Llais Llafur

— —— I WOMAN'S BRITTLE BONES. At an inquest at Portsmouth on Alice Rayner, a widow, aged 64, it was stated that her bonea were so brittle that the slightest shock fractured them. She was unable in consequence to use her legs, and had to keep to bed. On one occasion, when she was nursing a baby, her arm broke, and she had also broken her other arm. her collar-bone, and a leg. She dared not put any strain I on any limb for fear of breaking. A doctor said the wall of the cranium was like a piece of paper, and could be I cut with a. sissors.

MR C. MEUDWY DAVIES I DEATH OF A WELL-KNOWN WELSH MUSICAL COM- POSER. The death took place at Llanelly on Monday of Mr C. Meudwy Davies, one of the best-known musical composers and adjudicators in the Principality. The deceased gen tleman. who had been in ill-health for some time, was a native of Pontardawe, and at that place he was conductor of the child- ren's choir. He was for two years at Aberyatwyth University, under the late Dr. Parry, and afterwards declined an appointment at Bristol Cathedral, and settled down as conductor at the Tabernacle Congregational Church, Llanelly. He also became conductor of the Llanelly Harmonic Society, the Llanelly Temperance Choir, and the Llanelly and District Band of Hope Union. Mr Davies was the first Welshman to conduct the National Temperance Choral Union of 5,000 voices at the Crystal Palace in 1903, when his own composition, "The Fall of Bacchus," was included in the programme. At the National Eisteddfod in 1895 he joined the circle of the bards as Pen- cerdd Myrddin. His record at the Tabernacle was unique. For 36 years, without a break, he held the annual concerts, when the works of the great masters were performed. This year he had arranged, at the request of Mrs. Lloyd George, to give a performance of "Judas Maccabaeus'' in aid of the Welsh troops. The deceased gentleman was well known as a musical conductor through- out Wales, and was a familiar figure at the Crystal Palace Festivals. He was invited in 1910, to adjudicate at the Grand National Eisteddfod of Australia. He was in great demand as a lecturer on musical subjects, his las appearance in this capacity being at Pontardawe, hs native place. Hardly a Welsh cymanfa was held without including one of his popular compositions for children. Several iof his anthems and hvmn tunes are in- eluded in the Welsh Congregational hymnal, one if the most poplar being "Yr Addfwyn Oen," which was in great favour during the Welsh Revival. He also composed the music for several sacred Welsh dramas. Mr Davies was married in 1880 to Miss Davies, of Cardigan, sister of the welI-kn.wn preacher, the Rev. Ossian Davies, and of the Rev. Eynon Davies. The funeral will take place on Friday.

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PRIZE POEM- WELSH GENERAL'S APPEAL "GWILI" THE SUCCESSFUL BARD. Some months ago a prize of £ 5 was offered for the best rendering in verse of Brigadier-General Owen Thomas's appeal to the young men of Wales. Professor J. Morris Jones, of the University College of North Wales, the eminent Welsh poet, was appointed adjudicator. In the course of his adjudication Prof. Jones said that he had received 156 compositions, of which 92 were in English and 64 in Welsh. Most of the competitors had adopted assumed names, as is usual in eisteddfodic competitions, but others had given their own names and addresses. The poem sent in by "Gwyngyll" was adjudged the winner, and it now trans- pires that the author is the talented principal of Gwynfryn Academy, Am- manf ord,—"G w ili." The Rev. J. Jenkins. M.A. (Gwili) is a native of Hendy, Pontardulais. He commenced preaching at 19 years of age and was trained at Gwynfryn Academy, Ammanford, under the late Watcyn Wyn, and at the Baptist Colleges at Bangor and Cardiff, subsequently proceeding to Gwynfryn as an assistant to Watcyn Wyn. In 1905 he proceeded to Oxford, where at the end of three years he gra- duated with high honours. < During his stay at Oxford he, in con- junction with the Rev. Herbert Morgan, B.A., now of Bristol, published a com- mentary on portions of the prophecy of Isaiah for the use of the Welsh Baptist Sunday schools, which won the young authors the highest tributes. On the death of Watcyn Wyn he was appointed principal of Gwynfryn Academy. In the Eisteddfod arena Gwili is regarded as one of the most cultured products of the 'new school' of bards. His list of tT' utnpbs is a formidable one, including a host of chairs at provincial gatherings. He was the Crown poet of the Merthyr National Eisteddfod in 1901, whilst his libretto, "Llyn y Fan" (set to music by Dr. D. Vaughan Thomas, Svansea), was per- formed at the Swansea National, 1907. On Rev. W. P. Wil- the death of the late Rev. W. P. Wil. liams. LandoTe, he was appointed editor of "Seyen Cymru," the organ of the Welsh Baptists. THE WINNING POEM. I Wyr Ieuainc Cymru! I (Alaw—Rhyfelgyrch Capten Morgan.") Wyr ieuainc Cymru! ClywGh yr alwad I gref! Corn y gad sydd heddyw'n alwad nef. I Geilw'ch Cadfridog, geilw'n iaith ei wlad, Geilw'ch deWT gymrodyr draw o'r gad. Cytgan. Fechgyn Cymru, wele aaeth "y Dydd,, Ewch clAn faner Cymru dros Ewrop rydd. Clywch ar y bryniau alwad megis eynt! Lief fel lief Llywelyn gwyd y gwynt. At arch eich Owen, codwch fel un gwr Oni chlywch drwy'r glynnoedd waedd Glyn Dwr! Fechgyn Cymru, etc. Draw dros y culfor, gwedweh Felgium brudd Treth y gelyn trythyll arni sydd; Rhag cyfodi o Bryndain lef a hyllt y nen, Brwydrwch dros y wyryf Ynys Wen. Fechgyn Cymru, etc. Cerddodd myrddiynau gwirfodd dros eu gwlad Utgorn aur eu rhyddid oedd corn cad, Feibion gwroniajd pob anfarwol fri, Ai yn nydd y gorfod y cerddwch ch-Ai? Fechgyn Cymru, etc. Hil aberth oesoedd! Dros y breintiau mawr Aberth sydd i ch",itha-wele'eh awr! Clywch alwad Rhyddid a chyfiawnder glan Parod f'ch i'ch puro'n awr trwy dan! Fechgyn Cymru, etc. Feibion yr hen wlad fechan ddewr a fu Dan lif cyflafan, ddydciau lu! Dydd cad ceuhedloedd bychain Ewrop yw Clywch alwad Belgium—Serfia—Duw Fechgyn Cymru, etc. Gwedi oadw gwiwdeb Cymru cyn y gad, Ewch dan faner purdeb glwys eich gwlad, Rhoddwch i ormes anllad farwol glwy, Fel na welo Ewrop ryfel mwy. Fechgyn Cymru, wele ciaeth "y Dydd" Ewch dan faner Cymru diros Ewrop rydd. -Y GWYNGYLL. I

"Y MOCHYN DU." I American Welshmen are becoming sar- castic, for the "Drych" says that two or three Homeric Welsh bards claim to be the authors of the famous epic, "Y Mochyn Du." A North Wales poet claims thjat 'he wrote it when only eight years of age, whilst a South Wales bard says he composed it "before he com- menced to preach." It is further sug- gested that the National Eisteddfod should offere a prize for deciding the quajirel.

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SAW THE FALKLAND FIGHT. INTERESTING CHAT WITH OFFICER AT SWANSEA. A unique experience has been that of Mr. R. G. Jones, a native of Liverpool, and mate aboard the ss. Tynemead, now a.t Swansea, discharging wheat for Messrs Weaver and Co. On the occasion of the great Falklands naval battle Mr. Jones was mate aboard the Drummuire, bound for San Francisco from Swansea with anthracite coal. When sixty miles east of Cape Horn a sus- picious-looking vessel was seen on the horizon, and on her coming up found to to be the German cruiser Leipzig, which had been detailed off by Admiral Von Spee, the commodore of the German I squadron^ to capture the Drummuire. The latter was taken in tow by the Leipzig and proceeded 60 milea to Picton Islands where her cargo—"a veritable godsend to the Germans said Mr. Joiie,-was trans- ferred to aai accompanying lighter, and the crew to a German hospital ship. Several chaa-ges of dynamite were then placed in the Drummuire, which was afterwards blown up. Some idea of the feelings of the Ger- mans before the fight can be gathered from a conversation, here related by Mr. Jones, which he had with Admiral Von Spee, in which the latter in a boastful and arrogant manner avowed his inten- tion of taking the Falkland Islands after the Drummuire had been destroyed. '•There may be some rats in there, Ad- miral, don't you think so," said Mr. Jones; but Ven Spee pooh poohed the idea; and, sure enough, after the trad er had been disposed of the German fleet, consisting of the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau. Leipzig, Dresden, and Nurnberg, made straight for the Falklands. On nearing the Falklands, a ship came out and be^tn to go in circles round the German Fleet, coming in nearer each time. "A decoy," thought the English- man, a.n.d Von Spee directed his ships to make for the vessel. On nearing her, other wisps of smoke we.re noticed quickly coming nearer, and then the shock for the German feelings, for the whole fleet turned about and attempted to make off. Too late, however, Admiral Sturdee had caught the Germans napping and the fight was in full view of those aboard the hospital ship. Short work was —history tells—made of the Germans. The last order given aboard Von Spec's flagship could be distinctly heard. It was "All save yourselves." Whilst the fight was in progress, Mr Jones l assured the captainl of the hospital that he would not be fired on, saying that those in charge of the British warships werfe not German captains, and that so long as the Red Cross flag flew at the top of the mast not a shot would come their way. Whilst on board this vessel, the mate as the only Englishman, was given black bread and dirty coffee day after day, whilst those who declared themselves Americans were treated much differently. All his possessions, save the clothes he stood in, were taken from him. Running short of coal and provisions, the hospital ship put in at St. Antonia, where the crew of the Drummuire were landed. Reaching Buenos Ayrea. Mr. Jones said he had the first square meal for thirty days.

WHY MR A. HENDERSON I I CRTS COMPULSION. AN "ABSOLUTE MILITARY NECESSITY." i j ——— Mr Arthur Henderson( President of the Board of Education) sends us a copy of a long letter he has addressed to has constituents of Barnard Castle, in which he explains his attitude on the compulsion question. "If circumstances should arise which make it nekess.,Irv for me to seek re- election," he says, "I shall confidently appeal to my constituents to support the Governm-ent, because I believe 1 that they. like myself, are convinced that to-day there is only one task for all of us, and that is to win the war. He says that he approached the sub- ject of compulsion as a convinced sup- porter of the voluntary system, but when Lord Derby's report was pre- sented, even the strongest supporter was forced to admit that though from first to last six million men had offered themselves, there still remained a sub- stantial number of single men. eligible for military service, whom the volun- tary system had failed to secure. He proceeds:— "My opisions have not changed. but thev have been overborne by the con- i viction that some measure of com- pulsion is required on grounds of ab- solute military necessity. J found it impossible to resist tie contusion that unless the Bill were introduced and passed we could not continue the war with any prospect of either a sucess- ful or speedy termination. "I do not see how any man can set his opinion on a military question against the conclusion of Lord Kitchener and the General Staff, on whom res-ts responsibility for conduct- ing the war." Mr Henderson mentions that he realises that thousands in all parts of the country, while admitting the mili- tary necessity fire concerned as to the effects which the Bill may have on labour, and, in particular, as to the possible introduction of industrial com- pulsion. On this point he thinks that the safe guards introduced by the Government, especially that which bars the possibility of industrial com- pulsion, are so definite that the Bill ought to receive the general support of organised labour.

TWO GERMAN SPIES HANGED BY I, BELGIAN PATRIOTS." According to the Pari s "Tem," two Gefrman spies have just been hanged in Brussels by Belgian patriots. Their bodies bore cards witn the following inscrip- tion :—Hanged for the crime of espion- age. "Although Belgians may be forbidden to carry revolvers, they are not yet pro- hibited from furnishing theniselves with good stout cord to execute spies. "This double execution of German spies is the reply of Belgian natriot? to the fine of E20,000 inflicted upon Brussels for the murdeir of Miss Cavell's detnouncer.

SOLDIERS SMOKE IX EEfr PEMBROKE DOCK FATALITY. At an inquest at the Military Hos- pital. Pembro k e Dock, concerning t. death of Private Geo. Turner (K.S.L.I)- Mr Evans, farmer, said deceased had assisted him in farm work for about five months. On Friday last he finished work about 5 o'clock, and then v/eot- out until about 9.30 o'clock. V. hen he returned he had been drinking, but- he walked upstairs. Deeeiased was a heavy drinker and had told witness that. it was the curse of his life. He was also in the habit of smoking in bed, and witness had warned hint about it. Early next morning he found Turner" lying on the side of the bed dead. Hire pipe lay on the table, the centre of which had been burnt through, whiiste the floor was also smouldering. Dr. F. J. Cutler said he considered that deatk was due to asphyxia. Bo- could not tell whether he had been, drinking or not. The Coroner said that it seemed to him tha.t deceased had set the table on fire and had been suffocated by the. smoke. The jury returned a verdict of "Ac- cidental death from suffocation.

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