The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1903-09-25
The Story Of Wales
aud Its People
[John Jones, from walesl.

Tne Welsh people a"e light and
active, hardy rather than heavy.
They have dark hair. blue or dark
eyes, ruddy complexion and a fine,
open expression. They esteem noble
birth and generous descent above all
things. Everyone retains his gene.
alogy and can not only readily recount
the names of grandfathers and great
grandfathers, but even refer back to
the sixthor seyentllgeneration. Being
particularly attached to family des-
cent, and, naturally of passionate
and vindictive disposition. they
avenge with vehemence the injuries
which may tend to the disgrace of
their blood. AS is also quite natural
to expect, this nation is very high
ly-strung religious one, and Of course
prone to superstition. At the pres
ent time there are close upon two
hundred different religious denomin-
ations in Wales with its population
of two and a half million, and sectar-
ian strifes are not infrequent, for ar
gumentative and dissenting analogy
is very strong point with them.
They study the bible until they know
it by heart, because they look upon
it as Gods own word sent down in
book form from heaven. Sund " is
looked upon us SOULS day-'sdydd
marchnad enaid,'' aud Sunday school
is a powerful institution. The
churches and cllapels that dot the
surface Of the country in close ap.
Proclamation to each other are fine
solid structures Of stone-made to
stand for generations. Even in remote
country places people sacrifice great
deal for the sake Of the ''cause," as
they cali the organized brotherhood .
Ter daioni'r achus." Sometimes they
commemorate some great preachers 8
death by making a big collection" to
end0w = scholarship at one of the
Welsh universities, aud have known
people to 60 without the necessaries
|of life In order to augment this fund
and perhaps alsO to see their names
lin respectable company on the sub
(scflption list. Though n0c.conform.
|ity and liberalism are supposed to be
the lead ing features of young Wales,
there is, nevertheless, latent con-
|servatism permeatlng the institutions
Of the land-nor is this strange when
when we consider the environment.
Mona or Anglesia as the seat and
stronghold Of the druids. And who
were theyp The old histories tell us
that they we're the priests or religious
teachers of the people, chosen care
fully from the royal families Of the
tribes. Over all was an arch-druid,
who lived apart from the people in
the sacred little island of Mona.
These druids took no part in the
wars; they paid no taxes: they had a
fright to pass unharmed from place to
place, and the people stood in great
awe of them. Not only were they
!their priests, but also their judges.
1t was the druids who administered
the law; they who doled out punish
lment Of slavery, exile or even death;
and the druids who offered up human
sacrifices in their mysterious temples.
These temples cons listed of a central
space, around which were set circles
Iof upright stones at regular intervals.
In the center of the circles stood a
cromlech, a fiat stone supported by
two or three upright stones set in the
ground. They were probably used as
|altars on which sacrifices were offered
UP, and on which the sacred fire was
kept burning. Near to the temple
was a sacred mound or s.carnedd'
from which the druid priests were
won't to address the people. These
temples, whether standing on aplain
lin valley, or ON a hill, were always
surrounded by groves of oak trees
and the whole enclosure was shut In
by banks of earth. Sites of many
old druid temples may yet be traced
lin Wales. Now these druids sur.
rounded their temples with oaks, be.
cause they had curious beliefs about
1.-THE oak, and more especially about
the mistletoe that grows on the oak
They fought that God favored the
!!oak above all other trees, and that
everything growing on the oak came
from heaven. They therefore held 9
i great festival for gathering the
mistletoe, and arranged it as near the
10th Of March as they could, for that
i was their New Years day, and on thu
Isixth day after the new moon. First
1 Of all two white bulls were bound u
4 the oak by their horns; then q drute
Iclothed in white mounted the tree
and with knife Of gold cut tn
mistletoe, while anot ther, standing be
How on the ground, held out his whit