Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register

Correspondence. I All letters intended for publication must comply with the I following conditions:— I.-They must be on public questions only, and not personal in character further than is necessary for the discussion of the subject. II.—They must be written carefully and concisely —on one side of the paper only-ready for the press, as we liave not time at our disposal to re-write cor- respondence, and do not wish te publish effusions in the garb in which they are some times presented, nor space for long rambling letters. III.—They must De authenticated (under cover if wished) by the real name and address of the writer accompanying the M.S. IV'—If received after mid-day on Thursday, their insertion will be precluded for that week, and they cannot be always guaranteed to appear even when received before that time. T.—Letters which have previously appeared in other papers will not be inserted. SANITARY CONDITION OF THE HOL Yo WELL UNION. SIR,—It is well for us to see ourselves as others see us. Mr Pickstone, an active and enlightened Guardian of the Ruthin Union is reported in the Bangor Chronicle to have said at the last meeting of the Board that There was a good deal of fever about." He alluded to Caerwys (a parish in the neigh- bouring Union of Holywell, in which Mr Pickstone resides) which he said was in a filthy dirty state. Now Caerwys is by no means an isolated case in the Holy- well Union—fever and filth go together-and such is the state of the neighbourhood in which the writer lives. At present we have the expense consequent upon sickness arising in an ill-drained district, in addition to the cost of maintaining an officer expressly for remedying such a state of things. If the district over which the Inspector has at present control, is so extensive as to be unmanageable it might be divided, or possibly his residing in a more central point of the Union would enable him to discharge his duties more promptly and efficiently.I am, yours, &c., A RESIDENT IN THE HOLYWELL UNION. I KENNERLEY'S-TESTliNfONIAL. BIR,-I am glad to observe that the movement lately mentioned in several local papers of the inten- tion to honor Mr Joseph Kennerley's labors in North Wales and border counties in promoting the emigra- tion of tenant farmers to the colony of New Zealand, will shortly be practically carried out. A very .in- fluential committee, of wich the Mayor of Denbigh (Mr T. E. Jones) is chairman, with Mr A. J. Brere- ton (Andreas a Von), Mold, as hon. sec., has been formed. Although Mr Kennerley's movements have not been such as invariably those who advocate colonial emi- gration, it has if anything been far more practical and successful than platform argument generally accom- plishes. During the few months he (Mr Kennerley) has been in Englahd intending colonists have had opportunities of ascertaining from him accurate and impartial information from the best of sources, a prac- tical farmer's experience, the very thing that we farmers wanted, and has already proved most bene- ficial to my two sons, who have sailed for New Zea- land. Whilst in a large number of instances thrifty skilled Welsh laborers have been nominated by Mr Kenner- ley for passages out at the cost of 95 per family, a rare opportunity when it is considered that the ave- rage cost of passage per head for this class of emigrant is 216 for all over twelve years of age. Whatever form the testimony of regard may assume, I believe that anything done to point out to and assist the Welsh, or indeed any class of skilled toilers from an overstocked labor market to new spheres, merits some recognition, whatever its character might be, and I have no doubt that the gentlemen who are associated together to honor Mr Kennerley will carry out their resolve most successfully. A WELSH FARMER. SIX REASONS WHY I SHALL VOTE FOR SIR ROBERT CUNLIFFE. SJR,—Will you favour me by inserting the following $ix reasons in the Advertiser why I shall vote for Sir Robert Cunliffe, at the approaching General Election? 1st. Because the 25th clause of the Friendly Societies Act requires to be repealed, and in Sir Robert it will find a warm and ardent supporter. Most, if not all the benefit societies in the town, have been liberally dealt with at his hands, either in the capacity of chairman at their annual gather- ings, or in the shape of donations-even going so far as to throw open his park for their amusement, and benefit of their lodge funds. 2nd.—Because Sir Robert is in favour of extending the county franchise to residents in towns and boroughs; thus giving the working classes an equal vote with the tenant farmer and fox-hunting squire. 3rd. Because Sir Robert is favourable to dis- establishment, and the time will come and that speedily when Church and State must be for ever severed. Why should you or I be compelled to sup- port the Church of England when we have our own chapels to provide for, which by-the-by do not even receive a copper from the State in aid of their support? 4th.—Because the publicans will find in Sir Robert a friend. During the last Ministry many of the licensed victuallers petitioned over and over again to Parliament, to grant them the same privilege as bestowed on their fellows, viz., a Sunday holiday, but to this they turned a deaf ear. Support the Liberal candidate who will vote for the Bill to close public-houses during the whole of the Lord's Day. 5th.—Because Sir Robert will support the Bill which legalises marriage with a deceased wife's sister. This Bill would have passed last year had it not been for the Tories. The Prince of Wales nobly advocated the justice of such a law in the House of Lords, but it was lost by a small majority. 6th.-Because Sir Robert will support Mr Osborne Morgan's Burials Bill, which will entitle Noncon- formists to have their own ministers to inter them, and not be compelled, as formerly, to have the clergy of the Church of England officiating against their wish and creed. Vote for Sir Robert Cunliffe and Liberal measures, together with their necessary consequences good trade, good wages, and prosperous times.— Yours, &c., A WORKING MAN. RAMBLER VERSUS TEETOTALISM AND SUNDAY CLOSING. SIR,-I beg to thank you for your kind intimation and advice. I shall henceforth hail the Advertiser with welcome, finding that principles and not men is to be its future motto—although I fail to see that Rambler has, in any sense, kept within these pre- scribed limits. It appears to me that he also is in exactly the same dilemma—his great forte is men and not principles. Whoever heard or read of such epithets as the following ascribed to principles:—hypocrite, canting fools and acknowledged enemies of independ- ence of judgment and setting themselves up as the judges of others. To my mind the above epithets are more applicable to persons than principles. I have myself from time to time come in for no mean share of personal abuse in your columns. However, I say this, whoever, whether it be under the influence of passion or anything else, being at the same moment a representative of the Liberal cause, so far forgets himself as to use such contemptuous and foolish ex- pressions must be void of that discretion which a Liberal agent of all others should possess. With reference to the Sunday Closing Bill which is to be brought forward by Mr Roberts, the member for the Flintshire boroughs, and against which your correspondent's wrath has been aroused, I consider this to be one of those questions that not only all the friends of temperance support, but all Wales generally seems ripe for it. Why, sir, the publicans themselves who have been made subject to vanity, they also wish to be delivered from the bonds of this corruption as a very small percentage only of them expressed themselves against it. And what could be more desirable for any man with a family than to be released from this subjection on the Lord's Day so that he and his family may have quietness to go to the House of Prayer. In case this Bill becomes law, on some a small minority, I am glad to find it will be considered a restraint, but by the majority of even the publicans it will be hailed as a glorious redemption, relief, and blessing and may be the means of bringing about that desired consum- mation which your correspondent has so put his heart on realising, viz. the return of all the publicans into the Liberal ranks, when its benefits are fully realised. Not only publicans, but also men of all grades and professions from the highest functionary to the lowest in the land are in its favor; and the numbers of its supporters although they be silly fools, are daily increasing. As to travelling on the Sabbath Day we hold that to be an evil to be avoided as much as possible, but I look upon Sabbath drinking and Sabbath walking to a cer- tain extent in the light of cause and effect. Remove the first and the latter will to a great degree disappear. A widow some months back opened a public-house, in a lonely out of the way district a few miles out of Mold, when questioned by some of her neighbours from whence she expected to have custom in such a place,* the answer was, "I don't expect much custom only on the Sabbath day." Sabbath rambles were the fry this old dame expected into her net, and doubtless these form the bulwark of the Sabbath trade. It is not necessary that Mr Roberts or his supporters, who preach this fools' gospel," in order to be consistent should also go in for a Bill prohibiting walking on the Sabbath day. It is clear to every unprejudiced mind that walking no more than talking on the Sabbath day is neither condemned nor justified by the laws of our country. The only law that bears on these ques- tions is the Law of God. Can we say the same with reference to the Sabbath trading in intoxicating drinks ? Does not the law of England justify and license the beerseller to violate the law of God, and in this it becomes a national sin and a national disgrace? Again as to this Bill being an infringement on the liberties of the individual. Does not the Rivers Pollution Bill infringe on the individual's liberty? Certainly it does as well as other bills we might have named, so far as the reckless individual, through polluting the stream, infringes on the rights of others. But is an individual's right to pollute a mill stream, to be by law abolished, because it interferes with the rights of others. And is the individual's right to pollute the fountain of morality to be by law established as it now stands. Upon what grounds are the beerseller's rights more sacred than others that he should be justified and licensed by law to violate the Divine precepts. Where is the inconsistency, who are the inconsistent fools, bah I trust Mr Roberts' honored labors in connection with this Bill will be crowned with success, in spite of the Sabbath tipplers' cry. The election is now on our hands, no doubt use will be made of this question by Mr Roberts' opponent to damage his position, but, sir, if anything could possibly make Mr Roberts' seat more secure than it was before in the Flintshire Boroughs, supported as he is by all intelligent publicans, as well as by all lovers of order and all God-honoring people in these I boroughs, the action he has taken on this question is the very thing to do it. Mr Roberts' connection i with these Boroughs will not be severed before the I Bill he has the honer of bringing before the country and before Parliament, is placed on the Statute Books, and become the law of our own dear little Wales. E. WHJLDON. THE FREE LIBRARY AND ITS DORMANT I FACILITIES—WALK IN LADIES. SIR,—Permit me the use of your columns to suggest some plans in connection with this vr-luable addition to the metropolis of North Wales, which would, I think, add largely to its usefulness. It is oniliberal scale, in a building almost as well suited for it as if it were built purposely; but it is a eandle largely hid under a bushel, for want of means of making its advantages known. I am in the habit of visiting numerous villages and hamlets round about, and find even in- telligent persons, who came to fairs and markets, scarcely know more of its existence than if it were 20 miles off. Looking at the good the Library might do to per- sons in the humbler walks of trade, this seems a great pity. I know of two cases in which yoiing men have obtained excellent situations in a large town from the facility it gave for seeing the advertising columns of no less than six newspapers. Then there are the young men and women too, who came to town for &If a day, almost of necessity, but soon get through their business. If they knew wre to go and spend 4 re to go an d spen d an hour or two, what a help it' would be to Tem- perance, as well as knowledge, to find a. quiet harbor in the sea of toil, well warmed and lit, to read the accumulating store of books as well as serials. The very first step to take should be the putting up of a placard, with the rules, conspicuously in every cocoa room and in every shop, or every tavern too whose good management would be evidenced by this very permission. I think, too, that every inexpensive means of pub- licity should be adopted about the stations. For a small sum the owners of the advertising stations would give space for a bill which might be painted on calico, and some neighbouring stations might be utili-se d -as Gresfor d Ruabon* utilised—as Gresford, Ruabon, and Gwersyllt. But above all, the building might advertise itself better. A very small sum would paint the lamps at the doors with its name. The brilliant, but comparatively use- less gas jets in the ante-room might for a few shillings be made a back ground for a window, painted in large letters like the illuminated clock close by. Lastly, a flagstaff on the roof, a little bunting with Free Library," would enable a large, conspicuous, and clear sign to wave in the wind and be seen near as well as far. Another great addition to the scope and value of the library would be a large attendance of females. Frequently visiting the library it is only rarely I see one. It is pity to see there "such a table of feasts displayed. Like a garden of lights without a shade such a liberal spread of all the flowerr. and fruits of England's best serials, with only a few of the ruder sex to par- take. The exceedingly good order which is spontan- eously maintained, the silence and seclusion within and without, all concur in making it the very place for persons of the gentler sex. Walk in ladies, and as many as possible" ought to be the spirit if not the motto of our admirable Free Library. N otwithstauding that it has been opened nearly three months, I note that the visits do not average over about 1,100 weekly, some of which are made more than once the same day. If the steps I propose were taken I feel certain the number on certain days would be doubled, and the sympathises and goodwill of the outsiders would be largely increased.—I am, sir, yours truly, A BOOKWORM. BROUGHTON SCHOOL BOARD. SIR,—Having perused a letter in your impression of Saturday last, bearing the signature of True Eco- nomy," I am induced to make one or two comments thereon. I think you must observe that it requires but little observation to perceive at once the animus displayed in such narrow and shert-sighted scintilla- tions, in which he attempts to enlighten the commu- nity, and you cannot but conclude that the subject is most superficially dealt with. To a casual reader, the first idea that occurs to the mind is that True Economy's" attack is levelled at the whole Board,— but I think that such a rendering of the letter would be by no means correct; but that he solely alludes to the one member, who now honorably retires after nine years' faithful and efficient service on the Board for the township, and who by the way has been made a sort of scape goat by the party. This is most evident from the tone, as well as the plausible and fallacious reasoning lie assumes, and may be the means of deluding some of your readers, but with those the least acquainted with the multifarious duties of the Board, it must be self-rebutting. He might have spared himself the pains of what must have been a cudgelling of his brains to indite his letter with True Economy," as it is altogether beside the ques- tion. But to pursue, I may say it is not my intention to endeavour in any way to condone the actions of the Board, who have had difficuli; matters to deal with as well as transact business which has required a great amount of time and serious deliberation, all of which is gratuitously given by gentlemen having specific and general duties connected with their business to attend to, so that the meetings have been attended in some cases by a great sacrifice of time, which to a man of business means money. Again," True Economy accuses the retiring member of "following in the wake of the Chairman," and here I would remark that the bulk of the work for many years has fallen to the lot of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and the member who now retires, and it will be found that these gentlemen have made the greatest number of attendances of any other members, and have carried on the business to a greater extent and rate than their legal adviser" was willing to go. You must be aware that on a Board of this kind that there is but little call for party or political differences to im- pede the business, but all aim at the same end, the honourable discharge of their duties to the benefit of the township, and having this in view they must of necessity follow in the wake of each other, and if True Economy gives it the least thought he will at once see the reasonableness of it, and without condemning a member unreasonably, who besides being a practical man has saved the Board very much which ought to have been done through an architect. As to the reduction of the teachers' salaries, it is the opinion of the most influential of the ratepayers that the Board will re-consider the arrangement and deal honourably with them. Before True Economy again attempts to reason upon questions requiring very mature thought, I would ad vise him to take up a course of political economy. Trusting I am not tres- passing too much on your valuable space, I am, &c., V ERITAS. THE EARLY CLOSING MOVEMENT. SIR,-It would seem that the move which has of late been made by the employers of Wrexham with the object of in some manner shortening the present number of hours of enij-)Ioyment-a, move which is not without its sympathisers amongst some of the most respectable and experienced tradesmen in thp-town- is, owing to the action of a few obstructionists," likely to be productive of little good. If the minority were subordinate to the majority, the question would soon be settled in favor of the young men, but unfor- tunately one or two employers may place themselves in a position from which they seem to dictate to all as to when they shall close their establishments. Now it is quite certain that no one could suffer from a loss of custom if early closing or a weekly half-holiday was universally adopted, and it will be conceded by every- one who has a personal acquaintance with the trade of the town, that the usual daily tasks would be per- formed in a much less time than they are at present. It is urged by a certain class of persons, whom it will be observed do not possess an unusual amount of business precocity, that the long hours of labor in bye-gone years justify the present opposition to any curtailment, and they endeavor to impress upon the rising generation (to put it in a homely way) the fact that they do not know that they are born. This sort of talk is ridiculous to the last degree. It may be true in certain instances that a man has worked harder in years past than those do which he has under his charge at present, but I should think that every one who thinks, or thinks he thinks, will see that to try to persuade an intelligent young man in these days of enlarged business, that this generation is an idle one is simply absurd, as there never was an age in which more was accomplished, whether it be in men- tal or physical employment. The radical difference between the system of doing business now and what it was fifty years ago, being that man has learned to concentrate his energies and 80- perform his work in much less time. This has to be looked to also. In these days of ad- vancement, there are young men to whom various in- tellectual pursuits present irresistible attractions, and they want something more than the dull round of the counter or desk, and in order to assist so laudable an object as mental improvement, a curtailment of the hours of labor is necessary. If this, which is the highest argument which can be urged, were the only reason for shortening the hours it would not only amply repay the masters in having increased intelli- gence in their employe's, but they would also have the work of the next day resumed with a cheerfulness and an activity which would thoroughly remunerate them for the dethronement of the old conservative pre- judice which seems to have the sway in many minds. -Yours, &c., SOCRATES, JL-N. SUNDAY CLOSING IN W -KLES. I SIR,-I have read with no little surprise Mr John Roberts'" letter in your issue of February 28th on this subject, in which he has attempted to prove that there is no positive harm in opening the public-houses on Sundays, and even has the audacity to quote (or shall I not say misquote ?) Christ's observation when the Pharisees accused His disciples of breaking the Sabbath, although they wae merely satisfying their hunger The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." "Reversing this text" it seems to me is the crime Mr Roberts is chargeable with, as if he can sub- stantiate his statement that by closing public-houses on Sunday we are guilty of misrepresenting the text above quoted, there would be an end to the question, but it is very evident that if we have one day to spend (and by this I understand Mr Roberts to mean rest ") then we are bound to make the best use of it and that would not be by seeking the public-thouse to satisfy our appetite with a glass of beer just because we like it. If Mr Roberts would remember the old proverb, The devil can quote Scripture to his own ends," he would not be guilty of this misrepresentation, which he evidently aims to accuse others of. Mr Roberts says, "Are we all to be deprived of a glass of beer because a few make an indulgence in it or create disgraceful scenes?" Now if he quotes Manchester, Leeds, London, and other large cities as having their various provision shops open on Sundays as collateral evidence that no distinction should be made, I would ask Mr Roberts' permission to reverse his statement by asking, Is it right that thousands should be allowed to disgrace themselves just because a iew like their glass of beer?" for we are all aware that much of the crime in our large cities and towns is owing to the Sunday trading in public- houses. Could not Mr Roberts and his followers exercise a little self-denial for one day for the sake of those poor wretches who abuse the privilege I should however like to know what this has to do with Sunday Closing in Wales, the subject of his letter. As regards the last paragraph in Mr Roberts' letter, I leave that, simply adding that if it is liberty (and let hian understand Christian liberty), as we are now situated I say, "Save us from such liberty." Apologising for having taken up so much of your valuable space,-I am, &c., OKI IN J'AVOR OF SUUDAT CIOSIXG THE BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH IN I N CONFIRMATION. -1 a I L.. OJR,—Une of the main arguments useu uy uur ecclesiastical home rulers in favor of Welsh Bishops was the lack of espicopal ministry in confirmation. The Bishop, as Pastw Fastorum, can address hie clergy in any of the learned Languages, but in confir- mation he comes in contact with the bilingual lambs of the flock, and therefore must, himself be a bilingual. This is the keystone of the whole position. It be- hoves us, therefore, t<T inquire how such hopes have been realised. It has been my lot to take part in the Order of Con- firmation as administered by three types of Bishop. Dr. Short, our late Bishop, never acquired the know- ledge of Welsh, and his usual mode of conducting the service of Confirmation was'somewhat as follows. He was always attended by his Chaplain, who ad(trexsedl the candidates in Welsh, following in outline the Bishop's English address. The words which accom- pany the act of laying on of hands were, of course, said by the Bishop alone in English. The rest of the service was gone through bit by bit in both languages, It was therefore tedious. It also assumed the appear. ance of unreality. Its redeeming point was that each address in either language was in itself continuous and complete, so that every monoglott child, be he Welsh or be he English, could not help to understand what was going on. But we must confess that the noble line of our grand old English Prelates cHd not appear to advantage in the ministry of Confirmation, for they could not stir without an interpreter. The next type belongs to what I will venture to to call the tra)tsitioa ifei-if)d-to English Bishops who acquired a practical knowledge of Welsh—and if we take the great Dr. Thirlwall, with all his gigantic powers as a sample of this class, Churchmen may well be proud of him as one of the greatest minds of the age, as well as one of the finest of Welsh elocutionists. Confirmation was conducted by him in a similar manner to that above described, but the addreRses were all delivered in both languages by the Bishop himself and were continuous and complete, so that every child and adult in his turn could fully under- stand what was going on. The noble presence, the ine elocution, and tire authoritative manner of this grand old alien Bishop made his ministry of eonfip- mation a great reality. His words once uttered never fell to the ground. And for my part I must candidly confess that I have never yet heard the rite of Confirmation administered nor theTen Commandments read by any Welshman in so fine and noble a style an by this old alien Bishop. The echo of the words-- to Amddiffyn, 0 Arglwydd, dy blentyn hwn ii'th" riie nefol a pheunydd gynnyddu yn dy Yspryd Glati fwy flOY," resound on the ears and live in the hearts of tens of thousands of genuine monoglott Welsh- men to this day. About the time of the Swansea Congress it fell to my lot to converse with a thorough- going Welshman of great intelligence on the subject of Welsh Bishops. He had heard the best of Welsh preachers and platform orators, he had also heard the. Welsh Bishops and many of their alien prototypes. But on being asked who was the best Welsh reader he had ever heard, he unhesitatingly replied-" Oh yr hen Ddr. Thirlwall: hen gawr, ie hen gawr oedd hwn, a'r mwyaf o'r holl gewri." (Old Dr Thirlwall of course; he was a giant, yea, a fine old giant was he, and the greatest of all the giants.) This is native testimony ¡ to the Welsh worth of an alien Bishop. It now remains to enquire how the first of out modern Welsh Bishop acquits himself in this all im. portant matter.. I will not dwell upon the dubious doctrines enunciated by Dr. Hughes, nor the impress- ion given to many good churchmen that he does not himself believe in Confirmation as one of the lesser sacraments of the church, but simply as a function or an outward form, which he is obliged to discharge as if it were a religious rite. I will not dwell upon the many if8 introduced into our reformed Prayer Book in connection with it, where none occur in the authorised version. Nor will I lay much stress on the fact that, in consequence of this, many parents take every possi- ble opportunity of having their children confirmed elsewhere. All this, though interesting, would be ir. relevant to our review of the Bishop's vninisti'y in con- firiiiatioi-i in its bilingual aspect only. The service re- mains even now in its old stereotyped form with little or no alteration. English and Welsh children are still crowded together to take their part in a piebald service which is as tedious and unreal as ever. The only change is decidedly a change for the worse, for the Bishop now addresses the candidates in both tan- yuages at once, that is to say, the two languages are used at random in one and the same address without regard to periods or even sentences. In the middle of an English sentence a bit of Welsh is introduced, and vice versa a bit of English in the middle of a Welsh sentence, so that the address, as a complete and con- tinuous whole, becomes so broken up as to defy any monoglott listener to make any thing of it. The ser- vice is piebald, the address is hybrid and the act of confirmation is a perfect jumble. The whole thing is like a piece of patchwork without design or pattern. The bilingual expert may perhaps be able, hy. dint of extra attention, to trace the thread of such a discourse, but as for the poor monoglott child or adult it is utterly impossible for them to understand such an oratorical production. The Bishop often says that there is no charm in the Church of England t but it must be confessed that to the Welsh Church there is a certain amount of charm if not of fatal fascination in this new style of address, otherwise how could it have stood its ground even for one decade of episcopal ministry. It is no doubt a wonderful kaleidoscopic display of bilingual expertness under the magical touch of a Welsh bishop, but I am inclined to ask in all seriousness, does it tend to edification ? This is the serious part of our review, and luckily it is in everybody's power to test whether this new style tends to edification or confusion. Let the interested reader ask any friend who is an expert linguist to read aloud at random any well-known passage in any two languages best known to himself, and he will at once discover that confusion of ideas must follow with little or no edification. Yea, let our learned Bishop himself test his own style of speaking by asking his alien chaplain-in-chief to recite the 119th Psalm in the two or in the ten languages best known to himself, at random, without rhyme or reason-and without paying any regard to periods or even sentences, and I feel sure that he will agree with me that such a novel style of reading does not tend to edification. If this is true in the case of learned divines, to whom the gift of languages—not simply the bilingual pair of Welsh Wales-is a necessary complement of their calling, how much more true is it in the case of the motley crew of our Catechumens ? If it is difficult for the expert linguist to be thus edified what becomes of the monoglott Welslliiian ? Has it never occurred to the Bishop that, before any such spotted discourse can be understanded of the people," they must all be experts in the two langu- ages, and if experts in both then either of the two, will suffice for the ministry of confirmation, and that in this case the argument for Welsh Bishops falls to the ground ? Again, it is a biblical and apostolic principle that no one should speak in the Church in an unknown tongue, unless there is an interpreter at hand to wing words of edification home to the hearts of the hearers. It is also a principle of the Reformation that our church services should be ministered "in a tongue (and not in tongues) understanded of the people." I know that piebald services are common in South Wales. I also know of a clever Vicar in North Walfes who appoints Welsh and English hymns of totally different meaning to be sung at the same time to the same metre tune, so that individual members of the same congregation may decide for themselves which language they like best. But in these cases the plea of edification is never lost sight of. The Roman Church uses an unknown tongue, yea, even a dead language to teach the way of life to its children, but Dr. Hughes does what to my mind seems even worse, for he so uses two languages as to make them both unintelligible even to learned adults. Is not this an overdrawn picture ? Can it be true ? At the last Confirmation held in my own parish there sat in the congregation a learned English clergyman, who had never before heard a word of Welsh spoken. He listened with the greatest possible attention, and was much pleased with the Bishop's expertness in ringing the changes from one language to another, yea, he was even delighted with the musical tone of the Welsh cadences as given by the Bishop, for some- how, said he, the Welsh portions of the address seemed to me to be so very well sung that they quite charmed me, as compared with the coldness of the English portions. But on being asked whether he understood what was going on he replied "Tht is the point I was coming to and I must confess that, though I was quite charmed with the Bishop, I could not follow him and soon lost all he said, for the mixing up of the two languages most effectually broke the thread of the address." Hence, if it was quite impossible for & learned English clergyman to understand what was going on, how can the monoglott lambs of the flock be expected to be thereby edified ? The addresses of Bishop Short in English as well as those of his Chaplain in Welsh were understood, for they were continuous and complete. The words of Bishop Thirlwall in both languages, spoken as they were by the same lips and inspired by the same soul, were never allowed to fall to the ground nor to vanish into thin air, for they were continuous and complete. His words were telling words. The services of theHe (so called) alien Bishops were Biblical, Apostolic, and in accordance with the principles of our Reformed Church, for they all tended to edification. But the first of our modern Welsh Bishops has ushered in a new style of speaking in two languages at once, which may charm some people by its kaleidoscopic expert- ness, but which does not and cannot tend to edifica- tion. It militates against the first principles of language and breaks like tow all the rules of our Church. And if the ministry of Confirmation ae conducted by our Welsh Bishop does not tend to edification, what I ask becomes of the main argument in favor of Welsh Bishops? The Bishop fails and the argument falls to the ground. If the Bishop's new style of speaking is a true solution of the bilingual difficulty in Wales, where is his faith in the system ? Why is it not enforced all round ? Why have we not a palace ukase issued in true Cromwellian tones to all the Churches of the diocese commanding them to conduct their services in accordance with the episcopal model as soon as may ? And in the absence of an ukase, why do not the clergy of their own accord adopt so simple a solution of all their difficulties? It will save us all much trouble and much expense. We shall not then want double Churches in our towns, nor double services for our people nor double choirs for our congrega?oM nor ? double staff of curatefor our parishes WK^ so stolid as not to adopt such a solution ? It is ssiim2plly to speak to our pople in two languages at on? ?' But I take it that no one would be mor? « urP^1?ed than the Bishop himself if such a stvl? f were adopted all round. The ma«icis i^rfaKlt^ would oon try to alay the spirit -of?surch??tt????? '? what soon t r'rloned in a Bishop must not be ailTlo' wed to a country clergyman. qnce more; it .was Confirmation which suppr5ed the mSn^r^ument in tftSrL orKwT?h h R"1 there" fore ask in ..n soberness is It too much to request in return that the first of' « UF modern Welsh Bishops shouM no? pernetu^ ate among us the piebald service of former vpa.ro  add ?o them the still more obtectiariftblp JJ them the still more   «1 pressing us in both lan?a?s at once Is it iSl I?Uch to ?kin return that our Cate^nmin A °u!y have the ministry of Connrmaticn comnWft in '??' ?? ?sish in purely Welsh centra and ?ha English also in centres of their own? Or If fhio no*. ?? be arranged why should not the English snd TILT «andidates be confirmed in alternate Years9 Such an arrangement would rescue the rite of Con- ifrn-mtiow from contempt and the ministry of our mehop therein from thf i3nclpniable charge of confu- arra. now CfcMICU* AGAWANSM.