The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-15


of Wales was suggested by Iolo Nor
ganwg to the Gwyneddigion society.
He proposed to divide Wales into six
districts, exclusive of Glamorganshirc,
which he intended To supply himself,
giving to each collector three years to
make the compilation. Commenting
on this plan, in a letter to Owain My
fyr, Iolo observes: 80 collection of this
kind would be Of great use to the his
tcrian, antiquary, philologist, etc, and
would recover more than can at pres
ent be believed of what in the lam
guage Is supposed to be obsolete. | am
firmly persuaded that there are but
few, n any, words i'm our ancient
writers that are no: of common use in
one part or the other in Wales. Dia-
letical peculiarities should, as much
as possible, be noticed, and it might
be pleasing enough to collect peculiar
usagcs, social manners, habits of liv-
ing, oldest maxims of tillage. etc" 1t
is much to be regretted that the Gwyn-.
Cddigion society did not undertak to
carry out the suggestion of the old
Bard of Glamorgan; but the hint may
not be too old now to make use of,
even by the literary section of the
Guild of Graduates of the University
OF Wales. About the same period a
suggestion, made by the Rev. Peter
Roberts, NJ. a. (author of Popular
Antiquities" and other historical
works., to the same club of patriots
Welshmen, was acted upon, and that
was, to ascertain whether the Welsh
language was advancing or recedng.
Many conferences were held upon the
subject, and they came to the gratfv
ing conclusion that the language had
If, F~.t
years anterio" to the investigation.
This collective evidence was never pub.
lished, and the only fact we have con-
cerning it is that the committee were
quite satisfied that the Welsh language
did not recede There was undoubt-
ediy much interesting and curious evil
denCe produced, and 1t is to be re-
GREETED that it is now lost.
The Gwyneddigion had a very orig
inal way of electing new members
After an applicant had been proposed
by a member and balloted for the
president addressed him with the fol-
lowing questions: Are you desirous of
being a friend among us, the Society
Of GwyneGdigion, who meet in pure
friendship in order to uphold the dig
nifty of Our country, its history, poetry,
language, and antiquities?" The an
S"tlt VI tOuISts Nuulu Dt tS. linen
the president asked him to place his
riSht nand upon the symbol which rep
resented the dignity of the society
the harp: and he was asked to confess
his delight in such usages, and made
to promise by all in his power to obey
the laws, regulations, and original Gus
toms Of the Society Of Gwyneddiqion
After this his welcorIr was complete
AprOpos of the remarks of the gifted
bard EIrog we respectfully submit the
above to Judge Edwards and Efrog
This does not very much look like de
generation"
DEATH OF LADY ABERDARE
Lady Aberdare died recently in her
7ith wear. She was one of the best
known ladies in Wales, and was the re-
lict of the late Charles Austin Bruce,
later Lord Aberdare, and once Mr..
Gladstone's secretary of state, and one
of the foremost statesmen of his time.
Lord and Lady Aberdare will long be
remembered by the poor people of
Wales. No man did as much for the
education of the working class as the
late Lord Aberdare. Both were also
very charitable.
The Dowager Lady Aberdare was the
second wife of the statesman. They
were married in August 1854, and the
issue of the marriage, which proved a
most happy one, being the Hon. Caro-
line Bruce, the Hon. Sarah (Mrs. Muir
Mackenzie), the Hon. William Napier
the Hon. Norah (Mrs. Whately), who
predeceased her mother; the Hon. Isa-
bel MRS. Champion RusselD, the Hon.
= Pamela Georgina, the Hon. Charles
Granville, at present in India, adjutant
of the 18th Gourke Regiment. and the
Hon. Alice Moore. Lady Aberdare was
the youngest daughter of Sir William
Napier, G. c. b., the historian Of the
Peninsular War, and the niece Of the
great Charlie" Napier. Her mother
was the niece Of Charles James Fox. In
her veins flowed the blood Of Stuart
kings and Welsh princes. Sir William
Napiers father was a younger son of
the Baron Napier descended from
Scott, of Thirlstane. Sir William Nap
ier's mother was Lady Sarah LennoX
younger daughter of the second Duke
of Richmond the offspring Of the lady
who was created Duchess of Ports
mouth by Charles H.. and Duchess OF
Aubigny by Leo XIV. Lady Sarah Len
noN, one of the most beautiful wOmer
a. of her day, married Colonel the Hon
George Napier, and became the "mothe
of the Napiers" In notice Of Sir VII,
liam Napier in the Daily News Cgen,
orally attributed to Miss Harriet Mar
tineau) occurs the paragraph "'W,
have many gallant men left, as we al
ways have had and always shall hav,
but there never have been any, an,
there never can be any like tn
Napiers. They We're a group RAISED
from among. the medieval dead aul
set in the midst of us, clothed In n tel 4
perament which admitted of tn,
ameliorating influences of our period o
civilization" Lady Aberdare's fathe
was a strikingly handsome maI
as the steel-engraved portrait whicl
forms the frontispiece Of her husbands
Life of Sir William Napier" shows
e-a a contemporary writer has said: I'll
his youth his head and face might hav,
served for portrait of the War God
in his latest years, with milky whit
hair and beard, his appearance, wa
that of a Jupiter" Lady Aberdare'
mother was a marvellously beautiful
woman The Times, in its review O
the late Lord Aberdare's edition o
Sir William Napier's biography, re
marks of herr, "She might, it is said
If George III. could have had his sus
ceptible youth, have become Queen o
England
THE RESULT
TO no set Of people is due so mucl
credit for the unqualified success o
the recent Esteddfod as TO thos
To-.