The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-09

his Welsh blood-such is the man as l
found him.
Not the least interesting among the
Christmas publications in Wales is a
small collection of Christmas carols. for
which Mr.. Lewis j. Roberts, II. NJ. l., is
responsible. The words are from the pens
of Mr.. John NJ. Howell, j. p, Aberacron;
the Rev. Canon Williams, Carmarthen;
and Elfed Lewis, the great Welsh bard.
Besides their novelty the carols have
numerous good qualities to commend them
to the public. They are short, sweet
"singable," and contain enough fire for
shivering soul to warm it's hands at in
frost or snow. 1t is unnecessary to say
anything in regard to the music; all of
it has flown from the soul of Mr.. Roberts,
and this is quite sufficient.
One of the most sonorous and grand
ballad-hymns for both ballad and hymn
it is) in any language is Williams Panty
celyn's celebrated composition on the
great earthquakes of 1866, in which occurs
the lines:
Duw, os wyt am ddbenu'r byd,
Cyhawna'n gyntath air gyd,
by etholedig galw 'nghyd
gwmpas daiar fawr!
Two and three generations ago this grand
piece of poetry was often recited by re-
ligiouS Welshmen, but, like a good many
other excellent things in Welsh, 1t mas
been driven out of memory by the con-
cert and the penny reading.
Although America supplies Wales with
a, large proportion of states, the industry
in that country is carried on by Welsh
men. For instance, Messrs. Ellis owen,
Robert Ct. Pierce and Joseph Richards
are the backbone of the Carbon Slate COM
pany of Pennsylvania. Mr. Pierce is in
Wales at present with thousand tons
of states, and hearing some Welshmcn
talking their native language on one OF
the streets of Cardiff he Joined in, and
showed that his Welsh was none the
poorer for having been in America for
years Welsh with y Yankee twang is
delightful.
One of the smallest publications in
Wales-though full of Welsh mettle--is
the "Chronicle," magazine founded by
IS. r. far back in the forties. And yet
this fiery little journalistic Tom Thumb
requires three learned tutors and mas
ters to look after its salvation. The Rev.
Xeinon Thomas, Llanfairfechan; Princi-
pal Michael ID. Jones, and Professor
Thomas Rhys, Bala-Bangor Theological
college.
In an article on "Queer Christmas Gus
toms in Odd Corners of the Globe,' pub
lshed in the Christmas number of the
tom in Wales is referred to as follows:
by the way, in Wales they place horses
skulls on poles carried by men wrapped
| round with sheets, having a contrivance
| by means of which the jaws open and
| shut with an uncanny snap and every one
| who can be seized has to pay for liberia
| tion. AS the chief actor has generally
many friends about him, in grotesque
costumes, the contributions to Christmas
festivities are sometimes very large. The
| grim entertainment is called the Mari
| Lwyd.'"
Mr.. C. Lloyd Morgan has written
book on Habit and Instinct" and the
Pail MALI reviewer speaks of 1t in the
| highest terms. Mr.. Morgan has come TO
| the conclusion that instinct is two-fold-
namely, first, inherited instinct, compris-
! ing congenitally detinate faculties and
innate capacity; second, acquired instinct,
| leading to the formation of habit. Both
| habit and instinct are automatic, although
| like such automatic acts as breathing and
| walking, they may become subject to con-
| scious celebration or action of the WILL
1t is instinct which, when a hen has
| hatched brood of ducklings, throws her
| into terrible state of agitation when the
| brood, also actuated by instinct, take to
the water. what experience" asks Mr.
| Morgan, has the hen of drowning" TO
| adopt such an Interpretation is to credit
|
of experience, which is hard to believe
| she possesses. 1t is more probable that
| her fussy behavior is partly the result of
her little ones going where she has an
| instinctiye aversion to following them,
| and partly the result of a breach of
| normal associations due to previous eX-
| perience with chicks.
| Mr.. ~. C. Thomas, of Llandaff, submits a
| fresh translation of "in dytroedd mawr
| ar tonnau':
| In the raging waves and waters
| None can hold my head for me,
| But my well-beoved Jesus,
Who once died upon the tree;
| He's a friend in deaths dark river,
Ger the wave my head to hold,
Seeing Him, I'll sing and triumph
In that river, deep and cold.
1t is alleged-on what authority we
cannot say-that the Rev. John Evans
| (Eglfysback) finds Rome more pleasant
place than Pontypridd.
The most eloquent speaker at the din
ner of the London Cymrodorion society
was Mr.. William Evans, the chief in
spector of official receivers under the
Board of Trade. In proposing the toast
of The Literature, Science and Art OF
Wales" he spoke in strong terms of the
debt that Wales owed to the Welshmer
firmed his belief that the great writer OF
the future would adopt English as his
vehicle. This was too much for the per
fervid editor of the London Kelt," who
| cried, Question" but the orator had the
| assembly thoroughly with him, especial
ly in his reference to the late George
Eliot" as the daughters of pure Floul
shire farmer.
Professor Herkomer has turned the
Archdruid Qwfa Nom to good accoun
by painting a portrait of him for tn,
winter exhibition of the Royal Society O
Painters in Water Colours. "Hwfa Mon
appears in his new white robe, with hi
copper wreath of withered oak leaves OF
his head and the golden breast-plate o
judgment (whateYer that may mean OF
his broad chest. To prevent the sean
dal (Says the Liverpool Mercury'O o
this worthy Independent minister belnl
mistaken for a Catholic or Ritualist priest
a British cromlech is placed in the back
ground.
Sir William Thomas Lewis and Mabon
the two rival leaders on the sliding seal
committee, always converse in Welsh.
at was firmly believed at one time II
Wales" says the Rev Elias owens il
his welsh Folk Lore" that the fairie
exchanged their own weakly or detorme
offspring for the strong children of NOR
; tails. The child supposed to have bee
left by fairies in the cradle or elSewher
was commonly called a changeling, Thi
, faith was not confined to Wales. 1t wa
as common in Scotland Ireland and Eng
land as it was in Wales" An old ma
, who lived in the Penrhyn quarry distric
used to state that he could reveal strang
: doings of the fairies in his neighbOrhoOd