The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-06
Jones. OF LLANDD0WRoR
A Great Welsh Ref0rmer of the
Past.
HE PRECEDED HOWELL HARRIS
Choose Your ca oitol ani Will Givs Ita
Museum is What Sir John Gorst
Told the W,.sh Members
Recently.
HE PRECEDED HOWELL HARR


The Rev. Griffith Jones. Of Liam
ddowrOr, was the most practical, II not
the greatest, re,.giOus reformer Walls
ever produced. He preceded thu re-
nowned Harris. of Tiefecca and Row
lands. of Llangeitho, and may be called
their forerunner In the Welsh revival
of the last century. The great and
and glorious work for which Wales Is
chiefly indebted to this extraordinary
man. was the founding Of the Welgh
Charity schools. in 17'0. which, for 10
years. proved of the greatest benefit to
the Welsh peasantry. who, until then.
had no means of education. and their
condition was that they werc in utter
darkness" Not only children, but
ADULTS were instructed in these schools
after the toll of the day. 1t Is recorded
that before the death of Mr.. Jones there
We're established in North and South
Wales no less than 2lS sch Ols. and 1t
has been estima ted that the number Of
persons who had been taught to read
amounted to over 10000 IN 81 gle
year. and 150.2l2 In twenty-fcur years
We're taught in these schOoS FL NJ to
read the Bible. He was greatly aided
by the liDera!ity OF Mad m Bridget
Pevan. Of I.angharne, widow OF Ar
thur Bevan, who was recorder OF Ca"-
arthen. and for some years ,e,re'ent
that borough in parliament. Mt only
was this good y an enabled ty his own
self denial ard the charity Of others to
achieve such a large amount OF work
during his life etire, b't at his death hia
love for and his desire that the 6 d
work he had thus commenced should b.
continued is proved by his will. for he
left in the hands Of his pious friend,
Madam Bevan. upward Of $1,000 to be
applied by her for the same purpose.
That lady, again at her dea tn. left the
estate of the Rev. G. Jones and the resi-
due of her own estate for the use of
the Welsh Circulate; 6 Charity scH' OILS.
so long as the same should CO II ue.
and for the increase and imp oveire2t
of Chris ian knCwe ge. Sfal we Hof-
der at the fervor OF his elegist, Panty
celyn, after enumerating his Literary
and ministerial labors. referring to his
entering his eternal rest as he did:
'Roeddem asw. ebe Uriel
Angel cadarn yn fan,
Nj ganasom ganiad newydd.
Pan daeth e. gynta'r Ian;
Pan Y cafodd wisgoedd euraidd,
Pan y cafodd delyn Ian.
Nj bu mwy llawenydd. groesaw"
Iun Cymro riOed or blaen!'
There we stood said mighty Uriel ...
y. With a myriad angels more,
new song We sang delighted
When he reached the heavenly shore.
When he gained the bright new garments,
And the golden harp of heaven,
TO soul from Cambria's mountains
Warmer welcome ne'er was given.
The reverend gentleman was instru
mental in having two editions Of the
Bible printed In Welsh besides writing.
translating. and publishing about elev..
ell different theological and devotional
works in Welsh and English. most Of
which have gone through several edi.
tions. His Exposition of the Church
Catechism." divided into five parts was
much used in Welsh schools and proved
exceedingly useful. The book itself Is
complete body Of divinity.
A BATTLE OF TOWNS.
"Choose your capital" said Sir John
Gorst to the Welsh members of parlia-
mant recently, and will give you q
museum Curiously enough sOme-
thing like battle Of towns has been
raging in Wales over the installation
of the prince of Wales as chancellor Of
the National university. Aberystwith,
Bangor and Cardiff. the three constitu-
ent colleges, have been contesting the
honor with much liveliness: and the
decision Of the University court in fav-
or Of the Aberystwith seems to have
caused some heart-burning in South
Wales, the rather as the North Walians.
seeing their own Bangor out of It, evil
IDENTIFY compromised in favor of the
mid-Wales college. The claims of Car
diff industrially and politically, no one
of course would wish to deny. If
Shrewsbury is the Welsh Jerusalem,
Cardiff is the Tyre and Sidon in one.
But the very cosmopolitan to which It
was laying claim the other day is rath-
er against it, we should say, as a native
Welsh town, and as seat of Celtic cul-
ture. Aberystwith Is a more charac-
teristic place. and it Is certainly better
adapted on picturesque grounds for the
function in question. Its college stands
on a most original site on the very
brink of the sea. so that the spray on
occasions spots its lecture room WIN
dows Its castle. which owes its disin-
tegratiOn partly to time and partly to
Oliver Cromwell, makes q very good
historical reminder OF the older Wales,
whose history some Aberystwith pro.
fessOr ought to write. On the other
hand. the professors and others of this
Little Academy from Principal Rob-
erts (who is not yet 40) down, must be
the youngest on record, and there is a
vitality about the college which prom
ises well for the Wales that is to be
Cymru Fydd in other than political
ways. This energy is due partly per-
haps to the air of the place, which Is
singularly braclng; so that the men
who 30 on to Oxford from its college
complain that they cannot work in the
relaxing climate Of the English mid
lands. II the prince of Wales Is to vis-
1t his own nrincipality, as the fitness
of things fairly demands, indeed he
might go to worse place than Alb
erystwith.
A MAGNIFICENT BASSO.
Mr.. Gwilym Thomas, the great basso
of the Rhondda male party, Is in this
country. Mr. Thomas visited this
country on two former occasions, and
his excellently cultivated voice charmed
large audiences. /. is very rarely we
near such resonant voices. He Is ac-
companied by his accomplished daugh-
ter, a vocalist of superior voice and
merits. She has been trained and edu-
Gated in the highest school Of music and
vocalism in the metropolis Of England,
and she occupies first place in the con-
cert halls Of her native country. She
should be heard in Scranton. and 1t ia
to be hoped that the wide-awake musi-
clans of the West Side will take advan.
taga of the opportunity. They are the
people that could give the affair the
proper impetus, and success would be
the inevitable result.