New-York tribune., 1873-01-06
TIE RlsTEpDFoD At UTICA.

A CoNvoCArroN OF BARDs-TIIE WELSH NEW.
yrIR-rRIRIrTF TO HORACE GREEIEf-A
RRIGUTER PROSPECT FOR WELSH NsTIrU-
,,v,, as occ.s,ox,I CORRESPONDENT OF TBB TRIBUxRl
IIr,c.. n. Y, Jan 2.-The annual Elsteddfod
., the Welsh people OF Utica and vicinity occurred yes
,eray morning afterDoon. and evening at the opera
house The attendance was fuy equal 10 that on orne
,,.oasions of the kind Delegates present from
p.nnsvlvania Vermont Wisconsin, Kansas. and other
e,ates The exercises were, II anything superior
40 those OF last year, In variety interest,"
aud spice. They were, with few exceptions con
aaeted in the Welsh and consstedo addresses
M the "bars orations adudications OF prize essays
roetcal and musical compositions. &e each exercise
being alternatcd With singing by Vocaists Hou "o"''
and from abroad.
The addresses Of the bards we're mostly epigrammatc
Breyity also characterized the prize contests In poetry
Ihe subjects for the adiudcatons are announced a'
each Eisteddfod for the following one. When 1hose
wishing to enter the lists have finished their compo
sitions they sign fictitious name and send them 10 ne
Rarddoniaeth before the lst Of November He
selects the best, or two, as may pe re-
suired Of him, each subject submitted
20 him and sends Nis decisions If he does not bring
them himself together with criticism on the success
ful productions be read at the coming Esteddoo'
A. rule the subjects for these prize competitions are
Of Biblical Welsh legendary nature An Occaslonai
the life and character OF sOho sio"e "Ni'N
man or deceased member OF the Eisteddfod organiEa-
,,op also appears upon the programme. All productions
Of the above nature are styled "Beirinadaetha, ana
the successful composers are rewarded with money
prizes ranging from s. 70 $50.
On the presept occasion there were three senior
orators and one amateur. One OF the former was MT
John W Jones' the conductor Of the Esteddod and the
editor OF Dr1eA, published in this city His discourse
was upon the antiquity OF the Welsh language and tera
turc and the history Esteddfod their exponent
for the past twentytwo centuries He claimed that the
ancient Britons held these EsteddfodS as long ago as
go c. taking the traditions OF his people as authority;
mud that these convOcaons held 200 years before
Christ the authority OF Cesar They were the only
religious. and at the same time, educational meetings
Of the ancient Welsh and they still retained much OF
their original Office in these respects The speaker con-
gratulaed his nationality the fact that 1t had pre-
served through centuries OF vicssitudes, trials, and
struggles its peculiar language and institutions inc
Welsh language taught in schools "a were otber
languages and the time when a Welsh child dare
not speak its own tongue In an English schooi wth-
out suffering punishment ana ridicule brighter day
was dawning in this respect for during the lasl
Summer a Welsh University had been established Mt
Aberystwyth, North Wales. When Parliament was
asked for moderate appropriation, although scotch
and Irish colleges had received liberal aid the Engish
were amazed al the audacity OF the Welsh; but II Is
probable the aid will be granted before long
Ever since the KILN century welsh lhsu-
tutions had been held in scorn by the English
hut that feeling is now being rapidly disspated
SoOp Welsh children would not be obliged 10 stand IOr
Tidice on one leg in English schools because they
presumed 10 sneak their native language. Soon, welsh
iustces would administer the laws In Wales ana charge
lures directly and through the medium OF transa
tors Ave even the conductor OF the next Eistedd0d
IN Wales will be of Englands greatest statesmen,
the Right Hon. Wm. T. Gladstone. In America alsO the
Welsh language and literature is steadily increasing
There never were Welsh books and percdleias
published in this country at present, and the welsh
Language was widely spoken. The arguments
at least ingenious and In many points
tudisputable. 49, -.
Another Of the three orators Mr.. LwyvO Lewis a
famous EiseddOd man. and who Is always enthusl-
ascally received by both his Welsh and English ad-
mirers In review Of the past wear, he touched upon
enc point especially Of interest 10 The TRIBUNE readers
Ia noticing dead of 1872 lie mentioned particn
larly the departed Founder OF THE TRIBUNE, euogz-
ing his memory in words tOuch1ngly eloquent as
I9yis IIy 'pGseD IS the editor @ Of Welsh Admins,
fratOn paper Pittsburgh. His tribute to the memory
of Greeley therefore all the more nouceaDe De
eanse 10 heartfelt and genuine Here may relnark
that OF the subjects given out yesterday was SIX
sanzas TO the memory OF Horace Greeley TO be sung on
the day Of the EiseddOd next year. Another interest
ing portion tins Grafton that relating 10 the nnd
ing Of Dr Livingstone by Henry NJ Stanley
The vocal part the Esteddfod of 1873 was sup erior
10 that OF any previous In few features the eXer-
sises were inferior those Of former years On the
both parcipators and spectators and reflected credit
the Welsh people, whose language ana literature
its FOSTER II surely increases ther love OF
both.