The Cardiff Times

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BY MABON, M.P. WORKMEN AND THE ALLOTMENT ACTS. The general success and great advantages .f occupying ownership, whether of small ptote or of good-sized gardens, have been demonstrated by an overwhelming mass of evidence in most European countries as *ell as in some parts of our own. The celebrated Arthur Young, from his personal observations, deduced the now celebrated axiom, "The magic of pro- perty turns into gold," though, as he himself shows elsewhere, .and all economists are aware it is not property but secure pos- sessions wftich is magical to the epect. Hence Arthur Young's second axiom, Give man secure possession of a black rock, he will turn it into a garden give nine years' lease of a garden and he 1ri.l1 convert it into a desert." So that we may be sure that the, best I examples of what peasant farms show under a few benevolent landlords by no means conges up to the effects that would be produced to secure occupying ownership. Could the labourers •nd workmen secure these allotments with- out great difficulty ? There is another great benefit in connection with the system. To secure possession of a small plot of land a labourer not only gives him well-being Jtid more independence and com- fort, but it gives him, as a rule, better rate of wages also. But it is -?t this phase of the question that I purpose discussing in the present article. Knowing the great difficulties that have been lately experienced in obtaining allotments from Unwilling landlords, or what would be more Accurate an unwilling landlord's agent in the Welsh valleys, I want to direct attention to *hat passed before one of the select com- fllittees of the House of Commons a few -.reeks ago, when a most important case that has yet arisen under the Allotment Acts *as decided. AN IMPORTANT CASE. That case possessed a very general,signi- ficance, inasmuch as it was the first applica- tion for the compulsory acquisition of land "*otn an owner who has,1 for the three years, been unwilling to set "apart 1ny for allotment purposes. It may help prove to the public, and especially to. that growing section which is ma&ing the labourer more or less a particular object of Sympathy and support, that it is necessary .11 those cases where landowners are un- willing to let land for allotments, and the procedure to be adopted by the labourers, and also by workmen in general, should be ?ore simple, more expeditious, and free pom the excessive costs that at present besets jk In the instance to which I direct atten- tion the applicants for allotments, after' taking formal but unsuccessful ap- plications for the land to the landowner, placed the matter in the of the rural sanitary authority, ."e said authority appointgd a committee to aspect the land, Sir Edward Birkbeck being the chairman. In the opinion' of the ootn- mittee andofthesajiitary auth.orlty,the land- owner might reasonably be called upon to ^eet the demands of the labourers, and some ? acres of land were thereupon applied for. After some delay the county council was also Educed to take up the Iabourent. case, but the owners still absolutely refused to ttieet the deiinand of the men. After every ^ftiicable proposal had failed, the county ^unciVas a last hoptt, Applied fpraptp- visional order to take the land compulsorily. A Bill to give effect to such order was dis- cussed for. three days some three weeks with the result that it passed, "hat rent per acre the labourers 'll ultimately secure the land for, I not yet in a position to state. That we shall know by and by. The original application by the labourers appears to have been made between two and three Years ago, and it must be some little time Jet before they can have their allotment ground. GIVE THE COUNTY COUNCILS COMPULSORY POWERS. Now what I wish strongly to emphasise is this the Act ought to be in the hands of the County Councils, and not in those of ^e rural sanitary authorities. It must so, or else we shall always ~ave difficulties arising under it. Even, however, where the authorities desire to enforce the Act, the labourers and other Workmen ought not to be under the Necessity of bearing the expenses of proving their case before the county council even, much less in far away London. If it is Necessary—after the county council has, in addition to the sanitary authority, con- sidered the workmen's claim to be a fair one to prove the claim before another tribunal, a court of justice may very well ue considered as sufficient,. and a decision a judge should be as binding as that of a Select Committee of the House of Commons. This would meet a difficulty which is found a very serious one in actual practice. I relieve that one or two other provisional orders are to be applied for and Bills pro- moted to give effect to them. WHEKE ALLOTMENTS SHOULD BE SITUATED. In addition to making it more easy to obtain allotments it would be of fcreat service to working men of all grades ^ere the same obtainable in as close a Proximity to their dwelling-houses as possi- ble. It may be safely said that under such conditions the plots would be made to pro- duce more than double the amount per acre they would under other circumstances. if a man can cultivate in, overtime a garter or half-acre allotment, often at half- a.111ile or more from his cottage, he could cultivate with greater ease an: acre or even two acres of garden land at his own door, since he would be able to utilise every quarter- flour, every five minutes even of' spare time which otherwise would be wasted he "ould save the time and labour of walking to and fro from his allotment, which in the aggregate must often be nearly as great as • the time and labour bestowed upon it, resides which numerous half hours and 8pare minutes would be devoted to it by his "rife and children. In numerous places in these valleys there are plenty of such places obtainable would the landlords be well disposed to allot them. In his remarkable work, "Six Centuries Wort ana .Wages, IVofesspr, T&apfl wgfrg states a? aq ^disputed fact that iq a county of small, agricultural prpprje^Qjts t hired labour- is always absolutely- -Mid relatively dear and it evidently must ^e so, for the labourer is no longer dependent, day by day and week by 1Veek, on wages as his only safeguard Against starvation. Not only does he at Oboe become a small capitalist, but he has the means of labouring profitably for hun- Belf, if equally profitable or more profitable Work is not offered him. This also, com- paratively. will be the case with the work- man who can obtain an allotment of land in close proximity to his home. And this c as it should be. We want the workf men to be more independent. We want them to be able to refuse to work for starvation wages—and this is mostly what the objection means; but for adequate Wages the workman who cares to cultivate a small plot of land will ever be the besbof Workers, and will be always on the spot and attached to his work. Under such ciroum" stances, he would be for the first time in OUr modern era in a condition to make a really C6 free contract with his employer.

WELSU-SPEAKING MINES INSPECTORS. If TO THE BDITOK, I donlfc think Mr Secretary Matthew*, !*he has read your leading artiele of the 10th P*t. upon., this subject, could possibly hav faarifcarifeb its tone more than he could have ^plained of the manner-is whicbtheinatte was treated by the Welsh members in the House. It seems Lo me, however, that the latter rather lost an opportunity of gainiqg a fair advantage td their countrymen by taking the trouble to look up the statistics, and then pointing out to Mr Secretary Matthews that by a little re-arrangement of areas the difficulty could be avoided in future. He admitted that the South Wales district was beyond all dis- pute a Welsh district." He did not mean by this to assert that the part of the Liverpool district, which is jncludea m North Wales, is not a' Welsh district. As a matter of fact, the bulk' of it is known to be as Welsh as, and probably more so than. any district in South Wales. Therefore it is admittedly highly desirable that, if possible, the inspector of that district shouldbe a Welsh-speaking man. But the chances of that consummation being brought about while the district forms part of the Liverpool district, with four times the numhpr of men employed, are small indeed. Now, the suggestion I would make depends upon the statistics furnished by the Mines Blue Book, 1869. I find for that year the following figures a;' Workmen. Mines. (1) South-Westerii District 38.154 289 (2) South Wales „ 73(451 345 (3) Liverpool „ 45,655 22p (3) Liverpool „ 45,655 22p The population of (3) in North Wales amounts to 10,759, between ohe-fourth and one-fifth of the whole; and so we may take the number of mines in North Wales to be between 56 and 45, say 50. All of these are in Flintshire and Denbighshire, none elsewhere. And they are all comparatively close together. Now (1) includes Monmouthshire, whare 23,130 workmen out of the whole are em- ployed, and the adjacent part of Glamorganshire with 2,400 workmen. That is to say, the district is such that con- siderably more than one half of the workmen live in Welsh districts though, of course, it is not likely that anything like th&t number are Welsh speaking. But,; undoubtedly, it is a district where a Welsh-speaking^ inspector is desirable. Why not, then, tack Flintshire and Denbighshire to this district? To do that would only mean to give to it the inspection of about 50 additional collieries, and 10,759 men, and a comparatively small and compact new area. As these would be mostly Welsh-speaking, it would make the dis- tricts one more nearly approaching the position which Mr Secretary Matthews admits South Wales has than it does now. Even then it would not give the inspector as many mines to inspect as the inspector of the South Wales district, nor as many men and the inspector of the Liverpool district would still have left only 16 mines less than are in the Durham district, though, no dojibt, these would be. probably smaller. But at any rate, a slight re-arrangement of adjoining districts would remove any 'difficulty about giv- ing the Liverpool district inspector enough to do. But there is one other thing I think the Welsh members should look toin connection with this matter. Directly it becomes known that a know- ledge of Welsh is necessary we shall have a lot of candidates saying they know Welsh and when these are backed up by powerful backers, who also recklessly say they know Welsh, it will be impossible to prevent their being appointed. I have been told that this has actually happened with regard to one of these appointments before. A Home Secretary qwas told that a candidate knew Welsh, when -all he knew was, How do you do ? and Good morning," and so on The Home Secretary, not knowing Welsh, was obliged to take upon trust what was said about the appli- cant's knowledge, and so appointed a man on account of a qualification be did not really possess. Now, I say it will be bad for coal-mining in this country, if we are to have appointments made in this way; for by so doing we select from a smaller number, and succeed in getting a man whose first act on acquiring his situation is an act of dishonesty. Now, I say, better an Englishman who is com- petent and honest and who knows no Welsh than a Welshman who is not competent; but ten thousand times better the honest and competent Englishman than the non-Welsh-speaking candi- date, whether hprn of Welsh or English parents," who succeeds in getting over the head of the oompeteut Englishman an inspectorship or any other such post by dishonestly sayhig that he has a proper knowledge of Welsh, when he has not, I admit such Jtten are under a great tempta- tion to do$hlis. But the temptation can easily be Amoved. We have now at the Welsh University Colleges professors of Welsh, why not, aA is done with candidates for the India Civil Service, require each candi- date to pass an examination in Welsh before a board composed of those professors and Welsh mining eaperts like Mabon ? These examina. tions could be held annually, and certificates plight.- *^1?% would allow persons holding tnetn at iny Knie to apply for these in- Bjmetorships. The details could be easily affWrfig^d.' If sa6h examinations and certificates were established, it would give a great impetus to the study of Welsh; and, what is more impor- tant, put an end to imposture. Of course, I do not mean to suggest that the examination should require a candidate to excel in grammar, or in a knowledge of Welsh poetry. It ought, I think, merely to require that the candidate should sbpw that he possesses certain necessary qualifications (1) He should be able to converse intelligibly, if not always grammatically, in Welsh, (2) He should be able to translate a Welsh letter, for much valuable information as to the dangerous condition of collieries is daily sent to inspectors by the medium of anonymous letters. (3) He ought also to be able to read such papers as the Tarian, for there he will also con- stantly find useful information. Those are the principal points that occur to me at present. No doubt others will occur to you and your readers, and I hope to the Welsh mem- bers. Like yourself, I think it would be moat hurtful to the best interests of Wales, if by crying out louder than everything, Wales for the Welsh," we drove competent Englishmen away from the country but that is not what I want. WlmjJ want is tljat we shall be able to say to the Hoiu^Secretary Here are a number of persons who possess the proper Welsh qualifications. You see whether they also possess a proper knowledge of coal mines, and if they do, we think you ought to appoint the best of them, rather than an Englishman who does not possess the qualifica- tion.—I am, &c., ANTI-HUMBUG. July 12.

A MUSICAL CURIOSITY. A famous musical curiosity has just been sold in Paris-the well-known wooden shoe, strung with violin strings, which was sent to Paganini as a present by an eccentric sabot maker from Normandy. Paganini was, history relates, much insulted on receiving this queer present, and was only pacified by an intimate friend, who induced him, after having a neck added, an upper tabic with sound holes, and some other alterations made, to play upon it., and the great violinist was at last persuaded to play one of his most brilliant conoertpiecesupon this unique violin. Jt was after- wards given by him to one of his friends, who carefully preserved it, together with Pag^nini's autograph inscribed upon it, after it bad been used for its single appearance in publiq, The purchaser, a French collector, has certainly secured one of the most curious musical instru- ments in existence. I

BRITISH STANDARD MEASURES Very few members of Parliament, and still fewer of the general public, are aware that a singular duty is imposed by statute this autumn upon the^Speaker of the House of Commons. 1 bis is the examination of the standards of the British yard measure and pound weight, which, tor security, are built into the wall at the side of the central staircase in the Palace of Wesminster. When the old legislative palace was destroyed by tire, the former standards perished, and a Royal uomm^on sat to consider boW the new standards should be preserved. It was decided that they should be buried in "the wall within a fireproof safe, or rather coffin. But the law provides that once m twenty years this coffin must be opened *1 Ui .stents officially inspected, lest they might nave been tampered with, or—still more feamole to cantemptyte-reinoved. The tittle tor this periodical exhumation of the standards actives in

UND^RSTAfEb HIS ABILITIES. "You can't walk .straight, or talk straight, or do anything straight." Tlyw »11 you kttowr tout it. Been rirjwV™ whizgy.fetraigh' all

DOES TAI; £ Lkavt EMOtacaBHi.—* Dr. Firstly —"Efelsilw ba^«^t^e^Wit^thei»wn. ? 'fe.. t-

Current Notes on Agriculture. By a Practical Farmer. RENTS IN WALES. The rent audits for the half-year of various estates in the Principality take place in the course of July and August; some even in June. ( A good many have thus already taken place this year. I have been in expectation of hearing that there have been substantial remissions granted— at some of them, at least—but, so far, no such news has reached me. During the depression of a few years ago many landlords, in the face of the difficulties which then confronted tenants generally, were generous enough to remit a part of the rents due. Since then there has been an improvement in some branches of farming, and the remission has been stopped, jand the old rental charged in full. In most parts of the United Kingdom, within the last few years, there has been a general reduction in the rents of the land—with the notable excep- tion of Wales In the jpajority of counties in England the reduction has been great. WHr SHOULD waLSH LANDLORDS ABATE THE RKNT8 ? During the period of depression referred to English landlords were the first in setting the ex- ample of fairness in remitting, and many Welsh owners followed suit. The result in the case of the former was a general readjustment of the rent and permanent reduction, while with the latter no action in this direction took place except in extreme and solitary cases. It is, therefore, naturally unreasonable for Welsh landlords who have made ne reduction to expect those landlords who have made great reductions in the rents of their estates to set them a fresh example at the present audits of remitting to their tenants a part of the rents due. It will be asked, Are the tenant farmers in need of remission ? Anyone, on making full enquiry into the state of farming "and the finance of the farmer this year, will find that there was no time when remission was more justified than] now. We must bear in mind that in the past two or three years when store cattle were in good demand, and relatively high prices secured for all store stock, farmers were not able to do more than pay their way. Very few indeed found it possible to lay by anything to meet any pos- sible reverses in the future. Every item received for the produce of the farm found its place ready, and with rents adjusted in and according to the prosperous years of 15 to 20 years ago, enhanced price of labour, and the increased rates and taxes, which are mostly all borne by farmers in rural districts, and press heavily on them, all outlays have increased, making it impossible, even when there is a fairly good price for his produce, for the farmer to lay any money by. The consequence is that but few have any funds to draw upon. at the present time. It will be said that tenants generally even this year pay the amount of rent in full. That may be, but it does not disprove my assertion ithat the financial state of the farmer is at a very low ebb at the present time. But paying in full, whatever their circumstances, is a trait which is more strongly possessed by our tenants, perhaps, than those of any other part of the kindom. Whether this trait be a good one or an evil one "readers may judge for themselves. For my own part I incline to the latter. To put the matter in a clearer light, Welsh tenants, as a class, think that-the landlord has the first claim to be paid, and on this principle they will act whatever happens. They:will find the money to pay the rent due whatever be the cost; it does not matter who is left unpaid, if by leaving that debt stand- ing they can get the necessary amount to settle the landlord's claims. There are exceptions to this belief, as I have lately found myself. A 8EKSIBLE FARMER. One day last week, while in one of the market towns of Carroll thshi re, I met a farmer acquaint- ance, an original character in many respects, and in course of conversation he remarked "My rentaudit is to-morrow, and I have to-day eome to town to settle some bills I owe here, I make it a rule to pay everything I owe before each rent audit day. Afterwards, if there is a deficiency in the amount of money in my possession to pay the rent, my landlord has to wait." On my pointing to him that he was acting contrary to the general rule, he said—" I am aware of it, but I do not believe in robbing other people to pay my land- lord. From tradescfteu and others I generally manage to secure full value for my money, which I certainly do not always get from my landlord as, for instance, at the present time. My rent is excessive, even at the best of times, what, then, must it be this year, when we have experienced such a long and severe winter, which meaasfextra cost in keep and above average toss sustained by mortality in stock, which takes place always in extraordinary severe winters ? Again, the product of my dairy last spring was not much above hhlf what it was last spring 12 month, and to cap everything the poor demand for all store stock, and the consequently ruinously low prices secured for them. I think this should be partly borne by my landlord, and by right he should remit ma a good part of the rent, even if I am able to pay it. after paying all other bills. Also as my landlord is my greatest creditor, I think it only right that he should know my true position, and not mislead him, and give him the impression that farmnv; pays better than it does."

How to Get Rid of Weeds. Dealing with the question pf weeds an agricul- tural paper has the following suitable remarks on charlock :— The present seems to be a greijt year for this pernicious weed. The common charlock is known in various localities as yellows, runch, ketlock, wild ipustard and charlock. It' belongs to the same natural order (Cruciferct) as turnips, cab- bages, rape, mustard, radishes, and the wall- flower. It is known by its cross-shaped, yellow flower, so familiar at this season of the year in our cornfields. The charlock is Si, scourging pest, dry- ing up the ground, and starving all other vegeta- tion in its neighbourhood. It principally affects 'spring-sown corn, and is rarely seen among winter wheat. Charlock is easily destroyed byj^ost. and is not distasteful to sheep. Its seed IS oily and heavy, and readilly rolls into crevices in the ground to a considerable depth. It retains its vitality for many years, and it is these character- istics which account for the well-known fact that deeper ploughing trtatt usual often deluges a field with it. The seed requires air, and it is only when lifted by the plough iind brought near the surface that it germinates. It is best extirpated by hoeing, and therefore, by growing crops suit- afae for this operation, such as turnips, beans, and potatoes. Hand-pulling is expensive, but is often resorted to; mowing off the tops is only partially successful. Being, as already mentioned, easily destroyed by frost, the harrowing of stubbles immediately after harvest is useful in encouraging its germination before winter. Similarly, it is a good thing to plough parly for barley, and to harrow the surface and wait for the charkitk to sprhlg'tip before sowinjg the crop. Both these aaans have been employed by good farmers, with yaryinfstMcesa. If a fWd i* much addicted to onarloek, it Should be "ploughed shallow. Char- lock is most injurious on poor land, because, like all weeds, it can thrive where cultivated crops cannot grow luxuriantly. Liberal farm- ing and the growth of smothering crops must therefore be claimed -among the best means of checking its development. It is often sown with the crop, and care should always be taken to avoid this by the selection of perfectly clean seed. Charlock seed is found in large quantities in the chaff of corn after thrash- ing, and where wheat chaff is given to cart horses there is no doubt that much charlock seed finds its way into the dung-heap. Such foul chaff ought not to be used, but is better burnt. In the case of oat fields infested with charlock we recom- mend early cut'ting, so as to prevent the fall of the seed, or in bad cases sheep may be folded Over the crop. and the land may then be broken for late turnips. In the generality of cases, how- ever, farmers will prefer to let the crop alone till the usual period of narvest, and trust to hoeing subsequent crops for its eradication.

No REAL Loss.—A traveller who happened to » be stopping at a little Texas town, overheard the f following" Did you hear about the accident? "• "No." "Sam Jones was running aootton gin I yesterday, and he lost three fingers." "Is that Sam Jones, the son of old Judge Jones?' "Yes." Then be did not lose any fingers. He may have had them cut off, but he never loses any, because j; he always puts three fingers inside before he goes pto work op thsootton gin." IN THE CLOAK-BOOM. —Representative Bustem Sin the course of argument)—-If we are notsenti lere to represent the ideas of our constituents, what are we here for? Repjrapeqi»tive ijrtTfcj

PRINCES AMONG PREACHERS. Ir (WelSH SERIES.) Rev. Dr. Thomas Charles Edwards. Principal of the University College of Wales* jr. T write even a short sketch of the life of Dr. Edwardsis notan ordinaryundertaking,and inthe following lines we cannot hope to do'full justice to our subject. Of one thing we are certain, and that is, that all honest and unbiassed Welshmen are prepared to acknowle Dr. Enwards the most learned and popular Welsh preacher of the day. It is hardly necessary to state that he is the eldest son of the late Dr. Edwards, of Bala. His mother, who is still alive and full of energy, although close upon eighty years of age, is a grand-daughter of Charles, of Bala, after whom the subject of our sketch was named Thomas Charles. He is one of a large family of children, of which threo brothers and two sisters are' still among us, filling. mpst important positions in Church and State. The Rev. Llewelyn, Edwards, M.A., head master of Ardwyn School, and a leading member of the Cardiganshire County Council; Rev D. Charles Edwards, M.A., the popular pastor of Hope Chapel, Merthyr, Dr James Edwards, who enjoys a large and lucrative practice in Liverpool. One of Dr Edwards' sisters is married to the Rev W. Diokins Lewis, D.D., and the other to Mr W. R. Evans, Menhant, Wrexham. Thomas Charles Edwards was born at Bala, September 22nd, 1837, so that he is yet com- paratively but young, and Wales may hope to have another twenty years* work from him.butjs order to secure that he must not drive the machinery at such a high pressure as he has been doing during the last twenty years. As Sir William Roberts remarked not long ago, no man that was not possessed of an iron consti- tntion would ever dare to work so hard as Dr Edwards. When a boy he was sent to the elementary school in his native town, where his progress in teaming was not very rapid, but even at that time fee showed himself ca^aj^of j^inpiishiiBir much work; he was then fuu M ^th'Masui" atid energy, which at times carried him too far in the opinion of the dear old people at Bala. Many an anecdote you may hear from the Bala natives how Thomas Charles, -Llewelyn, Ap Simon, and others did this and did that. It appears that they were looked upon in and around Bala as champion skaters, and, indeed, as the leaders of the age. But there, I must forbear, and not publish what was given-me in confidence. When between 14 and 15 years of. age he entered Bala College, of which his father. Dr. Edwards, was the principal. That by this time he was greatly advanced in his studies may be inferred from the fact that as soon as he entered college he was able to join the regular classes, Y some of which were preparatory classes for the London University matriculation examination. His fellow-students whilst preparing for this examination were the Revs. William James, B.A., Manchester, who has just been elected Moderator of the General Assembly; Owen Jones, B.A., Liverpool David Evans, M.A., late head master of Gelligaer School; and Mr John Thomas, B.A., professor at Bangor Normal College. When about 17 years of age he expressed a desire to become a preacher, and although the late Dr Edwards was delighted to find his son Thomas Charles so inclined, he did nothing to unduly influence him in this direction. At the same time be gave him, directly and indirectly, every encouragement. Unlike the majority of Welsh parents, the late Dr Edwards and Mrs Edwards considered it an infinitely higher honour to bring up their sons for the pulpit than to fill the highest office under the British Crown. There was nothing remarkable in his, preaching at this time, indeed, there were people, short- sighted it is true, who thought that the youngest brother, James, and not Thomas Charley, had been intended for a preacher. Even at this early stage iu his life he showed his capacity for hard work. Most people would have considered that preparing forthe University of London would • have been sufficient work not so did Thomas Charles. In addition to that hg began to edit a monthly periodical, called the Yrnwelydd," and published chiefly for the use of the East Merio- nethshire Sunday Schools. If I am not mis- taken, he was the youngest editor in Wales at that time, if not the youngest ever since. In the year 1861 he took his B.A. degree (with honours) at the London University. When we consider that all the training he had for this examination was at Bala College, the result- re( dounds to the credit of the college and the candi- date. It was not an uncommon thing in thoaet years for ministerial students to take their degrees straight from Bala. In the year 1862 he took his M.A. and stood- second on the list, the first being Mr Jevons, after that Professor Jevons, of the London University. His thirst for knowledge seemed^ by this time almost unquenohable, and he turned his eyes towards Oxford. It was a new thing^for a Nonconformist minister to enter that great seat of learning. It is true that DrChartas, of Trevecca, was ah Oxford gradhatet,, Ijut when he enter#! t$e university he was a candidate for orctiaation in fche.Jphur(5h,.pf England, aijd was j?cepared,to scribe to the Thirty-nine Articles but it was very different with Thomas Charles Edwards^— he was a Nonconformist out and out and through and through. The late Dr Edwards consulted several of the leading men among his own denomi- nation, but found little or no enoourgement. They were almost unanimous in condemning the idea of a young Nonconformist preacher going to such a place as Oxford, where all the professors and almost all the undergraduates were bigoted Churchmen, and where ab 'that time a strong wave of Ritualism was sweeping over the place. How ceuld a young, iniioeent Welsh' men hope to escape the plague ? With arguments such as these would-be friends sought to dis- courage both father and son. Another Important question must be answered—Where>is th#'»»oney to come from! The obstacle seemed almost insurmountable. But in this case what seemed a high mountain was made to serve as a stepping- stone to mount higher. In October, 1862, Thomas Charles went to Oxford, intending to remain there for one session only, in oirder to attend Jowett and Mansell's lectures..Soon .after he won a scholarship at Lincoln College, which enabled him to remain at Oxford for four years. Jowett and Mark Pattison,tbe late rector of Lincoln, were keen-enough to see the niia in the young Welshman, and a close frieddship sprang up which, in the case of Pattison in par- ticular, became more marked as the years rolled on until it was broken death. WoAeSr^acd J«especiaHy Aberystwyth Oc^lege, had^» tr^e stid fcwarm.supporter>in Mark IVtftlWu *-the M»ster of' BaQioL hae~t#!ten tiM^liveiiest r' < interest in Dr Edwards from the time he was in Oxford down to the present day. When Dr Edwards brought out his great work on I. Corinthians be dedicated it to Jowett and Dr Edwards, of Bala. Th« dedication is as follow? :— DffipiCATEI) To two Reverend Teachers, in grateful recognition of what I owe them intellec- tually and spiritually. To The Rev BENJAMIN JOWETT, M. A„ Master of Balliol College, Regius. Professor of Greek to the University of Oxford — „ and to My father, the Rev LEWIS EDWARDS, D.D. CEdinA Principal of the Welsh. Presbyterian College, Bala. After going through his earlier examinations most successfully, he read hard for his final examination, and took honours in classics and philosophy, which hithorto was. a distinction un- heard of in the history of Welsh Nonconformist ministers. He did Hot allow his University cafeer to come between him and the great work of his life, namely, preaching the gospel. Whilst at Oxford be accepted an invitation from the late David'Davies, LIandinam, to go down to Pem- brokeshire during the long vacation to preach to the navvies who were working on the Pembroke and Tenby Railway; This work proved an excel- lent training for the yottng preacher, and th*n^ are strong reasons for believing that his 'eirhest exhortations at the time, and his large-hearted sympathy with the navvies, was e blessed df." God. Dr Edwards looks back upon the months be spent in Pembrokeshire with thankful heart, and with real pleasure. As already stated, in the year 1666 he took his B.A. degree, obtaining a first clas3 in classical honours." After leaving Oxford we and him at Bala, not idling his time or resting upon his oars, v^^hrowing -binaBelf h cart and soul-into his work. Preaching Christ has always been a passion with him. ludegd he brings everything alseamb. servient to preaching. It wa,s his desire and ambition to find an opening for ministerial work, and soon it was found that a place was ready for him, namely, Windsor-street English Church, Liverpool, wbi<jh was without a pastor since the Rev W, Howells had left for Trevecca College. A short history of this church will not be out of plice, as it was the first charge our subject bad. PRINCIPAL EDWARDS AT WINDSOR-STRK^. LIVERPOOL. Windsor-street was the first English church connected with the Calvinistic Methodists in Liverpool. It was the outcome of mission work among the neglected classes in the south of Liver- pool," in which the late Rev. Joseph Jones, Menai Bfidge, had taken a leading part. Windsor- street Church was opened for worship in 1853. The Revs D. Chstles Davies, now principal of Trevecca, and Dr Saunders each had charge I of the church for a short time. The Rev. Wm. Hawells was the first regular pastor of the church from 1857 to 1865. Upon the appoint- ment ef the Rev. W. Howells to the principal- ship of Trevecca College, the usual anxiety connected with a ministerial interregnum possessed those responsible for the. management of the church at Windsor- street. Dr Lewis Edwards had been speaking very strongly-in favour of the English move- ment, and it was understood that Thomas Charles might not be unwilling to consider a 1. callto the pastorate of an English church. After the usual preliminaries, the only two deacons at the time, Messrs John Jones, Bentley-road, and Edward Jones, were appointed to wait upon father and son at Bala and it was arranged that Thomas Charles Ed- wards should commence his ministerial duties at Windsor-street on the first Sunday in 1867. It was not a promising beginning. The weather was as wretched as it well could be, the preacher wassby, the deacons anxious, the small congrega- tion expecbing. .The moral atmosphere of Liverpool is not the most favourable for Christian work of any kind, and with English Churches of the Calvinistic Methodists perhaps everywhere it is uphill work. 1 To the English public they are Welsh; to their Welsh brethren, strongly attached to the language, they are English. In spite of difficul- ties the church, under the new minister, made steady, solid, though not rapid, progress. The preacher, always earnest, thoughtful, and de- voted, towards the close of his ministerial connec- vtion with the church at Windsor-street, had rbegan to develop that intensity of earnestness and popularity of address which have marked his ministry since. The severance of a ministerial connection of six years, when difficulties had been to a large extent overcome, and when a rich harvest was almost in sight was painfully felt both by the pastor and by the church, but all were reconciled at length, as the event has proved, to the-call of providence, The commodi- ous and handsome church at Catharine-street was in course of erection when Mr Edwards left, to I Plice of the building in Windsor-street, the cost ot the ne# structure being close upon $7,m ilfijtiBpte.. i» <fiOWlfii»Jtion with Mr Edwards' life in Liverpool may be interesting to many. When Rev Dr Saunders resigned the pastorate of the church then at Beaufort- street, now at Prince's-road, Mr Edwards was pressed to accept that charge, with of course a larger stipend. His loyalty to his first love to Windsor-street led him to decline the invitation, to the great joy of, his people. Some amusement was created soon after Mr Edwards came to Liverpool, arising from his absence of mind. One Sunday morning the con- gregation bad assembled for worship, but the preacher made no appearance at the time for comniencing. The deacons, of course, were in great perplexity, but they were relieved by the presence in, the congregation of a minister, who consented to conduot the service. Towerds the close of the service Mr Edwards walked leisurely in. His watoh had topped, and he had qnite forgotten tbe-time. Many a bugh has been had over this incident," in which Mr Edwards-himself has heartily joined. ,The common talk was that after his marriage Mr Edwards preached very much better, and was improved in every way. Ab-auy rate, he never tefterwards forgot the time ofi the service, thanks, noidonbt to Mis Edwards. During Mr Edwards' paston^e another English church wa§ foruied«in the notth ofltivetpool, to wbichhe devoted much attentive care, and-einoe he left the good wojrk has prog&osed, five more English. jshuBekeaij^riit -i:n the Liyecpool distinct, most of "fanoiBrab^ nonditioa and ydoingngood' work for Christ in4he'&ighah fiekL r At the moment when he was beginning to be I recognised as a remarkable preacher, the council j of the Aberystwyth College, which was then struggling into existence, invited him to become the principal. This was in 1872, and ever since he has been at the head of this first and greatest of the Welsh National Colleges. It is true that he has been ably aided by a. very efficient staff of professors; but it is equally true that his individual influence, his strong personality and great popularity in the country have been the prime factors in the success of the college. It would be interesting to tell of the efforts spontaneously put forth by all the Nonconformist denominations of the Principality to secure the maintenance of the college, when the Government ignored its existence, and some of the great and noble in the land treated it with cool disdain, At a cenference held in Chester in 1883, a deliberate and most strenuous attempt was made to strangle our first National CoUfcge. A number of Nonconformists allowed themselves to be used as cats paws by the late Dean of Bangor and the Church party, and as a result Aberystwyth was put out of the running. But the country roge en masse, disposed with a con- temptuous whiff of the interested opposition of these men it petitioned the Government, and eventually secured a conditional grant, and now Aberystwyth College, in spite of all discourage- ments, is preeminently the college of Wales. Through all these rather bitter struggles it was felt in Wales that Principal Edwards as the one public character of the college was the rallying point, and without him we fear that its brilliant career would not have saved the institution from extinction. Principal Edwards has been always full of confidence a.nd hope, and he has the power to infuse the same spirit into those who come in contact with him. Even when the best friends of the college were on the point of giving up the struggle he hoped on. Thus he addressed his students in October, 1884, If ever a college had incentives to renewed effort it is our college. Its story, were it unfolded, would touch a larger number of different groups of men and interests than any other institution in the Principality. Every section of the people have spokwi of it, and placed themselves in a deterrninedSattitude of friendliness or hostility towards it. Even if the college were closed, it has already left its mark. Whether it has left its mark for evil or for good, others will have to decide, and the men of the future more than our contemporaries. This at least is certain. If our college had not started on its chequered career and done on the whole good work, the President and the Vice- President of the Council of Education would not have been able to select Wales for the field of a most interesting and important educational experiment. We may take for granted (this he said in the spirit of prophecy) that there will be three State-aided colleges in Wales, a sufficient numbor of middle-class schools, and we may fairly hope at length a University of Wales as a coping stone of the entire structure. The poorest boy will have as a good a chance as the richest to step from one rung of the ladder to the other and reach the top. Hence- forth all, or nearly all, rests with ourselves. We have been told on the best authority—and we know it if we had not been told—that when it was found that we refuse to flinch before any difficulty whatever, but continue to do our duty as professors and students have done in the past, no Government can resist our just demands. Hard work, undaunted courage, quiet confidence in the justice of our claims, and loyalty to the college are sure pledgee of permenancy." With such words did the Principal create within the hearts of his students the greatest enthusiasm. "They want to kill us," said he, "but we will not be killed." And to-day Aberystwyth College towers above all institutions of its: kind in the country. The college was addressed once thus• Fitting emblem of thy fate Thou has known the storms of bate; Fools' derision and their scorn, Thou has't calmly, proudly borne. ,r Babbling tongues, that wagged th vaini Treated with a cóld disdain, 'Mid the clashing strife and din, All undaunted, sought to win, But thine own approval—then Heedless of the noise of men. Now perchance comes rest at last, 1 For a while the storms are past, And above thee, shining bright, Cloudless stands the lord of light- ? Noble work hast thou to do— Lofty aims to keep in view— Watching from afar we ask God to speed thee in thy task." As a preacher Dr Edwards stands in the fore- front. His preaching combines vigour of thought, great culture, and characteristic Celtic fire, all of which are sanctified to the services of the great Master. When he stands before a congregation, he soon convinces all present that there is a living man in the pulpit, whose intellect has grappled with the great truths of revelation, and whose heart has been deeply touched by the realities of the Gospel. The effects of the great revival of 1859 are to be seen to-day in Principal Edwards's preaching. At that time the Holy Spirit was poured abundantly upon a large number of the Bala students. He himself believes in preaching, because he has felt it the power of God, and, as he testified to the Brecon students a short time ago, be believes in preaching because he has seen great preachers. He remembers the time when he was inclined to believe in the current cant that preaching is a thing of the past, but one memorable day he heard Spurgeon, and in him he found a phenomenon that utterly confounded that foolish theory. Dr Edwards as a preacher and theologian belongs not to a sect, but to a whole nation. Dr Kennedy was right when be referred to the ease with which men like like Dr Edwards crossed the barriers of denominationalism, and that Dr Edwards was the property of Christianity. Dr Edwards made a characteristic reply, "The barriers of which Dr Kennedy has spoken," he said, "have never troubled me much. I find them very easy to cross over, and I find no difficulty in crossing them back." Since he was 17 years of age Dr Edwards has written much in Wales. As it has been already stated, for some years he was the editor of the Yrnwelydd. He wrote regularly to the Old Amserau, to the Golcuad, Drysorfa, Traethodydd, Arwtinydd, British Weekly, and other periodicals. In 1885 Df Edwards published a commentary upon 1st Corinthianss. No higher commendation can be given to this work than the laudatory remarks of Dr Dodsin the Expositor of May, 1885. Ho says that the work bears to be judged by the highest standard, if indeed it does not even raise the standard by which exegetical work is measured. In the volume there is ap- parent a. combination of gifts, any of which singly would make the fortune of a commentator." Godet, in his new commentary upon the same epistle, speaks in the highest terms of the ability, scholarship, and profound discernment displayed in the volume. It is evident in this book that Dr Edwards is truly his father's son, for it is,throughout imbued with the poetie and mystic spirit of the Platonic philosophy. In less than three months after the voluu.0 was pub- lished the whole edition was sold out, which is a remarkable thing when we consider the price (14s) and the scholarly charaotp^ ef too work. Since then two more editions have been brought out in this country and two American editions. Some three years ago he wrote another volume1 upon the Hebrews, which was issued in "The Expositors' Bible Series." Since then three or four editions have been sold. Another volume on the Hebrews, written in Welsh, was brought out by him a twelvemonth ago, which has had a phenomenal sale. After all it is not too much to expect that his crowning work is still to be accomplished. And the day will come when Bala Theological College, with Dr Edwards at its head, will draw under its roof a lapge number of the best young men and women of all denominations in Wales. NOTE.—Fuller particulars pf the Welsh Mans- field College, referred to in the concluding para- graph of the above sketch will be found in another column.—ED. Cardiff Times and South Waies Weekly News.

Notes on the Bridgend Eisteddvod. -+- BY MAELGWYN. JIISDIBECTED JESTS. Since the appearance of the South Wales Daily News containing the account of the Bridgend Eisteddvod, I have been chaffed" a good deal by friends, known and unknown. It that report, it appears, a few more or less humorous errors occurred, and all these have been hurled at my devoted head. Well, good friends—and particu- larly you, kind Pentre Boy," who was so sorry to see Maelgwyn lookingso unwell, and hopes," &c., &c.—I am very sorry to spoil your little joke, but Y Gwir yn erbyny Byd"—the report was not written by me at all. You have aimed wide of the mark, my friends. Try again. GLOOMY FOREBODINGS. I think I commenced my notes on the Bridgend Eisteddood last year by hazarding the opinion that there was an understanding between the the secretary of the committee and the clerk of the weather. This year, however, no such under- standing existed, for the early morning was about as miserable as it possibly could be. Neverceasing drizzling rain was hurled in all directions by a high wind, and the eisteddvod committee must have shaken their heads despairingly when they looked out upon the dismal world. Even if the weather had been as fine as it was two years ago the prospects of the eisteddvod—that is if the number of entries are any criterion to go by—were not nearly so rosy as were those of last year's meeting. Last year we had five big choirs competing for the £100 prize—this year we had but three; last year there were eleven male voice choirs, this year only three; last year six or seven brass bands competed, this year there was not a single entry. There were but two attractions this year—very powerful attractions, it is true, but still only two. People naturally wanted to see how the Porth and Cymmer choir would shape before the sturdy veterans of Llanelly. Since the Brecon competition, when Llanelly went very badly out of tune, tbe two choirs have not met on equal terms. This was one attraction. The other was the certainty of a big and in- teresting competition between, perhaps, the three finest male voice choirs in the co-mtry. THE SILVER LINING. It was net until the last moment that the Llanelly Choir decided to compete, and even after having entered, one of the male-voice choirs— never mind which—was seriously considering whether they ought to go to compete or not. But, as both choirs finally resolved to put in an appear- ance, the eisteddvod was saved from being a dismal failure. In saying this it must not be supposed that I am implying that the officials did not work sufficiently hard to secure success, or that the new secretary did not know how to do his work. Nothing is further from my mtention. I know very well that the committee strained every nerve to secure success, and that the secretary worked like a nigger (to use a common phrase) from first to last. But for the energy displayed all round, some of the most prominent of the com- petitors would have been absent. This year however, the committee were for the first time faced by difficulties which it was utterly impos- sible for any body of mortals to get over, and they deserve the very highest praise for having all but plucked success out of what looked like hopeless ruin. The eisteddvod was not by any means the tremendous affair it was last year, and I am unable to say whether it was financially a success or not. GUKNOS. One of the most enjoyable features of the eisteddvod was the admirable ^nanner in which Gurnos conducted the proceedings. His com- mand over the audience from first to last was eimply marvellous, and his store of wit appa- rently inexhaustible. Gurnos ranks with the late poor Glanffrwd as the best eisteddvod conductor in Wales to keep even the. most enormous and the most turbulent crowd in good humour, but Gurnos has some little ways peculiar to himself and the way in which be puts an end to the smoking nuisance is charming in its comicality, when, as sometimes happens her sees three or four men smoking to- gether he assumes that brusque, yet kindly tone— half entreaty, half command—and says "now, William, put away that pipe at once there's a good boy." Qf course there is pretty certain to be a William in the group of offenders, and at once the offending pipe disappears, as do likewise those of William's companions. Once while the audience was waiting for an adjudication, Gurnos stood motionless and speechless for a minute or two, facing the audience, all of a sudden j he held aloft a snviTl sheet of paper and declared, ) I have here the names of three people I see smoking, and unless they stop it at once I will call out their names, so i hat everybody shall j know them." Mr Emlyn Evans has a very high opinion of our friend's abilities as a conductor, for while the Pontyevimner choir were vainly waiting for the blare of a brass band outside to I cease, he called out, Now, Gurnos, one of your best stories," at which there was naturally much applause and cheering. Again, when a person became obstreperous, the very presence of Gurnos cowed him into quietness. MISS CEINWEN JONES. Most people will readily admit that I was unstinting in my praise of the performance of Miss Cfeinwen Jones at the Neath Eisteddvod on Boxing- Day. At Caerphilly, too, I had a good word for her, while Mr J. Thomas, the adjudica- tor, was quite enthusiastic in her praise. But where the bestowal of commendation is con- cerned, Dr. Parry can give a long start to me and to Mr Thomas, and yet beat us easily. At Bridgend there were eight entries for the contralto solo competition, and Dr. Parry acted as adju- dicator in the preliminary contest. It was the rule to select two of the best competitors to sing on the eisteddvod platform, but in but in this case either the other competitors did not turn up, or else there was an extraordinary dif- ference between their performance and that of Miss Jones. In any case, that young lady was the only one selected to appear before the audience. Dr. Parry certainly left it to be inferred that there were other competitors, but that they were not good enough to be chosen as rivals to the popular daughter of the Penrhiw- ceiber minister. She is a magnificent singer," said the doctor, "and, of course, there is no hesitation whatever in awarding her the prize." I Miss Jones sang beautifully, and, if I mistake not, ahe has gone in for training, as she was advised to do at Neath. But her sweet voice was wasted upon Punchinello, one of the silliest and most worthless songs I have ever heard. The adjudicators very properly blamed the eisteddvod com- mittee for the selection of unsuitable test pieces, but this thing was the most wretched of them all. We don't want any more of such npnsenee as "Punchinello." Of course Miss Jones had nothing to do With the selection of the | piece; she had simply to sing what was on the vf. and she sang it far better than it deserved to be. This, I unSeivtand, was Miss Jones's sixth consecutive victory at eisteddvodau. What. is even more remarkable than the number is the nature of her victories-1;hey are of such an overwhelming character that the other competi- tors are simply out-distanced in the most complete manner imaginable. SMALLER COMPETITIONS. The victories of Miss Mattie Davies, of Cardiff, in the soprano solo competition, and of Mr William Morgan, of Dowlais, m the contest for the pianoforte prize were of the most complete nature, and their performances were alike excellent. Mr Morgan had a stiff battle, bat, then, he is apparently invincible-he has won something like a dozen prizes, and is no only about 15 years of age. Whatever chances Miss Mattie Davies's oponent might have had of win- ningthe prize she threw away by her unbounded affectation, and I certainly thought the adjudica tors were right in blaming her on that account. The tenor solo contest was a magnificent one, and I was particularly pleased to hear Mr Emlya Evans praise one of the competitor for the enthu- siasm he threw into his rendering. Thank good- ness there is still a possibility that these contests may not degenerate into mere mechanical efforts. GREAT CHORAL COMPETITION. The Porth and Cymmer choir sang first. The rainy weather ot the morning had forced the ladies to leave their pinks and whites at I home, and the appearance of the choir was, in oonsequence, somewhat sombre. The choir, tc me, seetns to improve every time I hear it, aad the osrf onnanee on this occasion-was really good. ——————— notwithstanding that an unfortunate start was j made. The voices were very pure, the parts were well balanced, and the compactness dis- played was really excellent. But the choir had not attempted to "paint" the piece in any way. The Ynishir Choir had some good points, but the performance, it must be owned, was a disappointing one. Last of all came the Llanelly Choir. The first to appear on the platform was an alto singer whose bright pink jacket (I don't know whether this is the correct name or not) at once gave promise that the sombre element would not have things all its own way. One by one the girls took up position with an air which seemed to echo the words of Wellington's men at Waterloo, "We know our duty." When the whole of the choir had arrived on the platform they made an imposing show. Here a white dress, there a pink one relieved the dull colours which even in this choir predomi- nated. The choir took the key note-a most unusual thing for Llanelly to do—and started. The voices of the girls had something intensely thrilling in them, their sweet, mellow sound pro- ducing an indescribably pleasing effect. The tenors and basses, too, were as good as ever. In the magnificent rendering of the passage Down the cataracts rush from the skies," one seemed to see and to feel the downward rush of waters, and I can with truth say with poor Mr Proudman, When I heard it my hair felt as though it were about to stand upright." Noble choir Wales has indeed good reason to be proud of you. The slow religious movement at the close was also given with thrilling effect. When the competition was over everybody knew whither the prize had gone-there was nothing whatever which tended te leave a doubt in the matter. The announcement of the victory of LlaneUy was loudly cheered by the audience, although the choir, as is always the case were the least, demonstrative body of people at the eisteddvod. Mr R. C. Jenkins was congratulated on all hands for the triumph which, under his leadership, the choir had once more achieved. Llanelly has now won at eisteddvodau something like £ 930. THEN AND NOW. While giving his adjudication on the great choral competition, Mr Turpin alluded to the injustice done to choirs in Wales by forcing them to sing when they had no stronger support thy that afforded by a pianoforte. He advised tEe choirs to procure orchestras and to sing with an orchestral accompaniment, contending that the support rendered by such an accompani- ment would be of the highest; possible value to a choir. When I heard this very sensible advice being tendered my thoughts went back to that other time when the same Mr Turpin said, In this choir we felt there was too much piano the instrument had evidently been put up to render the choir support," or words to that effect, and when he also remarked, "We should have preferred if this piece had^beeia sung without an accompaniment," 'although the eisteddvod rule ran that the choirs "must be accompanied by a pianoforte or a harmonium or both." THE MALE VOICE COMPETITION. This was one of the very finest competitions I ever heard. The rendering of Dr Parry's beautiful Pilgrims' Chorus by the Ponty- cymmer choir was a treat never to be forgotten by those who had the pleasure of hearing it. The deep religious feel- ing they threw into their performance was simply remarkable. In every respect the rendering was a masterpiece. One can scarcely believe that the same choir can sing two works of such widely different natures as The Martyrs of the Arena and "The Pilgrims Chorus" and yet obtain so remarkable a success in each instance. Yet it is so and, after the Bridgend performance, wemay safely say the choir is capable of any- thing. The Treorky choir sang with a purity of tone that seemed to defy competition. But, unfortunarely for them, the dramatic colouring, which in another composition would have scored very heavily indeed, was somewhat out of place in a religious composition, Light and shade had received considerable atten- tion and there was a general refinement about the whole performance, which was highly commend- able. Yet the fault I have referred to was a fatal one, but the choir has certainly not been dis- graced. Such a performance was worthy of all praise. It was, in short, the excess of perfection misapplied. The performance of the Port Talbot choir was likewise remarkably good—the best thing they have ever done. Altogether the competion was a battle of the giants, and the biggest giant won. Well done. Pontycymmer* in truth, it was a famous victory." K MOKE CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT. One of the male voice choirs—'• which, pardon me, I do not mean to name" complains bitterly that Dr Parry did not take part m the adjudication on the competition. It is con- tended, and I think rightly, that Dr Parry ought to be the. best judge of the manner in which a composition of his ought to be sung. It would have added to the glory of Pontycymmer to be commended by the very man who wrote the piece, that is if he shared the opinion of the other two adjudicators. If he (Dr Parry) held a different opinion he ought to have said so. What did Mr Turpin mean by talking about Dr Parry having strong sympathies in the matter. How comes it that Dr Parry, who has times out of number adjuoicated upon his own compositions, should on this supreme occasion be dumb ? The choir I refer to came to Bridgend fully believing that the composer would be the chief adjudicator where his own work was con- cerned—if any other opinion had been held, the choir would have kept away. Little things like these cause no end of heartburning, and will most assuredly hasten the day when choirs will compete only for choir leaders, even as bands have resolved to compete only under bandsmen. AFTER THE EISTEDDVOD. On leaving the marquee I fell in with some of the good friends who had "run" the last two eisteddvodau at Neath, and later on we were joined by Mr Jenkins, the energetic secretary of the festival that bad just concluded. When the train stopped at Neath in the morning I had looked out anxiously, hoping to see some of the friends who Lad made Boxing-day and Easter Monday so thoroughly enjoyable, but they were nowhere to be seen. Now, however, at the close of the proceedings I met them as I have already said, and we managed to make the time pass pleasantly. The good people at Neath had some big projects of an eisteddvodic j nature on hand-one of them, at least, will create not a little stir in the world when it becomes known, as it will be in a few weeks. At Bridgend next year, too, there will be some entirely new competitions, and no effort will be spared tomake the eisteddvod a big success. Of all these pro- jects, however, more anon. Without betraying any secrets, however, I may say that the ener- getic eisteddvodyn of Neath Pjwill first get out of the way the initial stage of the movement to which I have hinted above, and will then bend all their exertions upon the Boxing Day Eisteddvod. I also fell in with one of the good people wLo are working up the Aberavon Bank Holiday Eisteddvod. That festival is almost sure to be a brilliant success. The pNZBg'.tre very jo6d, and the'subjects selected are such that no fault can be found with them. I shall have something to say about this eisteddvod next week. But if any good friend cannot wait until then, he had better procure a programme from Mr C. Perkins, eisteddvod secretary, Aberavon.

MB FINN: "No, thanks. I'm not fond of stringed instruments."

Consider the man who is always punctual— how much time he wastes waiting for other people I

SAMUEL ON DOOR PLATES. Door-plates Why, what on earth can there be to write about door-plates some of my worthy readers may be tempted to say to themselves, as they cast their eye over the heading of their faithful Samuel's latest effusion. To which I repty There is more than meets the eye in many a door-plate, good reader, as- I shall, ere. T have, finished my say upon t be subject, en- deavour to point out. I' faith, I feel that I could many tale anfold of I ii rin;, and de- ceitful door- plates — tales which, if thev did not make the hair upon your head to rise up and go grey, would at any rate point out the forcible moral of the tale, they adorned. Door-plates are unfrequently as indicative of the kind of man who owns them as theclothes he wears. If an article can be penued about "Tea Kettles," or an essay written on Ethics of Locks and Keys. why not one anent the peculiarities, values, and inconvenience of door-plates ? I pause for a reply, Which in al! human pro- bability I am most unlikely to obtain. However, here goes for door-plates. Door-plates, especially those of polished brass, whereon are to be seen in neat black letters the name of their owners, are supposed to be typical of respeet- abillity. Any man who can allow himself the extravagance of a brass plate for the purpose of informing the world generally, and his friends in particular, where he resides is, or should be, in a position where the petty pecuniary worries of life are unknown. In the bonnie land of Scotland no one is sup- posed to sport a door-plate unless he be a profes- sional man. Yet in this, our island of England, the only bar against a. door-plate of some order or other is the cost of it. Even the common or garden clerk or the horny-handed son of toil" 'n' can sport a fanciful intimation of his place of abode, provided he be possessed of the where- withal to pay for it. Now let us glance at some of the varied speci- mens of door-plates to be found in a day's pere- grination among the business parts of a thriving commercial town. Mr John Smith. The blind man," is the de- scriptien on the door-plate of a gentleman who is in the full possession of his eyesight. He can see as far through a ten- inch wall as anybody else, yet he an- nounces to the world that he is "the blind man." Which means that he is a manufac- turer of win- dow blinds, and it is on]v ECCENTRIC. his fun that prompts him to delude innocent spectators into the belief that he has lost his eye- sight. Take, again, the alluring door-plate on which is written neatly but plainly, "Tom Brown, Financial Agent." Tom Brown is neither more nor less than a "cent. per cent." money-lender, who lives for one object-money. The term financial agent" is a misnomer, and the intimation that there is a private entrance up the passage" will convey to the pigeon who has been plucked a very fair notion of the scope and character of the business carried on by Mr Tom Brown, financial agent." The most humbugging of all forms of door-plate is that which announces that So and So —— and company are represented in the office, the front of which it adorns. It bMppeiis, frequently, that the company awf the principal are one and the same person. BUSINESS. and are em- bod iedi nan in- significant in- dividual rejoic- lugin theoogne- mer. of Snoots or Thompson. Yet -his door- pUtfee would lead the public to the belief that he repre- sents an 4n- fluential hod flourishing firm, witereae he is in all probability on the verge rJ. bank- nip toy. Funny door-plates are frequently to be found in the country as well as the town, and I re- member one-that of a chi niney-sweep-vvhich struck me as being quite originaj. It ran as follows "John Jones—'tis right, Sweeps as well as any ma.n in England Almost-not quite." There is a. can- dour about this door-plate which is unique, and which puts to shame the announcemen t that Lamb & Bullock have opened a but- cher's shop, or that Mr White has commenced business as a blacksmith, while Mr Black MYSTERIOUS. has opened a shop as a whitesmith. Door-plates are both useful and ornamental, but they are not by any means strictly truthful, and often lead un- suspecting people into the toils of those whose honesty is conspicuous by its absence. They are necessary evils, too often, alas more evil than necessary. SAMUEL: His SENTIMENTS.

WHY HE DIDN'T DODGE. The negro proprietor of a restaurant had a man arrested for knocking him down with a chair. Now," said the judge, slightly inclining his head toward the negro, tell the court as quickly as you can how the fight took place." It Wa'nt no fight er tall, jedge. Would you call it er fight ef er white man wuz to come in yere an' knock you offen dat. cheer what yoa settin' on ?" Well," said the judge, "tell the court how the trouble began." Look yere, jedge, you means yo'se'f when you says de cou't, doan you?" "Yes." "An' you is de cou't, ain't you ?" "Yes; proceed with your testimony." Walt. I does declar'. Jest one pusson sets ap dar an' is de cou't. I tell you dat er man is a- gittin' way up yander wb.;n he kin do dat. I uster think my old marster wuz smart, an' he wu* putty much o 'er man, lemme tell you, but he neber sot up no whar ez de cou't." If you don't state your case," said the judge, "I will turn the prisoner loose." Uh, huh, I wouldn' like ter see you do dat. Wall, sah—I begs yo' pawdon, I means oout-I wiiz in mv restaii'nt er sarvin' some aigs -freeb ones too, an' da ought ter be fur da cost me mighty nigh er dime er dozen—sarvin' some aigs ter er pusson w'en dat ar man—dat man standin' right dar—come in, he did, an' sat down ter er table an' yelled out dat he wanted some canvas- back duck I lowed ter him, I did—standin' jeet like I is now, wid er dish-rag flung ober dis arm; dis yere one right yere-lowed ter him, I did, dat he would be doin' moustrus well ter SiLt canvas-back ham deze hard tltnAs. Den he twisted er roun' in his cheer, jes like ever'thing wa'nt zackly suited ter his tas'e, an' lowed dat hp wanted sortie is&rnipin. I tele hint—still wid at dish-rag ober dis arm; dis arm right yere—tole him dat I had been might'ly pestered wid de rhap. matiz, an' couldn' run fas' ernuff ter katch in tarrapin', but dat ef be wuz pushed fur dat sorter eatin', an' wuz boun' ter hab it, jert ter wait till de chillun' come frum schooi an' I would send 'em out ter ketch him « few grub worms and toad fraugs. Right den he got pizenous, an' I don't reckon be wuz right sober nohow, an' gunter rip an' far er roun' till er body out side mout er thought dat somebody wuz in dar tryin' ter turn er wagin an' team er round. I didn' make no motion at him, but stood up clost ter de wan-jest like dis—an atter while he snatched up a heavy stool-bottonc cheer an' flung it at me, an' ker bip he tuck mt on de head an' jest look yere at dis hole-, wiB you ?" Did you see him when he seized the chair Cose I seed him, fur I wuz standin' right dat wid de dish rag flung ober dis yere arm—dis one, right yere." And did you see him when he threw thf chair ?" W'y, cas, sah, I did." How far was he from yon ?" Er bout ten feet." Then you must have seen the chair coining, didn't you ?" Yes, sah, I did." Why, then, didn't you dodge ?' Look yere, jedge, you is gone too fur now. Lemme tell you, dar wuz er lookin'-glass dat ooof mighty nigh er dollar er hangin' on der wall, an' ef I had er doged he would er missed my head an broke dac glass sho. Lemme git outea yore fo dis' jedge locks me up fnr er crazy puSson."

A young lady living near the railroad finil fault with the locomotives that whistle as the) Dass by. She considers their conduct very rude.

Miss Vixen: I am almost positive Fred Hath- way intends proposing to me to-night, mamma. Mrs Vixen What makes you think so, my dear? Miss Vixen He acted so mysterious when! met him on the street this morning. Mrs Vixen Mysterious ? How ? Miss Vixen Why, when I '<met him he blushed and stammered like a silly school-girl, and finally blurted out that be would like to see me alone this evening. He makes me very ennui. Mrs Vixen We!l, do you intend to .see him? Miss Vixen Ob, yes, 111 see him. ,-But you mark my words, if he propow# to me to- •nigbtbe'UaMver propose to another girl if be-lives ►to be 100. "Sirs Vixen I hope you wont decline ^his^er n«nrt^gJy ? Miss Vixen.- No. PH accept i*bun.i'-v V