The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-18
ClWb CrOchar1 CeridWer1.
MRS. JANE LELAND STANFORD.

bers present went on with their inharmo-
nious exercises. The poor candidate
would turn piteous eyes on the frenZied
sibyl ON the wall. until he could catch the
When finished the couplet was handed
round the club. each member claiming the
privilege of criticizing it. At every pas
sing of the paper, the candidates color
would change from pale to red. red to pale.
After applying but all the canons of criti-
cism. the paper was handed to the arch
druid. who, with great ceremony. would
hold 1t for awhile over the steaming caul-
dron, and recite some pagan incantation,
like some of the incantations you hear at
the "Gorsedd" of an eisteddvod, and then
he would drop 1t into the cauldrOn as a tit
offering to Ceridwen on the mantle-piece
The candidate. with sigh of relief. woald
then throw siX-pence on the table as his
share of the clubs Offering to Morgan
Hopkins for candles and candies.
Now. there Is an impression abroad that
clubs are institutions where men can
shake off all serious pursuits. like the
his official robe for the day, would say.
Lay down there, Lord Chancellor" and
where men learn to be idle and frivolous
with grace. But no such charge was lail
against the Crochan. Tomos Cwmtwrch,
the dream. was our firm friend, and aged
Mr.. BeynOn. of EbeneZer. had always a
kind word for us. Seldom did a body CT
young mentor our arch-druid was under
4o-gather together with a more serious
purpose. Each one had a fixed task before
him, to which he devoted himself with
the headlOng enthusiasm of youth and
with all the zest which a student finds in
original, unregulated research. The near
est approach to the Crochan are the SEM
mary classes of he German and American
universities for advanced students. The
great drawback. from the Crochan point
of view, of the seminary method Is that
the researches are pursued under the siI-
.iSin nf nrn N a
not bear anything of the kind. far less
hints by each. other: we were too Greek
for that. If you happened to glance from
your own epic to the essay which the
friend at your elbow had commenced and
find him on the wrong track altogether,
your proffered suggestion would be met
with Mind your own -" The only
chance for, general discussion of any
as you dared. and then only the personal
element In the discussion would be ade-
quately brought out.
Still, with its jars and distractions, we
would never study so well elsewhere as at
the CrOchan. The atmosphere there was
always electric. ] suppose students at the
Latin Quarter feel just the same. 1t was
the last place I'm the world to go to spend
an idle hour. and TO praise the cleverest
stroke of genius was impolitic. If not
impoite. Thus we were saved from what
we thought then the cardinal sins of the
race-idleness and conceit.
Q ] tell yOu We did not want to idle the
few hours we could snatch from sleep and
nine hours of delving In the bowels of the
earth. We looked forward during the
turn to the meeting at the Crochan as
eagerly as the hauiers looked forward to
their rendezvous at the bar of the Black
Lion, but We
'Scorned delight and lived laborous
days"
The CrOchan did not survive the disper-
sion of its founders. 1t was mould in
which dozen spirits were fitted to ba
or some use to their countrymen, and
when, one by one, they stepped out into
their posts in the worlds broad field of
battle, they took with them the secret Cf
the Crochan process. Other clubs have
been formed since at Cwmcoed ard have
done excellent service in the same direc-
ton, but there was only one Clwb
Crochan Ceridwen. Rhys Wynne