The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-16
WELSH JOTTINGS.

The Rev. j. Il. Jones, Enysybwl, has ac-
cepted Il unanimous call to the pastorate
of the Welsh Baptist church at Penycae.
A number of workmen in the gold
mines of Merioneth have formed them
selves into company to work one of the
old mines, and, it is said, they have been
very successful. About fl.jOO worth Of
pure gold is sent by them every month 10
the market.
The new year has had a miraculous eff
feet on Tartan y Gweithiwr. 1t has come
out in entirely new form, with new type,
and several excellent new features. 1t Is
now far and away the most readable and
bright Welsh paper published In South
Wales, and in style and get up Will COM
pare favorably even with the Cymro.
In last weeks jottings a poet from Ohio
was credited with the authorship of the
Englyn dedicated to the Reporter. but a
claim has been set UP in the meantime
from Nanticoke. II appears that :he
Englyn in question was the successful
one out of thirteen competitors at Lans-
ford cisteddfod Carbon county, Pa).
Gwilym Cade, of Sumner avenue, being
the adjudication.
There are very few parts of the world in
which the celebrated words "Bydd myrdd
o ryfeddodau" have not been sung to the
noble tune of Babel" composed hy
william owen, of Prys-gol The writer
heard II Weshman describing how, after
extensive travels in Egypt, in which he
suffered intense deprivations, he one night
reached Cairo and the first sound to break
the deep silence of the night was the music
of hearty male voices singing the familiar
tune He imagined himself in the land Of
dreams or to be demented by his long suf-
ri Itlt hn ipnpllpl
ing the singers found them to be a
group of Carnarvonshire sailors. He was
overcome with Joy and fell unconscious in
their midst This beloved melody has
been heard upon the ranches of Australia
far far away from any towns, on the Icy
mountains of Greenland, in the interior Of
overcrowded China, all through the vast
continent of India. in the Samoan archi-
pelago, and even in the Sandwich Islands.
1t can safely be prophesied that 1t VIII
carry the name of William owen of Prys-
gol through the countless ages in which
the language of Cymru Is destined to
live.
Brewers and their factotoms in Wales,
continue to trouble and weary the public
with their statistics showing the abso-
lutte failure of the Welsh Sunday closing
act They claim that there is now more
Sunday drinking than ever, and demand
the repeal of the act. Their motives are
very transparent, inasmuch as no sane
person would imagine brewer burning
with anxiety to decrease the sale of drink
on any day, and, yet that Is their posi-
tion. Because of the alleged increase in
sunday drink they claim that public
houses and saloons in Wales should be
thrown open to lessen the consumption,
Anyone, however, who has resided in the
principalty for n few years can testify
to the marvellous improvement in the OBJ
servance of the Sabbath since the passing
of the act, and are quite content to let
matters be. despite the urgent solicitation
of the Barleycorn paternity. The act IS
q neat success and 1t has been demon
strated on every hand. There are black
spots among the beautiful mountains Of
Wales. where, unfortunately, shebeens
flourish until they are routed, and prob
ably the Rhondda valley has the unen-
viable reputation of standing at the head
of the list.