The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-11
WDLLDAM WAGNER WATKINS
Telling How HE Managed Smash the Record of Hseddvod F
a Certain New Years Day.

A Welsh eisteddvod ID always the same
wherever held, whether large or small.
You recognize its essential charcter sv-
a thousand fragments of broken glass. 1t
duplicates itself as by = natural law ant
0Ss snd nome
Welsh-Americansm manufacture now and
then, TO which the word eisteddvod is APP
S1 When S It I is e'st said sha; Will William Wagner
Watkins. conductor of the singing ut
E.benezer chapel. leading tenor and SOL
faist at Cwmcoed. won four prizes at four
eisteddvods on the same New Years Day.
ft must not be considered u reflection
upon the character of the eisteddvod or
upon the performances of Watkins
Watkins understood the character of the
eisteddvod. He knew it as the scholar
knows his alma mater. and the
Weishmen. SHn Is ana and sooa H mother ] % She mas has
been. Young man though he was, he
was an els teddvOd veteran. lie was
always the first at Cwmcoed to Sc
teddvod. The best room at his home was
decorated with ed-white-and-blue ros-
cites. EFT. the trophies of many contest: @ as as
with the gifts of Santa Claus. He knew
the tastes and peculiarties Of all the ad-
INDICATORS i'm the country as thoroughly
didates for congress. He knew the make
up of an eisteddvod committee as weli as
a politician knows his precinct
He had duly entered his name in va
rious forms for the tenor solo compett-
tions at the Aberglasdwr, Cwmsant, How
ardtown and Pontgam Eisteddyods:
Death OF Nelson" "Cwymp Lleweiyn,"
'Icryr Ararat," 'Llew Llawen," Eos o
During the last three months. the neigh
bors had many times been thrown into
a panic. as by fire ALARM often at
rInseemly hours, by cries of Revenge"
from "Timot heus." until they got used 10
them. as well as to the heart breaking
''keens" of Nelson and Llewelyn. and the
cries of distress from ship p-wreeked mari
ners.
Moltke. by his kitchen fire. never man
ouvred grand assault with better
mastery of details than did Watkins. in
the quiet of his room. with eisteddvod pro-
Srammes and on railway time tables be-
fore him, lay his plans for the eventful
The day before the four-fold contest.
instead OF going to work as usual he
resolved TO reconnoiter the field. like an
advance agent of q show. He wanted 70 10
hitch in the traffic. He rooted among
the secretaries of the eisteddvOds, and
obtained from them the final progra ammes,
giving the exact order OF the competitions.
He measured the distance between the
chapels and halls. where the esteddvods
Were to be held and the railway stations.
Still on his way home he felt consid-
erably depressed. He had discovered that
there were forty competitors for the four
prizes OF the total value of e but that
fact alone did not depress him, but he
had found that that amount of eisteddvod
business. according to the daily train ar
rangements, could never be done between
trains.
His hope now was in excursions. When
he came out OF the train at Cwmc0e1, sta
ton he loitered around the place. andssoon
found the agent at leisure and put him
some questions as to the traffic Ut that
time of the year.
Its dreadful said AIr. Baggase. I'm
completely worn out by II. Christmas
once year Is bad enough without an
other on the tail OF it,
Mr.. Baggages was an Englishman
and did not understand the eiSteddfod.