Frostburg mining journal., 1880-07-17
WHOLE NUMBER, AGO.

formation. The literature and mu-
sic of the country gained great prom
inence in the frat period preceding
the Norman conquest, but the materi-
ais preserved of that epoch are not
very numerous. Of the antiquity of
the Cymric tongue various claims
have been made, but that of the Rev.
Joseph Harrison, the editor of the
lSersm Go,0er, probably extends as far
back as it is judicious to go. This
gentleman claimed that it was the
language spoken by Adam and Eve
in Paradise. 1t would seem rather
difficult to Ego behind the returns,
but an enthusiastic Gael who met Mr..
Harris, said his claim was good, but
his language was not quite as ancient
after all as the Celtic, which he claim
ed was spoken in Heaven at the time
of the rebellion, when Lucifer was
hurled from the height of his glory.
Mr.. Harris was puzzled at first, but
proved, but proved equal to the task
by admitting the claim of his Hiber-
nian friend, and adding, 81 don't
doubt it; and now we all know the
cause of the shindy. Those angels
would never have quarrelled had
they spoken Welsh, but having spo-
ken in Irish it was impossible for
them to do otherwise
Every good caid the other "but
you must admit that your language
was made for mortals after all, and
given to man for fear he would know
as much as the angels"
Whatever may be the relative mer-
its of the Gaelic and Cymric tongue
as to antiquity, it is certain that the
latter is more likely to endure the
longer, as, to their credit be it writ
ten, the Welsh people keep up the
language of their fathers with wonder
full tenacity and remarkable fidelity.
This is all the more marvellous when
we consider that it is not taught in
the public schools, and in this con-
nection is shown the sterling worth
oftheir Sunday school system. There
the lessons are invariably taught in
the Welsh language, and in this way
the children acquire a knowledge OF
the literature and religion Of their
parents.
The ancient love OF poetry is still
cherished as keenly as when the bards
OF Prince Grufydd met to measure
their metrical merits, and every
Welsh scholar of any pretensions is
also poet. The ancient system OF
ALTERATION, which was so popular
with Anuerin, A. D. $40, still holds
its own, and the "Englyn," stanza
constructed in this form, is great fa-
vorite. Here is specimen Of this
verse, dedicated to the harp:
Plethiadau tanau tynion-y delyn
Pr dilesg fyfyrion,
Adlau saint WV adlais hon
Llais neu fawl-Llys nefolion.
The most striking feature of the
Eisteddfod held recently in Scranton
is that its various contests were par
ticipated in principally by miners and
laborers, most of whose life is spent
underground, in the cheerless cham
bers of coal mines. The choral con-
test for the capital prize of $500 was
intensely interesting. The selections
were "Cum Spiritu Sancto," +" from Mo-
zart's Twelfth Mass, and "Thanks be
to God" from "Elijah." Four
choirs, of nearly 200 voices each, COM
peted in presence of 5000 persons,
and in a pavilion erected especially
for the occasion. There was great
enthusiasm at the close of the contest,
which lasted till nearly midnight on
the Oath. The adjudicators, Messrs.
Buck, Simpson, and Petersilea, in
awarding the first prize to the Hyde
Park Choral Society, and the second
prize of $l25 to the Wilkesbarre So
ciety, spoke of the singing in terms
of praise. Several prominent gentle
men presided over the sessions of the
Eisteddfod, among them the Hon.
Samuel Sloan, President Of the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western Rail-
road, and State Senator Horatio
Gates Jones OF Philadelphia, whose
efforts on behalf of the Seventh-Day
Baptists in the Pennsylvania Legisla-
ture have att. eted great deal OF
attention the =, Eve years.
The proceed u he enterprise will
be devoted to III i1unding of free
library in Hy dc i'ark, a portion of