Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser

THE WELSH INDUSTRIES EXHIBITION. TilE promoters of the "Welsh Industries Exhibition, held at the University College, Aberystwyth, this week, are to be congratu- lated upon the magnificent success which has attended their efforts. The entries, both as regards number and variety, far exceeded the most sanguine expectations, and the arrangements, complete as they are, have proved unequal to the demand. The pro- ceeds of the Exhibition are to be devoted to the founding of Classes at Aberystwyth College for technical instruction in I )yeing and kindred subjects. There can be no question as to the need and advantage of having such a course of lectures established. They could not fail to give a, new impetus to the woollen industries of the district, and would do much to revive their trade. The objects of the Welsh Industries Association is worthy of every support and encourage- I ment. Committees have been formed in several counties for the purpose of forming local branches, and it is hoped that in time a network of them will extend over the whole of Wales and Monmouth. By giving the weavers good patterns, and by helping the cottage workers to find a better market for their goods, the Association hopes that it will not only improve the textile fabrics of Wales, but that it will' also do something towards preventing the country people from crowding into the towns. It is also pro- posed to foster the old Welsh national patterns and fabrics, many of which have been dying out of late years. Another com- mendable object of the Association is to urge its members to buy materials and goods of real Welsh manufacture. It is well known that Welsh industries, especially tho woollen industry, have suffeusd much from unfair competition. Genuine Welsh products are forced out of the market by goods manu- factured elsewhere than in the Principality.

AN ASPECT OF WELSH MUSIC. IT has often occurred to us to ask whether the Welsh as a nation are entitled to that pre-eminence and superiority in the world of music which are usually ascribed to them. There is no doubt that we arc proud of our abilities in this direction and that in the past we have not been anxious to Baake deduction from the iaipression that to some extent music is the special prerogative of our nation. The old tradition says Wales Is a sea of song," Mor o gan yw Cymru i gyd." This motto betokens a high ambition and ought to be justified by high performance. There is no doubt that we possess to a large extent the gifts of artistic appreciation and understanding, which, coupled with an im- aginative temperament, are qualities so necessary in the development and training of the true musician. And, moreover,, we are fortunate in living in a country famous for the beauty of its scenery and its healthy con- ditions, which tend to develop the sense of the artistic in our nature and produce the resulting expression. But have we justified our claim to the high musical position im- plied in the motto" W v les is a sea of We think a candid observer would admit that we are not up-to-date in our acquaint- ance with compositions of modern times. Good and useful as is the Tonic Solfa Nota- tion, it has its limitations. Though we are well acquainted with it for vocal purposes, still our comparative ignorance of the Old Notation debars us from a complete appre- ciation of many fine orchestral compositions and does not enable us to thoroughly grasp and understand those modern works in which the ensemble is produced by vocal and instrumental effects in combination. It has been said, perhaps rightly, that except for our ancient minstrelsy, we have no musical past; that we cannot boast like other nations of having produced such worthies as Palestrina, Corelli, Bach, Handel, or Purcell in the past, or such composers as Verdi, Wagner, Brahms, Berlioz, or Gounod in this century. But we can afford to be sanguine both in the direction of appreciation and performance. Our choral societies are im- proving in the class of works performed year by year and in the merit of performance itself. Representative and modern works &re now being gradually introduced for re- hearsal instead of isolated selections elaborated with the refinement of the painted lily for the eisteddfodic platform. Greater attention is being paid to musical education, reading, and voice production, and to a knowledge of the essentials of harmony, without which a performance is meaningless to the performer. And people are be- ginning to appreciate the beauties of the orchestra. More so than in the past, training and practice in orchestral works are gaining ground. Our County Schools are making rapid strides in providing facilities for in- struction and training in vocal and instru- mental music, the result of which will be marked in a few years. The University Colleges have within recent times devoted considerable attention to the study of music, and have opened up a new sphere of know- ledge in this department through their choral and orchestral practices. The organ is now more than ever. giving a charm and reverence to religious worship, which before was in a, musical sense utterly barren. Above all we should cherish reasonably and sensibly a national instinct to the best practical end, and not be content with a reputation which, at this end of the century, may be unwarranted. Let us raise the standard of our musicianship, choosing as models and for performance the works of the best and most represen- tative masters, and thus equip ourselves to give practical proof of our ability and reputa- tion in matters musical.

THE TRANSVAAL. THE latest news from the Transvaal is very conflicting, but there can be no question that the situation is exceedingly critical, and is becoming more acute from day to day. The Boer Government is awaiting a reply from London to the despatch forwarded last Saturday. The latest reports from South Africa state that the exodus from the Trans- vaal continues, and that various arrange- ments are being made in preparation for war breaking out. In this country, as the crisis develops, public opinion is becoming more general and pronounced against war. Sev- eral important meetings have been held during the week to protest against armed intervention. On Tuesday night, in addres- sing a meeting of his constituents, Mr. Jony MORLEY uttered a notable and timely protest against going to war with the Boers. It would be idle for him, said Mr. MORLEY when they heard the sound of approaching war in their ears, to talk about ground values, or old-age pensions, or any of those things. When the air was filled with the clamour of those who ought to be steadying public opinion, instead of inciting it to new impatience and new excitement, lie thought it was the bounden duty of even the humblest member of Parliament to examine, with thoe who sant him to represent them, what the. conditions were in which the country now found itself. Mr. J onN MoRLEY eloquently maintained that all the evils and mischief of delay in connection with the present situation in South Africa wore dust in the balance compared with the evils and mischiefs of war in South AMca. He assumed that if we went to war we should be successful. But the results of our military success would be to make an enemy of the Orange Free State, to divide the English and the Dutch in Cape, Colony, and to stir up a dangerous spirit among the native population there. In short they would make another Ireland in South Africa. What would they do after they had won their battle ? They would have to make the Transvaal into a. Crown colony, and for a long time after the war it would have to be held by force. Everywhere where the gold was they would set up a sort of loyalist Ulster, and everywhere outside those dis- tricts they would find their goverment and their authority saturated with the spirit of disafiection. He had a broad belief in the unlucky share human folly exerted in human affairs, and lie did not believe there could be a more insensate example of human folly than a war with the Transvaal on the subjects at present under discussion. His watchword was patience, not for the sake of the Transvaal alone, but for our own sake. War with the Transvaal he declared, would be a deep dishonour. _L-

NOTES AND COMMENTS. On Tuesday morning the body was found of a man named David Jones, a rural post- man of Forge, a village about a mile from Machynlleth. The man had evidently taken his own life. Jones was about fifty years of age and much respected in the district. At a meeting of the managers of the Aber- In 17, ystwyth County School on Friday evening, the chairman, Mr. George Davis, J.P., re- ferred to the satisfactory results achieved by the pupils at the recent examinations and congratulated the headmaster, Mr. David Samuel, M.A., and his staff apon the success- ful results of their labours.. A Salvation Army captain was fined at the Crewe Police Court yesterday for causing an obstruction in the street by holding a ser- vice. The decision ofthmagistrates, which was read, stated that although they knew that the Army were doing good work, still, in view of a decision of the Queen's Bench Division, they had no alternative but to con- vict. Two W of the magistrates expressed their regret at the- fact that they were com- pelled to convict, and expressed their sym- pathy with the Army in their work. A Dutch gentleman, who has had military training and holds the degree of officer in reserve to the. Army of the Netherlands, has written the following letterAssuming that war is inevitable, I belive that England will not find it an easy task to subdue 50,000 trained soldiers of unequalled skill, fighting on their own territory soldiers whose shots hardly ever fail, and who realise the Old Testament type of stubbornness and courage. At the age of eleven the Boer youth is sent out with throe charges of shot to hunt game—and if &e does not bring back some trophy of his campaign, he receives a thrashing furl" his unskilfulness. South-west of Johannesburg—it all depends on circumstances how far from there— thousands of soldiers, must fall befoi e success can come to British invaders. As to Maxims and other quick-firing guns, it ought not to be forgotten that in the Jame- son Raid the soldiers, one after the other, were shot as they stood behind the I can, if necessary, quote many German and French papers in support of my opinion that God and the Mauser will save the Transvaal and bring the Psalm-singing Boer back in victory. It should never be forgotten that the Boevs will be fighting for their independ- ence and freedom- for th^ir very existence this cannot be said of the British forces arrayed ugalnst tbem," The sailors' strike was begun last Monday but has little appearance of becoming general or of being successful. Highly successful shows of garden produce were held at Llanarth and at Felinfacli last week. Lord Kelvin has retired from the Chair of Natural Philosophy, which he has held in Glasgow University for fifty-three j-ears. A nnouncements of a large number of important sales of stock and crops will be found in our advertising columns this week. Steps are being taken to have Bala lighted by electricity. There is a vast amount of water power running to waste in that neigh- bourliood, and there should lie no difficulty in getting an abundant supply of electricity at a low rate. At the last meeting of the Aberayron Urban District Council, Mr. J. H. Jones moved that the Public Libraries Act be adopted in that town. Aberayron would find a public library an inestimable boon, and it is to be hoped that such an institution M will be established without delay. The Board of Agriculture has issued the Muzzling Order, to apply to the whole of H Glamorganshire and parts of Carmarthen- shire and Brecknock. This step has been taken on account of the recent outbreak of H rabies at Pontardulais, and in consequence of five fresh cases of suspected rabies having been reported to the Department from the H same neighbourhood. Welshmen in general, and friends of education in particular, will learn with H regret of the illness of Principal Viriamu H Jones, of Cardiff, who is laid up in Geneva. His numerous friends have long feared this H collapse, as it would require a superhuman constitution to do all the enormous amount H of work Principal Jones does without H breaking down. Wales can ill afford to lose H such a valuable son and servant as Principal jl Viriamu Jones, and we sincerely hope lie H will have a speedy recovery. H The Mayor of Aberystwyth, Mr. D. C.. I Roberts, who presided at Mr. Pickard's. I lecture on fruit culture last week, urged all I cottagers who had gardens to make the best I possible use of them. This could be done, H said Mr. Roberts, in concluding a short but* pertinent speech, by making use of the best materials, by growing the most profitably. crops, and by making a special effort to mak the best use of those who had special ex" perience or special knowledge of the crops they wished to grow. Mr. Henniker Heaton, M.P., has received an unofficial communication stating that his request that the postal authorities should permit the enlargement of the present restricted size of the inland postcards has been granted, and that the change will take:' effect on November 1st. On the same date- t the issue of the small official inland posocard M will be discontinued, and two kinds of oiiicial m postcards, of the same size as the foreign ¡ postcards, will be issued by the Post-office* One of these will be white and the other buff in colour. While rumours of war are flying iIi, thør. air there is a pathos attached to the following notice The War Office have invited tenders for 1,300 half-pints of cldo^form. for the Cape." The humane and sympathetic t will devoutly pray that this order may naver t have occasion for use, seeing tlie agony and j suffering of men implied. Chlo'rctorni is t exceedingly volatile. Hence the minuta A division mentioned in the order. Its d.is- covery lessens somewhat of tha, brutal savagery of war by reason of its "benign solace." After a brief illness the death occurred on Monday morning at Crosswood of the sixth Earl of Lisburne. Born in 186^ ttik-, de- ceased peer succeeded his father in 1888 having married in the same year the daughter of the late Mr. Edward Probyn, of Huntley, Gloucester. He wai- D.L. and J.P. for Cardiganshire, and held the-office of President of the Aberystwyth Conservative Association. Both as a landlord' and a, neighbour his lordship was highly esteemed. The successor to the title, Lord1 Yaoighan, is a boy of seven years. The Welsh Colonists in A.rg;mtina, who recently sent two delegates to this. country, to urge grievances, have suffered an awful visitation by which their whole colony in, Rawson and Chubut has bee-n flooded and; destroyed. The Government House, the- municipal house, the bank,. and at least 10(} private houses, besides the bridge across tlift. Rawson river and all the irrigation canais^ which have cost years of labour, are de- stroyed, and Will have to be reconstructed. All the crops and stock have been swept i away, and the whole of the colonists are destitute. Thev are at present livin tents on high ground,, and the Government. is doing what it can to relieve their iirst, wants. At the Birmingham Licensing Sessions, last week Mr. Arthur Chamberlain, who, presided, pointed out that last ¡\tar no. fewer than twenty licences lu.d 1 been- voluntarily surrendered by the brewers., This-year they were prepared to vurrendfer forty-four licensed houses, and thsy offc-i^ed to surrender a further fifty-five icencet*. if the negotiations connected with all-the, sur- rounding property could be carr^A thyoughi in time. The magistrates -,were, quite. satisfied with the action of i bt;ewers.. The surrender of twenty licenses, last year meant the giving up of £ 20,000: wor 6h of property, and there was this year i>, matter of over £ tOO,000 involved. Birmingham, he said in conclusion, was the, only- town in England that had made any approach whatever to solving without legal: action the problem of the redu x-ion 0' licenses without compensation. • Last week the Sanitary, at South- ampton were told that fiiie greatest sanitary engineer the world had ever known was Moses, and that the Book of Leviticus was a. veritable treatise on hygiene. For 3,40U years the world stood still,, and only two, races followed the doctrines and teachings of that great master. The- Christian tlirea- his tenets to th(1 wind;, the Mahometan had continued to practise some of his principles to the? present duy and the J'ew remained faithful, and was the healthiest and longest-lived tvps of humanity. The doctrines of Moses eciilil be summed; up as the objects. of sanitation to-day yre air, pure wai,ii\ pure foorl, pure sil. pure dwelling, pure bodies. If we would only 1:J\t. clean with the pliysic,-)], social and moral—of the Mosnk* system we nÜht be able to stretch Ijhe Psalmists piloted of lnlman life to five score years.