The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-14
needs OF LITTLE Wales
A Change in the Life Of the Princi-
cipality Greatly Needed.
PYOF. RHYs SOUNDS AN ALARM
Bravery In Coal Mines to b Awarded
for Hcroism II kecommsnded BY
Historian Charles wilkins.
of Merthyr.

Principal John Rhys. the master OF
Jesus College, Oxford, England. deliv-
cred recently the inaugural address to
the members OF the newly-founded
Welsh society at Middlesborough. Eng
land. taking as his subject the various
phases of Celtic nationality. Dealing
with the modern aspects of the question,
he said that under proper leadership
people endowed with the elasticity or
the Celts could achieve almost any
thing. Within his own memory much
had been accomplished already. Since,
some quarter of q century ago. he had
the honor of addressing great Eistedd-
fod in Liverpool, a great change for the
better had taken place in Welsh national
feeling and temperature. In those days
it was very common to hear in GER
tain class of Welshmen's public speeches
a bitter complaint as to the sacrifice 1t
meant for man to own himself a GYM
ro. Owing everything to himself to the
accident of his being Welshman, he
confessed he did not understand the
complaint: still, he had little doubt as
to the genuineness. Since. however. 1t
was now seldom heard, he inferred that
the grievance in the main had disap-
peared, and that Englishmen now treat
ed Welshmen more completely on terms
was partly due, perhaps, to the Welsh
people having assumed q bOlder and
more outspOken attitude. and partly, no
doubt, to the progress made in educa-
ton in Wales. Among the Surest signs
of improvement in the tone of Welsh
nationality was the fact that the old
Welsh families now took pride In be-
ing Welsh. That was not always so, and
their influence had, In consequence,
much enfeebed. Education was field
in which the Welsh had been much en-
gagged Of late years. At the time to
which he had alluded there were only
two colleges of academic standing in
Wales and one of them was only just
being established. Now they had
doubled the number of colleges and
more than quadrupled the number of
men and women receivig education In
them. They had established and were
still establishing intermediate schools
from which much was expected.
Lately they had been enabled to try
that experiment of a university for
Wales, and they hoped that this also
might prove great success. They
must all have noticed that parliament
has been of late years much more con-
siderate of the claims of Wales than 1t
used to be, and that without regard to
party or politics. AS one OF the results
of the educational movements in Wales
some of them who were interested In
the older universities hoped that the
youth of Wales would be so stimulated
by the blessings of liberal education
at home that a growing number would
eventually repair to Oxford or Cam
bridge to profit by the culture of those
ancient seats of learning and to COM
pete for the positions to which they
were the keys. In this connection he
should like to see a more enterprisinS
spirit possessing young Weshmen. He
should like to see them competing
more numerOusly for the good things
of the civil service and pushing their
way to all departments Of activity.
whether within the limits of the United
Kingdom, in the colonies. wherever, in
fact, the great Anglo Celtic empire ex-
tends its influence, and he sincerely
hoped that the Welshmen who sue
ceeded in making their fortunes would
not forget Wales. but would remember
it in their pocket.
WHAT WALES WANTS.
But somebody asked. what does
Wales still want?" Want! 1t wanted
great many things. He was told the
other day to be less indefinite: to be
more concrete. wen, he would he as
concrete as they liked. First of all,
there was the railway system of Wales.
But he had used the wrong word, for
there was no system, and that was one
of their complaints. They wanted to
see the means of communication be-
tween North and South Wales i'm
proved. and they wanted also a system
Of light railways. Then they wanted u
national museum. with all the means
Of education which that implied; and a
proper building would soon be needed,
doubtless. as a habitation for the new
university. But the latter was a mere
trihe compared with the want of decent
public buildings and improved archi-
lecture all over Wales. One of the
most Open-minded of the Welsh MEM
bers, addressing the Welsh undergradu-
ates at oxford. called their attention
to the fine architecture around them
and urged them to take note of 1t, and
to exert their influence i'm the future
in the villages of Wales. He hoped that
the member would return to the subject
and give greater publicity to his views
in the deplorable state of the principal
ity as contemplated from the archi-
tect's point of view. Nature had done
her best in the romantic scenery with
which Wales was favored. The jerry
builder had done his worst. and the
capitalist had ranged himself on the
side of the demon of hideOsity. 'Ah,'
said somebody. You should be careful
how you speak of the capitalist. for he
is like .he wind that blOweth where it
listeth.' He was disposed, however, to
think that the capitalist was only too
glad to blow wherever his blast was