39s. 6d. All French and British Model Blouses, in Silk, Lace and Hand- Wfooidered Lawn; and Specially Low Prices. MILLINERY. If elegant styles, immerse variety, and exclusive models interest you, we are confident we shall receive a call from you, for our showing is one that it is impossible to surpass. Our Millinery has that chicness which distinguishes it as having paMed through the hands of Skilled Milliners, and which is not observable in the Millinery of any other House. NECKWEAR AND BELTS. We call your special attention to the rich assortment we present of Dainty Neckwear, CWtft, etc. Most of the lines have just arrived," and in order that they may be cleared before the holiday we have marked tferaD at unmaally Low Prices. The very latest Production is to be found in our selection, and the charming blending of Deficate Coifwrs will delight all lovers of the beautiful. ° GLOVES. We are displaying these in such large assortments that we cannot tell you about them all here; but Just make a- mental note of the following:— 120 Cases of Ladies Mousquetaire Suede Lisle Gloves (Special Value), in white, black, pastel, grey, beaver, mole, navy, tans, etc., 61d., Sld., 1W., and Is. Odi. per pair. EXTRA VAXTTE—57 dozen French Washing Castor Gloves, with 2 smart pearl buttons, in chamois and white, at It. Ofd., It. 6id. and Is. Ilid. per pair. SSRSCUI, PURCHASE.—125 dozen Ladies' Choice Kid and Suede Gloves (with patent fasteners or fancy £ pearl buttons), at Is. 11 £ d.f 2s. 6 £ d., and 2s. 11 Jd. per pair. In white, black, mole, pastel, j beavers, slate, navy, browns, and pale drab shades. 1 EXCEPTIONAL V ALUE.-12 dozen only.—Ladies' Black Suede Gloves, Silk Embroidered Stitchin" (white) on back, Is. 11 id- per pair. Worth 2s. 11!<L ° Ladies' Real Guelle Gloves, in tan ,beaver, grey shades and black (pique sewn), 2 press buttons, 2s. Ilfd. per pair. SUNSHADES. There is no better finish to a smart costume than a dainty Sunshade—provided the sunshade is in barmOEV wYih the dress. Now, our Stock Of Sunshades is so Varied that we can suit any particular fancy or costume. MtJbC » point of inspecting the following among our many other numbers :— Ladies' Sunshades, in cotton, muslin, silk and Tussore (all colours), Is. 11id.. 2s. 11 id- 3s. 11id., 4s. Ilfd. to 15s. lid. Children's SunshadeL-Plain. also Frilled, in all colours, Old. to Is. 11!d. eacn. HOSIERY. The vast majority of ladies who are particular about their Hosiery come to our Store. Our Stocks are/exceptionally fine, and the prices are less than usual. Q Summer Hosiery for Ladies and Children, Sid. to 4s. lid. per pair, in lisle thread, spun silk, and pure Cashmere (Fancy Ribbed, Plain or Embroidered). UNDERSKIRTS. A rare opportunity to purchase Washing Underskirts at a low figure is presented to our Customers between now and Whitsuntide. Good Materials, Excellent Workmanship, and Dainty Trimmings are the characteristics of oar Stock. White Petticoats, Trimmed Embroidery or Lace, is. 11 id., 2s. lid., 3S. lid. up to 18s. lid. Coloured Zephyr and Washing Petticoats, from Is. 11!d. to 10s. 6d. An immense Variety of Moirette and Silk Skirts, in all the New Shades, 3s. 11 4s. Hid., 6s. lid I up to 29s. lid. FEATHER BOAS AND STOLES. We have made a SPECIAL PTTRCHASE of these for the coming Season. The greatest poeoble care has been taken over selection, and the assortment to which we call your attention is certainly a most delightful one. Every Style is included in our showing, some of the effects being exceedingly handsome. Real Ostrich Feather Boas, 50in. long, very special value, in black, grey, natural and white, 5s. lid. eaobj Also an immense selection of Real Ostrich Boas, in better qualities, 60in., also 72in. long, in black, white, grey, natural, brown, mole, 12s. lid., 16s. 11d., 18s. lid., 21s. lid. to 47s. 6d. each. Maraftoot Stoles and Round Boas, in brown, natural and white, also black. 12s. lid., 15s. 11d., 18s. lid. each. Coone Feather Cravats, nice soft feathers, wen made, in various colours, 8s. 11d., 10s. 11d., 12s. lid, to 21L 6d. each. White, natural, brown, emu, Feather Cravats, 12s. 11d., 16s. lid., 21s. 6d. each. TO REALISE THE VALUE WE ARE OFFERING AND THE EXTENSIVENESS OF OUR STOCKS, A PER80NAL VISIT IS RECOMMENDED. EVERYONE MAY FREELY INSPECT THE 4 NEW GOODS. NO ONE IMPORTUNED TO PURCHASE. Ill OUR GENT8* DEPARTMENT we are also showing an enormous variety of everything that is Newest in Neekvtear I Hats and Caps, Shirts, Collars, Gloves, Juvenile Clothing, etc. TRUNKS AND BAGS for the Holidays. offered at the Keenest London PrIta. H 04 lb I]Fi lk &Nil "111 — ■—-

CORRESPONDENCE The Editor wishes it to be distinctly understood llhat he will not hold himself responsible for the CD]iuoa3 of statements of correspondents, nor under- take to return rejected manuscript. Correspondents jfijsr write on one side of the paper only. Correspondents are requested to condense their re- arks as much as possible as. owing to the very ■reat demands upon our space, we cannot undertake Jd publish letters of great length. Letters of a personal character will not be inserted.

V TO CORRESPONDENTS. "A Police Constable."—Your letter is held Sover until next week C J.-We are unable to find room for your better.

MINERS' OUT-OF-WORK FUND. Sir A-> the ballot for this scheme is to take iplace next week, may I be allowed a few re fnavks in your valuable columns? I have at- tended three meeting. and read as many ispeeches, but I notice that not one of the speakers has had the courage to tell the work- men that the Parliamentary and Labour levy as to come out of this fund. I believe thi- max hod of raising the money to be -is. illega l as that now pending appeal in the House of Lords. In this district, the Executive have Suppressed the Agent's monthly report, under 'the pretence that the "gaffers" got hold of copies. They have decided to keep the Labour grotlPists' names out the Trade and Labour balanod sheets, because one of the councillors t hold of a copy and published extracts therefrom, now they ask us to chuck an- other shilling a month blind into the sawdust, and chey wiu do all the rest. I can it an insult to the intelligence of the working men. I hope that all my fellow workmen will take note of ,th:ir-that the Parliamentary and Labour levy is part and parcel of, and included in, this so eaiied "out-of-work fund. YouTS truly, A WORKMAN.

TO THE I.L.P Sir,—Through your valuable paper I should like to put a few questions to the officials of the Independent Labour Party of Merthyr. I may inform them at the outset that I am so far a political free lanoe, owning allegiance to no party, but at the same time, I wish it to be known that I am open to political conversion. These axe my questions:—(1) Is it an essential These axe my questions:—(1) la it an essential part of the policy of the I.L.P. to oppose and attack the Christian churches? (2) Are any officials of the Merthyr I.L.P. active and faith- ful members of any Christian Church? If so, who are they, and to what churches do they belong? (3) Is it an essential part of the I.L.P. programme to hold political meetings on Sun- day cyeningg to deal with such subejeta les "Facing M*. Speaker"? Answers to these ques- •tEoaa would greatly oblige. A WORKING MAN.

-"NONCONFORMISTS MUZZLED AT CEFN." Sir,—My attention having been called to c pa-ragraph under the above heading, which ap peared in your issue of May 15th, a sense of iAixness to the Churehpeoplo at (Join, as well as loyalty to the truth, compels me to contradict it. How small an amount of truth there is in the statement wiU be seen by The foUowing facte:—(1) The Church Hall was lent by the b-ustecs for the meetings of the Wcslevan Synod ■without conditions, in any shape or form. (2) There was no "strong resolution," to my know- ledge, drafted "by any of the "officers" or any other member of the Synod 111 favour of Dis- establishment; or if prepared. it was not pro- duced, much less read. (3) It certainly was suggested that a resolution on the question should be passed by the Synod, but the major- ity of the representatives, having a sense of the .•'propriety of things," under the circumstances favoured the postponement of the question, and that was done. (4) It is not true that a motion "to the effect that no such terms be ever again entered into by local committees" was "carried araiinoualj. Nfl JBoUSft 534 t put> I to the meeting. But "at the close of the proceeding. the Synod did unanimously pass the following jrerohrtion: "That the heartiest thanks of the 8 mod be tendered to tho Rector and his co-trusses for their kindness in lending the hall, and that the resolution be sent to the Rev. John Davies through the Superintendent." Such beinq the true facts. I invite your read- ers to try and find the author's "significant in- °J" discover, if they can, "Nonconform- ists Muzzied. It i« deplorable that any-one should make unfounded public statements, evi- dently only for the purpose of rousing religion; bigotry and animosity. AU lovers of the relig- ious community at Cefn and elsewhere will join their hopes with mine, that the attempt will utterly fail. Will you please g»ve the abevo facts the same prominence in your popular journal a3 was givan to last week's, imaginary statement, and oblige.-Yo-urs truly, IL 0. HUGHES, Superintendent Minister.

THE GROUP AND COUNCILLOR GRIFFITHS. It will take much more than the eloquence of Mr. Evans to efface from Coun. Griffiths the dual compromise. If there were no second pro- m1. then the reports of Catholic meetings and the letters which have appeared in the prer." from leading Catholics must be wrong. Still, the one thing is made clear in Mr. Evans' own letter, that is, that he himself was a party to the first and the second pledge given by Coun. G-riffitha to the Catholics. To conceal this, the publio schools and Nonconformity aro brought in for condemnation. Surely some other scapegoat could be found than represent- ative institutions. Does Mr. Evans attach no value to the fact that Council Schools are in the hands of the public? The Council, if rukd by Nonconformists to-day, may be controlled by Socialists to-morrow; whereas the clerical schools remain the same in pite of all political change. These schools were forcibly imposed upon the Councils of Wales. Behind the Act of 1902 stood the Roman Catholic clergy, back- ed up by the Orange capitalists of Thter. Could any Socialist wish Wales to subi«i £ to this coercion? The sacrifice of principle ssems to have no .seriousness when Mr. Evans makes it a subject of debate. No one wishes to stand between the Catholic and his religion, but are Catholics to block public progress? Their votes are now to be used in the interest of their Church, not for the welfare of the nation. France has proclaimed herself free from this danger; Italy and Spain will scon follow. Yet Mr. Evans demands the crown of martyrdom for his friend, Councillor Griffiths, because that gentleman wae excommunicated from the Labour Group for supporting the old clerical system. —Yours, etc., A SOCIALIST.

COUNCILLOR GRIFFITHS AND THE CATHOLICS. Sir,—Mr. Evans, in his last letter, simply gives himself away. He prict.icajly admits beinsr behind the scenes in the matter of the 1 compromise, so that it, is really a case of self- defence with him. Ho wants to know what right has the Merthyr I.L.P. to question the action or Councillor Griffiths. Does he forget tho deputation from Dowlsiz; to the Merthyr branch asking iheir support of Mr. Griffitlra as the Socialist candidate for the Penvdarrcn Ward? The rrforal and practical support of that branch were riven him cn the understand- ing that if elected he would be loyal to Social- ist principles. They firt heard of the Catholic compromise through the letter of Mr. Mans- field, which appeared in your esteemed pap°r. Then came the report of the meeting which Councillor Griffiths attended, and at which he apologised to his Catholic supporters for not keeping his pledges to them. At this meeting he promised they should have no further cause to complain of his conduct. The meeting thanked him, and then rushed away with the glad tidings to tho'r spiritual fathers. In that compromise, the Socialist cause was bn'rnyed It was, therefore, the duty of the I.L.P. and the Group to repudiate the action of tlvs coun- or .h.; J

BUDGET AND THE INCOME TAX. Sir,—I have read with interest your comments on the Budget. From an income tax point of view the Budget will be popular, except with the few very wealthy persons, and perhaps those less favoured people who derive their in- comes from unearned sources. For the benefit of those of your readers who do not yet under- stand how the tax affects them, I have drawn up the following scaleIncome under £ 160: Earned and unearned, free; £ 160 to 2700: Earned, from nil to 8d., unearned, from nil to Is. Old. J6700 to £ 2,000': Earned 9d.; un- earned, Is. 2d. £ 2,000 to £ 3,000: Earned, Is. • unearned, Is. 2d. B3,000 to 25,000: Ea.rned, Is. 2d.; unearned, Is. 2d. £ 5,000 and above Is. 2d. on whole, 6d. extra on excess of 23,000 From this we see that the income tax forms will in future be extremely complex. As bene- fits are not proffered by the Inland Revenue, but claims must be perferred for them, it be- hoves all tax-payers to take particular care this year in the filling of their income tax forms, es- pecially in view of the fact that the tax on uneaned incomes is deducted at source. Slight omissions or failures to claim some benefit, given if claimed, but not otherwise, must result in heavy loss to the taxpayer. One instance will sufficeInoome, £ 4,999; tax at Is. 2d., L291 12s. 2d.; income, £ 5,000; tax on whole at la. 2d.; on £ 2.000 at 6d. extra, JE341 14s. 4d. Thus a slight error of £1 in the stated inoome may mean An actual 'loss of over £50 (not the tax on £ 50) to the taxpayer. This is serious. But this is net all. The penalties and treble duty imposed in cases of error may involve the heaviest of burden^.—Yours faithfully, THE INCOME TAX RECLAMATION ASSOCIATION, LTD., F. LODGE ROSSER, Sec. 14, Queen Victoria-street, E.C.

TESTIMONIALS, &c., IN MOUNTAIN ASH ) SCHOOLS. Si.r,-Will some member of the Mountain Ash Urban District Council. at the next meeting of that body, put the following (1) "Is it with the knowledge and consent of the Council that a system prevails in their schools among the teaching staff of inaugura- ting testimonials to all and sundry of the staff; some possibly who accept positions under the authority for a brief time to gain experience and then are off again, getting a good testi- monial as they go?" (2) "Whether it is known to the Council that moneys are collected for wreaths for the funerals of, and sundry rela- tives of, governesses, etc., although total stran- gers to all save the officer concerned 7" (3) "Whether it ia known that the sum' to be given by each teacher is fixed and stipulated by the superior teacher, and the majority of sub- teaohers and pupil teachers submit to this tyranny rather than incur the displeasure of their superior officer ?" (4) "Whether the Coun- cil will take steps to at. once relieve the staff from this kind of thing by an order for their complete abolition?"—I am, sir, yours truly, WATCHMAN.

"CHURCHMAN" AND THE ORIGIN OF TITHES. Sir,—I expected to see in your last issue some attempt on the part of your correspondent, "Anthropos," to shake the evidence I produced to prove that the State has never endowed the Church. But he carefully avoids the issue, and allows your readers to infer that it is un- answerable. A word of thanks to Mr. Godfrey would have bean a gracious act for so kindly putting him right on the quotation from Dr. Freeman. It is well in controversy to be hon- est and accurate. I am still in the dark as to the reason why the appointment of Queen Anne's Bounty should be the dividing line be- tween "ancient" and "modem" endowments, especially as in his last contribution, "Anthro- pos" advances another "explanation" based presumably on the origin of tithes. It would be interesting to learn on which he rests his contention. I ask again for chapter and Terse to show that the State has ever given her en- dowments to the Church, or, rather, to the many Church corporations that own Church property. In dealing with his treatment of the tithe question I shall be as brief as possible. The statements are so wide of the truth that my task is easy. In paragraph I. of his letter he states, "It is indisputable that the law of tithes is a Roman institution, made in imitation of the Jewish law or custom. So the law of tithes is a papal law, and a relic of tho Church in its connection with Rome." In the first place per- haps our fried will explain how it came to pass that there was a "papal law" before the papal claims came into existence, and how also there were outside the Roman patriarchate cases where the payment of tithe was enjoined, e.g., Egypt. Clemens Alex. (190-203) taught that the Mosaic law of tithes was binding on Christians (Promata ii., p. 397, Paris edn., 1692). Origen is emphatic on the point (Second Homily on Numbers xviii.). Isodore of Pelusium, and Cassian, Chrysostom's pupil, teach the same (Diet. of Chr. Autig., ii., p. 1964). To these we can add, amongst others, Cyprian and St. Au- gustine of Hippo. Europe: Isidore of Seville (601) insists upon the duty shortly after Gregory the Great had called the title "Uni- versal Bishop" anti-Christian. In Gaul Irenaeus inculcated the same doctrine as early as A.D. 177. Hilary, of Poictiers, in his Com. on Mat. xxiiL, insists upon the duty of paying tithes (A.D. 350). The records of the Eastern Church tell exactly the same story, but I cannot tres- pass further on your space. What absolute 'non- sense it is to say that tithes is a Roman in- stitution Further, he makes the definite state- ment that Augustine brought the custom to Britain at the instance of Pope Gregory. As- suming that that was so, it gives the Church a prescriptive right of thirteen hundred years to this property which, I presume, is good enough. But in order to nail the inaccuracy of "An- thropos" to the counter let me submit the testi- money of a first-class author on this point. It will be found in Easterley's learned work on the "Law of Tithes," p. 7, "To Augustine the early lawyers are wont to refer the introduction of the custom of tithe-paying, chiefly on ac- count of one of the answers sent by Pope Gre- gory the Great to him but there is no mention of tithes they were of a late growth." It is impossible for "Anthropos" to have studied this matter for himself at first hand, or he would have been incapable of mak- ing such an allegation. He proceeds, "The evi- dence is overwhelming that tithes would not be paid if left to voluntary methods." (Oh! that blessed word "voluntary.") I agree with the words, "Would not be paid." The point, bow- ever, is not the paying of tithes, but the giv- ing of them. I affirm that the giving was vol- untary, but the carrying out of their obligation by those who followed had oftentimes to be en- I forced by law. Next, "Anthropos" makes a learned reference to the Legatine injunction of 857, and speaks of Ethelwulfs Charter passed in the Witan- gemot, or Parliament, of his Kingdom, A.D. 644. It is a difficult matter to restrain one's pen-I when dealing with an opponent who talks of a Parliament in 844. There was no Parliament until 1265, and no scheme of representation un- til 1295. And the "laws," which he makes these injunctions to be, were only laws in form, in practical effect they were admonitions resting' on spiritual means for their enforcement. It is false to a degree to use modern terms with modern associations to describe a state of things totally different to ours of to-day. I would have thought that every Liberationist would have by this abandoned for good and all the poor; old charter of Ethelwulf. It did duty for many a day, but like many another argument of the disendowment school it has been quietly drop- ped. The case must be indeed desperate that rests on such a foundation as this document. Yet forty-one linea of your space have been used by your Rip Van Winkle in trying to substan- tiate his case by the aid of this relic of antiquity. The Liberation Society itself has said of Ethel- wulf's Charter, "There has always been some doubt, however, as to Ethe'wulf'a Charter, and the best authorities now agree that it ha.3 no 1 RM .t..a.IL A.& } V/ 1/ t 1JI I.W.I MI wmmmmmmmm L. Stubbs has stated, "The famous donation of Ethelwulf has nothing to do with tithes." On this "Anthropos" bases his case of the "State origin" of the tithe. I ask your readers to form an unbiased judgment on the value of his ar- gument. The reference to the glebelands of the Church is equally a distortion of the truth. The bulk of the land belonging to the Church in Wales is modern, as has been recently prov- ed, and your correspondent by associating the glebe property of the Welsh Church with the discredited and rejected charter of Ethelwulf shows that he is absolutely ignorant of the "A B C" of the great question under review. The argument deduced from the consumption of eggs, butter, and other edibles proves too much. Not only does it prove that we all pay a portion of the tithe, but that we also pay a portion of the rent. And if "Anthropos" will apply this extraordinary method of reasoning to the whole of the social economy, he will ar- rive at the simple truth that we are all inter- dependent on each other, and that the whole frame work of our social order rests upon the divine principle, "Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that be God's." "Can Mr. Godfrey or 'Churchman' refer to any Jaw compelling the members of the Church of England to contribute perpetually against their own conscience towards the propagation of doctrines and church government which they do not believe in?" This is the question that closes his wonderful inquisition on tithes. In answer, I say firstly, no one who pays tithe is paying for the "propagation of doctrines, etc. contrary to his conscience. He is paying the tenth part of the rent of tne land which he holds. This tenth has been given to the Church and it makes no difference to the holder of the property who gets the one-tenth or the nine. tenths. He contracted to pay the whole when he took the farm. "Anthropos" has forgotten that a great deal of tithe is paid to lay impro- priators and schools and colleges. And he also forgets that farms and lands belonging to Non- conformist bodies are held by many who do not believe in the tenets of the sec- owning the pro- perty—yet they pay. It is not a matter of con- IIciocce-but of contract. Thus our friend's "crux" goes by the board. Let me close by giv- ing your readers the true view of the origin of tithes. I am quoting the words of Mr. W J. Waterhouse in dealing lately with this question: "Only interested persons, not intelligent advo- cates, wo are told, put forward the private origin of tithes. Dr. Martineau's fame is known to the world. Martineau wrote: 'The noble Earl (Selborne) has made it clear by his- torical evidence that the Church's endowment, including tithes, arose as much as any rent- charge bequeathed last year, by voluntary gift, and preceded all law required for its protection; so that it stands on the same footing with dis- senting trusts. If her position in these lat- ter days had no more reasonable assailants to meet than the Liberationists, we might well say that we had made her secure, for their attack is decisively repelled. (Cont Rev., March, 1897.) Your oolumns, sir, for many a long day could be filled with such evidence Indeed every his- torian, jurist, statesman of note bears frank and free testimony to the fact that our Church was never endowed by the State. Nearly 60 years of persecution has failed to establish the contrary, and your correspondent never can.— i Yours, etc., CHURCHMAN 1

J THE VICAR OF ABERCYNON AND THE REV M. JENKINS. I' Sir,—I venture to think that the readers of Four valuable paper were keenly disappointed it the Rev. M. Jenkins' evasive reply to my simple question as to historical proofs derived I from indisputable authority respecting how the Church in Wales is an alien Church, and who were the founders of the Presbyterians, Inde- lendents or Congregationalists, Baptists, Quak- rs, WesJeyans, and the Salvation Army, with ihe names of the countries thsy emigrated from arior to their coming to Wales. I maintain hat the rev. gentleman deliberately evaded the questions at issue, by introducing into the con- troversy expressions of opinion held by two xshops and three cler~men of the Church of England, along with misrepresentations of first- jlas-s historical facts relevant (1) to the fictitious Act in Henry VIII.'s reign, "Establishing the Jhurch of England"; (2) Church property, lational property; and (3) the Church in Wales in "alien" Church. I submit to the just and aIr judgment of the communitv that such mist -epresentations of facts and opinions expressed ay individuals on such momentous and far- reachin^ questions are considered by historians, thinkers, and seekers truth devoid of any historical foundation whatever, and are absol- utely worthless as documentary evidence in ascertaining the real facts of unquestionable historical verities at stake. The rev. gentle- man, further, objects to the term "Spoliation Hill" applied by me to the "Disestablishment md Disendowment Bill of the Church in Wales," recently introduced by the Premier into the House of Commons. May I respeot- Fully ask Mr. Jenkins if he has sought the can- iid opinion of a man of unbiassed mind who has read through and mastered the contents of the Bill, now before the House, whether the name sf "Spoliation" does not aptly and correctly describe this iniquitous measure. As to the other points raised by the rev. gen- tleman in his letter, viz., the fictitious Act in Henry VIII.'s reign, "establishing the Church England," that Church property is national property, and that the Church in Wales is an "alien" Church, I affirm that Mr. Jenkins's history is rather faulty, if we are to judge by such grave, weighty, and authoritiative pro nouncements, verified by history and law, of listinguished men Mich as (1) Mr. E. A. Free- man, D.C.L., LL.D., Regius Professor of Mod- am History in the University of Orford, a Liberal in politics, and a historian of European Fame; (2) the late Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, the great Commoner; (3) the present Premier. Right Hon. H. H. Asquith, M.P.; and (4) the late Judge Watkin Williams. Will the Rev. M. Tenkina, after supplying your readers with the chapter and verso, when the fictitious Act of Henry reign which he refers to in his letter, was passed, and where it can be found on the Statute Book of the Realm, disprove the following statements made by the above eminent men ?: "There was no one moment, no me Act of Parliament, when and by which a hurch was 'established'; still less was there any Act by which one church was md another established in its place ("Dis- establishment and Disendowment," Mr. E. A. Freeman; page 35). "The truth is that Church property is not national property" (E. A. Free- man, page 16). "The clergy of the Church of England are not State-paid" (Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, "Daily News," Feb. 18th, 1885). "I im not one of those who think, as used to be currently assumed, that the legislation of Henry VIlI. transferred the privileges and endow- ments of a national establishment from the [Jhurch of Rome to the Church of England. I relieve that view r9"ts upon imperfect historical nformation. I am quite prepared to admit what the best authorities of history now assert., that there has been, amidst all these changes md developments, a substantial identity and continuity of existenoe in our National Church irom earliest history down to the present time" Right Hon. H. H. Asquith, M.P.. in his speech n the House of Commons, March 21st, 1895). 'The Church establishment in the Principality Wales is an ancient and venerable institu- tion. It is not like the Church in Ireland, 'an liien Church,' forced upon the people by a. jonqueror and oppressor (words used by the ate Judge Watkin Williams, M.P.. when mov- ng his resolution for the Disestablishment of the Church in Wales, in the House of Com- lions, May 24th, 1870). In conclusion, may I again respectfully re- juest the Rev. M. Jenkins for a direct reply to my simple questions respecting the origin and lates of the various religious bodies asked for JI my previous letter, and, further, will he iindly enlighten the public at large as to what s meant by the word "Free" in connection with the "Free Churches"; and whether it is a act that the denominations which call them- selves "Free Churches" are legally founded tpon Acts of Parliament, protected by Acts of Parliament, and controlled by Acts of Parlia- nent; and if such be the case that they are md-er direct St.1.te control, wherein doee their 'freedom'' consist?—I am, etc., D. ELLIS JONES, Vicar of Abeoroynoll.. May 17th, 1909.

WHY A CATHOLIC CANNOT BE A SOCIALIST. 4 Sir.—"Merthyr Vale Social Democrat" asserts hat there are various "isms" attached to j socialism, and that its wild exponents preach 1 vhat they conceive to be Socialism, and against < vhat they conceive to be its enemies, namely, nembers of the Church; hence the misconcep- j ion. Has he got the cool audacity to say that 1 he Church cannot conceive the true objects of f socialism ? I might remind him that in the i rear 1849 Pius IX.. in his encylical letter to ] ho Italian bishops, wrote: "It is evident that j he teachers of Socialism, though employing rariou3 methods, have one common end of t teeping up continual agitation, and gradually t eading to greater crimes workmen and the a ower classes, who are deceived by their artful 1 anguage, and seduced by their promises of a ( lappier lot, in order to have their help after- r wards in attacking every kind of supremo auth- ( in pillaging, wasting, and invading, first Æ if all the property of the Church, and all other I private individuals, to violate at l&st aU rights, ( livine and humane, to bring about the destruc- t ion of the worship of God, and the overthrow ( if all order in civil society." Will "Merthyr j /ale Social Democrat" point out the miacon- 8 eption of one of the greatest teachers of the i latholic Church? Again, as regards "isms." a he Church say, that Anarchism, Nihilism, etc., ( all "isms" attached to SociaJism. which II very true and good Catholic must avoid. ( 'Merthyr Vale Social Democrat" tries to adopt 1 chat I may term the mild form of Socialism, o overlook the Nihilist, Anarchist, Revolution- c:1 :t, and Godless Socialist; but I say it will not t o—it won't wash. Socialism rough and r mooth. violent and gentle, is condemned by < IX. and Leo XIll. They have given their j, iecision; they have spoken "Ex Cathedra," and ( II true Catholics must bow in submission. I a rill try to point out how we cannot adopt it ÎJ '1 the following case: In the Societies of Free- [ oasioos, there are outside, inside, inner, and d nnermost circles, and a centra! council, hidden I nd unseen, though not inactive; and I am rilling to admit that here in Enpland and j Vales, a Protestant who becomes a Freoma-son light never come across anything worse than he silliness of admission celebrations, might 11 J&YMSJ 6 gt evil 1I.I1!t-

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ROME AND REVOLUTION. Sir,—As I intimated in my last letter, "Mer- thyr Vale Social Demoonat" does not under- stand Socialism, otherwise he would not have written his last two letters. In your last issue, he gave convincing proof of that assertion. For instance: "Under Socialism," he says, "all churches will be free." Exactly, because they will then have taken wings; but wily treat Socialism as an abstraction? Socialism is not a thing with a specified beginning and a speci- fied end; it is but a convenient term, sanctioned by usage, and employed as an approximate designation of the state of society which will prevail, after the great social, juridical, and ooonomio revolution foreshadowed in the for- mulae, "Socialisation of the means of production and exchange," will have been accomplished. It will be a stupendous occurrence, and not a "thing" circumscribed; and as an occurrence, it cannot be sharply defined like a "thing" that has superfices of its own. The social revolution may again be described as the birth of the co- operative commonwealth, and as Kantsky says, that will entail "the complete overthrow of the established Torms of associated human activi- ties," and the Catholic Church being such an "established form," it will have to go. The transition from Capitalism to Socialism will involve a tremendous revolution, because of the conflicting class interests, and an enlighten- ed proletariat—factors which were absent in the feudal-capitalist transaction. "Merthyr Vale Social Democrat" views the Socialist ideal as an architect views a plan. All we have to do is to build according to the plan, when the neces- sary conditions are obtained. "Nationalise the land, railways, and property," says your corres- pondent (why he differentiates between railways and property, I fail to understand), and hey I presto! you have Socialism. There is no need for me to say that we have many Liberals in Parliament to-day who are prepared to sub- scribe to this tame measure. This reform can be. accomplished without the abolition of class privilege. Your correspondent is a Socialist after the style of the Catholic Socialists, who are the most bitter opponents of the Social Democratic Party in the German Reichstag. Again, we are told by this "Social Democrat" that "Socialism as a soienoe does not touch or interfere with any creed, church, or sect." It is just where "Socialism as a science" comea in conflict with the Church. In a nar- rower sense, does not Socialism interfere with the "creed" of the New Theology? Does it not interfere with the Church Socialist League? Are not Christians beginning to recognise that the Kingdom of Heaven cannot be realised except through Socialism? Socialism does not interfere with the creeds indeed? Has it not been called "Practical Christianity?" Again, we are told that Socialism "is a purely secular science, as is Toryism or Liberalism." "Secu- lar science," implying, as it does. a converse "uiisecular" science, is to me meaningless. Any- how, [ always thought Liberalism and Toryism to be two respective political parties—and not "secular science" parties-who oppose secular education. Your correspondent is in a hope- less mess. I maintain once again that the Catholic Church must go before Socialism can be real- ised. While Science and Socialism are in the Twentieth Century, the Catholic Church is sti!l in the Middle Ages. She is out of touch with modern thought. The most courageous of her priests, Tyrell, Zahm, Abbe Loisy and others, who are inclined to modernism, have been con- demned by the Pope in a recent encyclical. Socialism being up-to-date and allied to science is, of course, a dangerous heresy. "Merthyr Vale Social Democrat" has said that under Socialism "the Churches will be free." This amounts to saying that there will be no Catho- lio Church under Sooialism, because the first business of a "Free Church" would be to do away with fossilized bigotry and papal despot- ism- If "Merthyr Vale Sooial Democrat" ap- preciated the fact that a supreme Pontiff, in- fallible in spiritual and temporal matters, is neoessary for consistent ultramontanism, and that that is virtually opposed to every evolu- tionary idea, he would no longer maintain the absurd and contradictory theses about Socialism being not necessarily hostile to the Catholic Church. After quoting the Tenth Command- ment, your correspondent says: "It must be olearly understood that Socialists are not against private property in the great means of production That statement is so glaringly in direct contradiction of the Socialist contention that one is obliged to treat it as either a "bull" or a misprint. That statement amounts to a justification of capitalism. However, what I am concerned about is the relation of Social- ism to the Catholic Church. I maintain once again that the Catholic Church has always been opposed to revolution. She has persecuted science with the thumb screw and the Tack. Copernicus, Galileo, and Bruno initiated intel- [ lectual revolutions in spite of the Church. She is conservative in her religion and politics, and demands unconditional surrender to her door- mas. Let "Merthyr Vale Social Democrat" read Mazzirils "Faith and the Future," and "From the Church to the Council." Let him learn to read the history of the Catholic Church from the viewpoint of a revolutionist. and he will see bow he has egre-ionsly erred in his recent apologies. Romanism and Social De indeed? What an unholy contra- diction.—YOUTS, sincerely, HUW MENAL May 15th, 1909..

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live and die a Mason, without doing more than gyive his name and mousy to the society as an act of benevolence. And yet the Catholic Church condemns and forbids even this amount of participation of Freemasonry, and no good Catholic questions her wisdom herein, so that the smooth must go with the rough; and he ends his letter by stating that I pin my faith to the old rotten method of preaching mercy to the rich and patience to the poor. I should like to ask him if this is a proper utterance of a. Catholic when speaking or writing on matters relating to the doctrines of the Church, and I would prefer to adopt that method, which is in accordance with the teachings of the Church, than the method of modern Socialist*, who count &s gain all strikes, conspiracies, rebel- lions, and revolutions, who are to be found fomenting every kind of discontent with the existing order of things.—I remain, etc., A MERTHYR CATHOLIC.