Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-18
MAY DUPLICATEFEAT
Ottumwa Chorus Will Again Com
pete for Prizes in Eisteddfod.
NNUAL EVENT PROMISES SUCCESS
Great Welsh Song Festival to Be Held
at Des Moines New Years Day VIII
Be Attended by Many ottumWans-
Was Held Here Last Year.

The attention of the Ottumwa vo-
calists is being turned to Des Moines,
where on New Years day will be held
the annual Welsh Eisteddfod 1t will
be remembered that the event was
last year held in this city and was
great success. This season the great
Welsh song festival promises to be
even a greater success and the Ottum-
wa chorus, which is now being drill
ed for the event by Mrs. Frances
Clark, hopes to duplicate it's showing
of last year when it captured the ma
jority of the prizes. There will be
greater competition. however, at this
meeting, as many of the Des Moines
church choirs have arranged choruses
to compete for the prizes.
After the $3.50 Prize.
The program will open with
grand concert on New Years eve,
when ali those who are to take part
in conducting the affair will be pre-
scented to the singers. There will be
no prizes given at this session, but an
extensive musical program will be
given which will include the rendition
of several Welsh songs. New Years
day three sessions will be, held, morn
ing afternoon and evening, closing
with the grand chorus Arise, All Ye
Nations This will be the big event.
There will be two prizes, of $3.50 and
500 respectively, and for these prizes
the Ottumwa chorus, directed by Mrs.
Clark, will try. The following is
brief history of the Eisteddfod, so
dear to the heart of every Welsh
man:
History of the Eisteddfod.
An Eisteddfod, pronounced as if
it were spelled ais-teth-vode) is to the
native Welshman what the Saenger--
fest is to the German: more than any
other custom it is representative of
his country and arouses his national
pride. The Welsh claim descent
from Conner, the grandson of Noah.
They we've the Cimmerii of antiquity
the Cimbri of the early Roman period,
and they are the Cymry of today The
Eisteddfod is the oldest of their ma
tional institutions. 1t dates back to
the prehistoric period. Tradition
teaches us that royal Eisteddfod was
| held under the auspices of Prydain
alb Aedd Mawr, who ruled in Britain
about 1000 B. c.. The first historical
reference to an Eisteddfod occurs in
( Caesars commentaries. He wrote that
the Calls Druids assembled at fix
! ed period of the year in consecrated
| place, and all who have disputes came
and submitted to their DEGREES and de-
Examinations. The historic period of
/ the Eisteddfod dated from $40 A. D.,
when an Eisteddfod was held at Con-
wy, ut which Maelgwyn Gwynedd pre-
sided. From that date to 1868, the
Eisteddfod was held at regular inter-
| walls, when circumstances permitted.
The most notable were those of $50,
/ 1l76, 1860, 1868, 1461, and 1923 AT
/ ter the sovereignty passed out of the
hands of the Welsh, the Eisteddfod
lost its authority. but suffered no loss
of influence in literary matters. Those
held under royal commission eXer-
cised authority in some things, nota-
bly, that of 1868, when the Welsh We're
commanded to adopt surnames The
strictly modern Eisteddfod dates from
/ III. National EisteddfodS have been
held in Wales annually for thirty
years or more, and local meetings have
been held wherever Welshmen- may
be found, even in Australia, South At
RIGA and Patagonia
The most notable Eisteddfod held
on American soil was that which con
vened at Chicago during the Worlds
Fair. The Eisteddfod in the United
States has been devoted chiefly tc
choral and part singing but literature
oratory, art, and sculpture have moi
been entirely ignored. 1t has thus un
, dergone great changes, but not with
out leaving its impress upon the civil
ization of today, which is distinctively
British. The primitive Eisteddfod was
a tribal institution, and was the Wis
} IDLE government, church and college
, OF the early Cymric tribes. 1t thus be
} came the cradle of law, learning anC
3 liberty. Its patrons and promoters al
3 ways upheld the doctrine of equality
and cultivated individuality, the mos
| notable characteristic of the Celt
: These Influences, acting for ages, gave
l TO the world the modern doctrine O.
2 personal liberty, SO admirably express
$ ed by Jefferson, and adopted by al
0 progressive peoples. The most perfec
/ OF the governments of today are mod
$ eled after the ancient Eisteddfod. Ii
5 the language OF noted writer thu
I Eisteddfod is to this very hour The
root and arhcetype of our politica
system.
The notices are those of the Els
teddfod and the five chairs" of Bar
0 die Provinces into which Wales wa
It In the ancient times divided, "Gwir VI
u erbyn y BMyd"-"Truth Against tn
+ Worlds the motto of the Estedt
5. fod and Gorsedd of Bards as a whole
3 'Duw phob Daioni''-"God and Al
n That is Goods the motto of tn
5, Bardic Province of Glamorgan; "Calo
Il with Gallon Heart to Heart
}. that of the Province of Dyfed (Soutl
5. west Wales). "lesu mad Gamwaith
5. Jesus Forbid Injustice"-is that G
Gwynedd Northern Wales)' and g.
laddo leddir"-"He That Stays Sha