Welsh Gazette and West Wales Advertiser

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. À C a.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m. ABERYSTWYTH Dept. 8 25 12 30 1 15 1 15 6 25 WREXHAM Arr. 1 42 5 98 5 43 6 47 10 26 CHESTER- IB30 5 55 6 8 7 10 10 53 LIVERPOOL (Landing Stage) 2B40 7 0 7 20 8 0 12 15 MANCHESTER (Exchange) 3B 2 8 10 8 10 8 37 WOLVERHAMPTON 2 13 6 0 BIRMINGHAM 2 3,8 Wednes- 6 27 LONDON (Paddington)- „ 5 20 idays only 10 50 X. THROUGH CARRIAGE for Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and London by this Train, and Passengers are allowed one hour at Shrewsbury for Lunch. B.-Via Shrewsbury. C Via Dolgelley. Passengers wishing to travel by this Train should ask for Tickets via Dolgelley when booking. PASSENGERS ARE REQUESTED TO ASK FOR TICKETS BY THE GREAT WESTERN ROUTE. Every Information rc.-pccting Great Western Train Service can be obtained of Mr. J. ROBERTS, 15, Terrace Road, Aberystwyth, or of Mr. G. GRANT, Divisional Superintendent, G.W.R. Chester PADDINGTON STATION. J. L. WILKINSON, General Manager.

^T^IVI^RSRYSTWYTH." ESTABLISHED 1834. M. H. DAVIS & SONS, a_ 11 9 FURNISHING AND GENERAL HARDWARE ESTABLISHMENT, 4, BRIDGE STREET. CABINET FURNITURE DEPOT:— 20, QUEEN STREET. nNING STORES & AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WAREHOUSES 18, QÚEEX ST., AND 25, GRAY'S INN ROAD, ABERYSTWYTH. THOMAS POWELL & CO., MARKET STREET, ABERYSTWYTH. HOME CURED BACON, SMOKED AND PALE DRIED ENGLISH CURERS OF HOME CURED BACN j AND HAMS, STILTON, GLO'STER, AND AMERICAN CHEESE, FRESH MADE SAUSAGES. II. W. GRIFFITH, BOOT AND SHOE WAREHOUSE, 7, COL LEG E GREEN, TOWYN, MER. I Agent fcr the noted K" and Cinderella Boots. E. L. ROWLANDS, ¡ FAMILY AND GENERAL GROCER, LIVERPOOL HOUSE, ABERDOVEY. Choice Selection o General Provisions and Italian Goods, etc., always in Stock. NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. vvaub of space has compelled us to hold over several reports this week.

SANITATION FOR THE PEOPLE. [BY DR. WALKER.] ( Is my brief article on the teaching of sanitation in elementary schools, I pointed out that the serious obstacle to sanitary reform lay in the ignorance and prejudice of the people. Nothing is so aggravating, and so likely to breed that dogged spirit of resistance, as to have regulations laid down and enforced, of which people do not under- stand the reason, or see the necessity. Authority in the presence of ignorance becomes tyranny, and people coerced but inconvinced are covert if not open enemies. The fault lies partly at the door of the isanitary reformers themselves. There has been no organized attempt to educate the people in this matter, and to enabe them to overcome, what is after all a very great difficulty, the fact, that conditions injurious to health are not always productive of disease or death. Many educated people, including police magistrates (before whom the legislature in its wisdom directs sanitary matters to be brought) are carried away by the specious appeal, that people are living, and have lived, long and healthy lives in what sanitarians call unhealthy surround- ings. A well, obviously polluted with sewage, is condemned, and a hale octo- genarian toddles into the witness box, and says:—" Awm eighty years past, y' washup, and ner a day's illness, and drank the water all my life." Case dismissed," says the worthy magistrate, an ounce of experience is worth a pound of theory. Two guineas costs against the Council." The public demand a tragedy-murder by diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhoid, and other outlaws against science, before they consent to put the sanitary laws in motion against them. To assist in breaking down this obstacle to sanitary reform, I propose writing a few simple and popular articles, explanatory of the necessity, object and method of those regulations against which the public rebel. To any objector who might fear the con- sequences of such an attempt, on the ground that a little knowledge is a danger- ous thing," I reply that of the two evils this is the less. Rather extragavant ideas with an awakened intelligence than brutish ignorance. The former requires to be curbed and controlled, the latter like a block of stone will trip us up and wreck our hopes. Even the children, with all the fantastic ideas of infancy, and the silly stories with which we fill their eager imaginations will soon discover the germ of truth in our teaching, if given in the schools, and, having once found it, will make a, wise use of it, and not the foolish and dangerous one which some may fear. Indeed my belief is, that we are on the very threshold of a new era in the history of our race, during which the secrets of nature may be wrested from her in many directions. If, as seems likely, the hidden causes of disease are discovered, and their remedy found, it will no longer be the dream of the alchemist, but the sober realization of the sanitarian, to find the elixir of life. Set such a hope before them and you will see that enthusiasm is not dead, even in these practical days, in the young and rising generation.

THE REPRESENTATION OF MERIONETH. IN the death of Dr. EDWARD JONES, Merion- eth has lost its member-maker and that in the hour of greatest need. After the burial of their leader, many of the electors in retir- ing from the funeral were heard to ask one another :Beth wnawn ni'n awr ?—What shall we do now ? Doctor EDWARD" was an acknowledged leader throughout the county the Liberals gladly rallied round him, and he seldom failed to steer them successfully through party perils and political storms. Considerate and trust- worthy, and having a cool head and a warm heart, he was able as no other man was, not only to keep the party from being torn asunder with strifes and dissensions, but to weld them together with the glow of his rare enthusiasm, and to lead them to victory. But now he is no more, and the Liberal party in the county was never in greater need of his persuasive influence, and power- ful personality. In view of the present condition of the party, there is a general and growing feeling among the electors that Mr O. M. EDWARDS should re-consider his decision to retire from the representation of the county. Last spring when the Liberals were face to face with what then appeared to be an insuper- able difficulty Mr. EDWARDS came to the rescue and saved the situation The Party is once more in a crisis, and it is admitted on all hands that Mr. EDWARDS is the only man who can relieve it from its difficulties. It would be most unfortunate—and possibly di,w.,itrouis-to the Liberal cause in Merion- eth if Ir. EDWARDS were to sever liis con- nection at the present juncture. A new occasion for him to reconsider hi", decision has arisen suddenly and unexpectedly and it is to be hoped that Mr. EDWARDS will not fail to yield to the request of the executive and so avoid the possibility of a scattering of the forces of Liberalism, and an abandon- ment of its noblest traditions. We sincerely trust that the Liberal Association will find means to prevail upon Mr. EDWARDS to re- consider the matter, as not only Merioneth, but the whole of Wales, will be disappointed in his resignation at the end of the present Parliament. It may be true that Mr. EDWARDS has not taken much part in the _1_1.L_- TT 1.L l_ k_ 1 3 leuautjfc) ui bile .Q,.u<u:stJ, VUIJ 11\:7 iiuu wur.Ktu iard on its Committees. Besides, thoughtful men do. not rush into debate upon every conceivable subject, but bide their time; iiad to be a successful Parliamentarian it is not necessary to be in evidence in all debates.. The man who carries weight in the House- is the member who addresses the assembly on matters with which he is con- versant, and on which he can speak with authority. When questions affecting Wales, socially and educationally, erctp up—and they will certainly crop up at no distant date— his exceptional knowledge and ability, coupled with his intense love of country, will be of inestimable advantage. Mr. O. M. EDWARDS will render a distinct service to the cause of Liberalism in Merioneth if he will retain his seat and Merioneth will render a distinct-service to Wales if it can prevail upon him not to quit that high sphere in which he, and he alone, can serve his fellow-countrymen in Parliament, when the time comes to discuss those questions in which he has acquired the eminence of authority.

MR. ERNEST GRAY, M.P., AT LAMPETER. MR. GRAY, M.P., continued on Saturday at Lampeter his attack on some of the defective points in Welsh Education, which he had begun at Wrexham in June last. In regard to some of the questions dealt by him last week he delivered himself in a vigorous fashion. These weak points in our primary education deserve our serious attention, and we desire to draw the consideration of those connected with elementary education to them, not because an Englishman, who many think of as a superior person, has founded on them a forcible speech, but because they have been pointed out aforetime and greatly emphasized by Welsh educationalists. We have to admit that in the matter of attend- ance of pupils in primary schools, Wales comes off a bad third and it is high time that this state of things should be remedied. We think that with greater vigilance and thoroughness in the administration of the laws dealing with conpulsory attendance, a very great improvement could be accom- plished. It is greatly to be regretted that the number of certificated teachers in Car- diganshire is only 30 per cent as compared with 48 per cent in England and 81 in London. This is due to either the negli- gence or the niggardliness of school boards. We are of opinion that these and other glaring defects can only be righted by adopting some such plan as was foreshadowed by Dr. MACNAMARA in a speech delivered last August at Aberystwyth. His scheme was to have some county authority for primary schools, resembling the County Governing Body, which now governs the intermediate schools of the county. To this county authority would belong the power to levy rates and of allocating portions of the school boards in different districts. A central board of this kind would be much better able, we believe, to cope with the questions relating to attendance and staff equipment, than has been done by the present local boards. When h. GRAY eaves the subject of primary education and enters upon that of intermediate education, we are not so well pleased with his remarks. With his main contention, however, we are in completest accord. He says that there can be no sound system of secondary educa- tion until the system of primary education has been made thoroughly good, and that elementary education should be put under the control of one county educational authority. He pointed out that about 75 per cent, of pupils now in the Welsh county schools are drawn from the primary schools. This is quite true, and in some county schools the percentage is much greater. He laments that many of these pupils are drafted into the county schools before they are sufficiently trained to profit by the instruction there given. There can be no doubt that there is a large number of pupils attending the Intermediate schools, who should more profitably be receiving instruc- tion at the elementary schools. This has now become a trite saying, and we have read it in a hundred speeches. But it has probably escaped the notice of speakers that there is another fact which is worth atten- tion, namely, that there is a great number of pupils, both boys and girls, now detained at elementary schools who should be at the Intermediate schools, acquiring knowledge of a kind for which the primary schools are not adapted. Up to a certain stage the training given to pupils in the standards is very ex- cellent, but when this stage is arrived at, the sooner the child is removed to prosecute, his studies at a higher school the better There are many defects in Welsh education which Welsh educationalists have been I aware of for a long time, and Mr. GRAY must not think that he has been the first to discover them. Mr. GRAY thinks the Welsh County Schools are "continuation schools." We think so too but we doubt whether we interpret the word in the same sense as Mr. GRAY. We agree with him that the dual system of board and voluntary school should disappear, and we should be loth to get rid of religious education only we should be compelled to stipulate that religious education should not be synony- mous with the "parson's education." We are not quite so sure that Mr. GRAY'S plan of including secondary and primary schools under one and the same county authority is the best that can be conceived. At any rafe we cannot think that at present it can be applied to the Principality, for the very good reason that the county school system is in possession, and the more we see of the excellent working of this system the more we are convinced of its increasing effective- ness. Though we cannot concur with all the remarks in Mr."GRAY'S speech, we recommend it to the earnest consideration of our readers,

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Long-favoured England be not thou misled By monstrous theories of alien growth, Lest alien frenzy seize thee, waxing wroth, Self-smitten till thy garments reek dyed red With thy own blood, which tears in torrents shed Fail to wash out. —WORDSWORTH. Many of the lead mines in North Cardi- ganshire have recently been purchased by syndicates from Belgium, who are now work- ing them successfully. They have spent thousands of pounds on new machinery, and excellent plant for generating electricity for lighting the mines have been fixed. It is expected they will be in full swing about the middle of June. Owing to the dearth of miners and the high wages demanded, some of the lead mining companies in the Ystwyth Valley are importing a large number of Italians to the neighbourhood. The strangers would encounter considerable difficulties in finding lodgings where their requirements could be made known, and to avoid this difficulty the Companies will, it is said, board the men. Much dissatisfaction is felt in Sheffield at the action of the Local Government Board in refusing sanction to a loan for carrying out proposed important sanitary works. It is stated that during each of the last two weeks 81 new cases have been notified in the city, while in the fortnight there have occurred 42 deaths from diphtheria, and during last month the total number of deaths registered was 196 in excess of that for the correspond- ing period of last year. Has the war any- thing to do with this? Do the different departments of the Government suffer sympathetically as like members of highly developed organisms are known to, suffer when one is afflicted ? A painful sensation has been caused in Pendoylan village, in the valo of Glamorgan, by the death within three days of each of three members of a well-known family. Mrs. Spencer, of Duffryn Farm,, died, and the event threw the father and only son into poignant grief. The same evening the body of the son was found in a stream near his home, and on Friday,, at the conclusion of the coroner's inquest on the deceased, it was then announced that the- father had died about an hour previously. The Lord Chief Justice, during the hearing of a case at the Northampton Assizes, said it would be an evil thing if the idea were allowed to penetrate the jury box that a prisoner was bound to give evidence on his own behalf. For a jury to say that they expected prisoners to go into the witness box was to put a premium on perjury, and would be most evil. Subsequently, in passing sentence, his Lordship said he should treat the prisoner more leniently because he had not gone into the witness box on his own behaif and sworn falsely. The Aberystwyth Oracle said a few weeks ago that Mr. Herbert Roberts was men- tioned a as probable candidate for Merioneth. We refer to Mr. Herbert Roberts," said the oracle, because he has been freely mentioned as one of the Welsh Members who would, most likely, lose his seat under any redistribution scheme." Little wonder that the oracle has fallen into disrepute in the circles in which he essays to display his omniscience when he not only commits such blunders but lacks the art of discovering his own mistakes. What paper but his own told the oracle that Mr. Herbert Roberts was most likely to lose his seat under any redistribution scheme ? In the division which took place in the House of Commons on Lord E. Eitzmaurice's amendment to the Address in reply to the Queen's Speech, expressing regret at the want of knowledge, foresight, and judgment displayed by Her Majesty's advisers alike in their conduct of South African affairs and in their preparations for the war now pro- ceeding, the following Welsh members voted against the Government, viz. :—Messrs. Vaughan Davies, 0. M. Edwards, Humph- reys-Owen, Brymnor Jones, Herbert Lew; Lloyd George, William Jones, S. T. Evans, W. Abraham, Lloyd Morgan, Wynford Philips, D. Randell, Bryn Roberts, Herbert Roberts, Alfred Thomas, and Abel Thomas. Mr. John Morley, Sir Charles Dilke, fr. John Burns, Sir William Harcourt, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, and other pro- minent Liberals, also voted in the same way. The debate in the Reichstag on the German Navy Bill was concluded on Saturday, and the measure was referred to the Budget Committee. In the course of the debate Heir Bebel, who opposed the bill, declared that in the race between Germany and Great Britain the latter would always be ahead. When it was considered that without British trade a portion of German industry could not exist, it seemed incomprehensible how hatred of the English could have spread so widely." They had every reason to cultivate friendship with the English, and if they should ever be com- pelled to operate seriously with the whole of their resources, no one could say what the end might be. In such a case it was very probable that France and Russia would look on and await the moment when the two antagonists had bled themselves to death to pounce on Germany. Herr Haussmann of the South German People's Party, said the aggressive world policy inaugurated by Mr. Chamberlain had met with a moral rebuff from the whole cultured world, and could have no permanence. — The first general meeting of the newly formed Oswestry, Montgomeryshire, and Aoerystwyth Branch of the JN .S.JJ.UAJ. was held at Oswestry on Saturday afternoon. Lord Harlech was elected president. An officer of the Austrian headquarters etaif writes that even when there are 180.000 troons in South Africa the British will still be far too waak to undertake Buccesful offensive operations. Fully double that number lie says, will be necessary to overcome the resistance of the Boers. Mr. Henniker Heaton, M.P., has received a communication from the Postmaster General stating that the long-demanded parcel post arrangement between Great Britain and the United States will probably be completed shortly, after 14 years of correspondence. At a meeting of the Cheshire Council last week, it was resolved to appoint a repre- sentative on the Central Committee formed by the Middlesex County Council to encourage enrollment in the Volunteer and Militia forces, and a resolution further expressed sympathy with the scheme of the Middlesex Council for engaging the in- dividual efforts of county councillors in the work of augmenting the auxiliary forces. ( In the House of Commons last week Mr. Wyndham stated that according to the latest returns 2,283 officers and men were missing in connection with the war. The War Office had no certain knowledge of how many of these were prisoners. In reply to another question, lie stated that the com- position of the forces in South Africa was, roundly, as follows: Regular army, 128,000; Royal Navy, 1,000; Indian. 9,000; Yeomanry, 5,000; Volunteers, 10,000; and Colonial troops, 26,000 total,. 179,000. It had been decided to send 17 additional battalions of Militia, and 3,000 Yeomanry had been raised, bringing the grand total to about 194,000. This was ex-r- cluding all killed and missing. Mr Leonard Courtney, M.P., addressed a, meeting in Birmingham on Saturday in su- port of the objects of the South African Conciliation Committee. He said the Boers would have gone on living in peace with us but for the one fatal fact of the discovery of goldfields, and those who came to exploit them. But for this we should never have had war. He did not say that the mere greed of gold explained everything. that followed. We were not justified in making: war even for the remedy of grievances such as existed. The verdict of the future- he believed would be that the negotiations failed through the conduct of our Colonial Govern- ment. He repeated that all this bloodshed, this desolation of houses and homes, the taxation which must follow, had been brought about by the evil diplomacy of our Colonial Office, when it might have been avoided.. It was said the war was inevitable, but inevitable was the excuse of men who had failed, or still worse of men who desired whatever they brought about. A resolution was passed expressing the hope that the war would be concluded by a full recognition of the claims of both British, and Dutch races. At a meeting of the North-west Man- chester Women's Liberal Association the. following resolution was carried unani- v mously That this meeting,, representing a large body of thoughtful, and intelligent women, desires to express its profound, sorrow at the deplorable loss of life and ex- penditure of money which this sanguinary war in South Africa has entailed. It repudiates the so-called Necessity for prose- cuting it to the bitter end. It maintains, that the experience of the past weeks at the seat of war, and the serious unsatisfactori- ness of the situation, as revealed by the apologists for the war in both Houses of Parliament, more than justify a cry tostay the shedding of blood." It therefore appeals i to all good patriots, lovers of their kind as well as of their country, to unite in securing a cessation of hostilities while the possible grounds of an honourable peace may be dis- cussed, and to spare the further shedding of innocent blood." The London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian says :— Its is now beyond doubt that the Government's proposals with regard to the army have given the greatest dissatisfaction to some of their supporters. There has been an unquestionable desire, among the military members especially, not to add to the present embarrassments of the Government. But the resolution carried at Tuesday's meeting of the Service party admits of only one interpretation. It runs thus—1 That this meeting of the Service members in accepting the Government proposals for the present emergency doubts their adequacy and wishes to put on record that they regard their support as in no way pledging any member of the Committee with regard to future reorganisation of the army system.' A plainer hint of future trouble could hardly be given, and as a matter of fact, as I have more than once had occasion to point out, the military experts in the House are only waiting for a favourable change in the course of the war to begin an attack on the War Office which will not be allowed to close until a total reconstruction of the administration of the army has been brought about. They are said to have powerful military support outside. There are rumours, too, that the reorganisation at headquarters is to be entrusted by the Government to Lord Kitchener when the war is over. If this is the case, the old school of officials have probably very hard times in prospect. Mr. Llewelyn Williams, one of the Welsh delegation which visited Canada last autumn, has given the personal impressions of his visit to a representative of the Western Mail. Mr. Williams was greatly impressed with the possibilities of the Dominion. The man with capital is better off in Canada, as in every other country, and, personally, he would not like to advise anyone to emigrate without something at his back. All the same, the delegation came across numbers of instances of men who started with nothing, and who are now prosperous farmers. He would not take it upon himself to advise Welshmen to emigrate to Canada wholesale. If a man is doing fairly well at home, he 0 would not recommend him to brave the inevitable discomforts and risks of life in a new country. But there are thousands of young Welshmen who every year leave our shores—some to the United States, some to the Colonies. The delegation were informed that there was no more room for agricul- tural emigrants in the States, and that thousands of Americans have already settled in Canada. But this he would say, if a Welshman is bent on emigrating, and if he is able and willing to work, he cannot make a mistake by going to Canada. Mr. Williams came across a large number of distinguished Welshmen in the Dominion. In Winnipeg the leading barr ister was a Mr. Howell, who was an enthusiastic Welshman, though he knew not a word of Welsh, and had never been in Wales. His poople emigrated from Aberystwyth before he was born, and it was his great ambition to come back and see the land of his fathers.