The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-07
CELF A GWYDDOR
YIN NGWLAD Y GAN
Professor Herkomer Speaks Before the
Welsh National Society.
ART OF A HIGHER ORDER NEEDED
In a Few Years Wales Will Have
Her Proper Place Among the Ar.
tistic Nations ofthe Earth.. Making
Strides in That Direction.

Professor Herkomer spoke recently
before the Liverpool Welsh National 80,
ciety, his subject being Art In wales.
He spoke as follows: "The letter 10 tne
press in which appealed to Welshmen
to lift their art to the level or their
music has been so well received, ana
has been so spontaneously Responded TO-
that l warmly embrace this opportun-
ity to enlarge upon any susgestiohs'
which could only be briefly dwelt upon
In that one letter. Now, although II Is
known to most people that l am
teacher, It is not usually known that
my life's teaching has been done as a
love, and not as business. Free me.
therefore, from any suspicion of sordid
motives when take up nations cause
in art. consider that no nation can
he said to have fulfilled, in an intellec-
tual sense, Its entire mission until the
graphic and the plastic arts have been
adequately represented, and 1t is from
an enthusiastic desire to help Wales to
attain this indispensable condition that
/ hold out hand heart, and experience
at this critical juncture. Nor do come
as an interloper, for my connection with
Wales has been, indeed, u close one for
twenty years. through my wifes' family.
although l only came into contact with
the Gorsedd lately. l opened my cam
paign by telling the truth about the
state of art, as represented at the Ma
tional Eisteddfod held that year at
Llanelly. and that in uncompromising
language. With the National Eistedd-
fod held at Llandudno | could do noth-
ing, as the details had been already set
tied: therefore, | had 20 let that event
pass. But the National Eisteddfod of
Newport for 1887 was entirely open to
4 oh, In, war N
knowledge my appreciation Of the way
in which the local committee has met
me. 1t readily gave me what | asked
fora free hand. Having planned the
art prizes for that occasion, ] shall get
real start; maybe. an Insignificant
one in some ways, but it will be the
first step in new era for art in Wales.
Am l too optimistic in my reading?
From the following facts / deduce a
logical conclsion---the Celts We're superb
art-craftsmen before the Christian era
and after, and. as the later scientific
theory Is that acquired faculty is not
hereditary. take 1t that innate faculty
is. The history of Wales provides us
with ample reasons to account for the
Celtic art-faculty lying dormant. But
dormant is not dead. and | believe the
original Celt, with all his innate ar
tistiC faculty, lies deep down in the ma
ture Of the present Welshman.
WELSHMEN FULL OF MUSIC.
1t is undenable that the present
Welshman is full of music. of rhythm:
that he loves the vast and the ideal,
and that he is full of "receptivity."
There is an originality about his very
language which must have been begot-
ten by race of original capacity. This
popularity was strongly marked in
the early bards of Britain. for they
clearly showed / wild originality. In
addition to this.' there was rugged
spirituality. This romantic. rugged
spirituality is the Keynote 10 the char
acter of this race. as | see IL. This
was the note in the age of ages, when
the metallic thunder of the simple
God-fearns thinker was heard as he
worShippcd his unseen Deity in the
Temple of Sacred Rock. Suffice it that
this early Briton's once sharply -de-
fined shadow guarded by the Welsh
through centuries. getting DINNER
and DINNER, but never lost. until the
mysterious form was re-drawn on the
old hazy outline by the modern Cor
sedd-drawn by faithful mon, who,
with racial preogatives. inherited the
spirit, but We're not artists enough to
trace the artistic aspect of the dim
shadow. That was left for my hand to
complete
Professor Herkomer then gave an in
teresting description of the Gorsedd
robes, portraying with much minute
ness those Worn respectively by the
arch druid. the bards and the oyates.
He also treated at some length Of the
historical and aesthetic aspects of the
Gorsedd, as the repository of bardjc
tradition and truth OF the Gorsedd as
a social and educational factor, the
professor said: The Gorsedd is an
institution for cementing the national
characteristics, by bringing together
for a special purpose, all manner of
thinkers Interested in their country.
know of no other scheme that can ac-
complish this with peace, I have per-
mission to quote the pregnant words of
an Irishman, after he had witnessed
the Eisteddfod, who said. "If we in
Ireland had had through the mast ages
such an institution, we should now he
a great and united nation" Greater
praize I cannot conceive of that insti-
tuition. which is the outcome of The
Gorsedd. and which. 7 trust vii, al
ways he regulated by II In this WOW
the Gorsedd broadens its mission ana
becomes a nractical s,,nervising com.
cil and well il is that such n gigantic
niece of machinery az the National Eis.
feddfod should be under a nermanent
suneriOr mower to nravant Local an,h;-
tion from oyer-reacbing the mari op
good taste at anv time
ENTHUSIASM AT EISTEDDFODAU
p,ofossou 1,o,, , l.,
,a,.;o,,. ~ n,e,hoa CO meAs passeu IN
toSdt"aam ,;ot,,,.;r VI ohuuotIms ,... els-
.Lu,, '...a,, u,e eh.nusiasIrl
uney plouuee anu we inhuence tney
,,,o, ,nti. % us ,,,Su a.'.ai inlnu anu
n,l ,noiui ,.au' , VI waS' .,' anu Went on 10
pt, spsan hno,s III ucta.i VI MS Ia'oriIe
s"pJee.Ls>r, anu Els.euuiou; ne SAID:
Us the art-teaChlns IN wales mas
,.her.o .n no. ohly oeeh scanty, Dut Ior
,r oms .os' par pal' vi ,ie wroIs SORT the
aspilan. VINO coulu 90 away ala go
away, WIN the result that ne never
Leturmeu. IL the art-Workers nave Deen