New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-07
A WELSH FESTIVAL
Music at an international
EiSteddfod.
OLD BARDIC INSTITUTION
A Magnificent Choral Struggle
How National Anthems
Are Not Made.

and also In the persistence with which
foreign language fell into the ear which
recalled the late Fighting Bob" Evans $
prediction as to the tongue which would
be exclusively heard in a hot place for a
while If 1t should come to war between
Spain and the United States. AS a mat
ter OF fact, Admiral Evans, when the
war was over, modestly confessed that
he had never said that in the event OF
clash OF arms Nothing but Spanish
would be heard I'm hell" or that Hell
would smell of garlic" for six months.
THE newspaper boys made that" he
added. but it was too good to contra
dict" Not war; but peace, the beauty
Of which was eXtoled in Welsh as well
as English oratory, was celebrated at
the International Eisteddfod held in
Carnegie town-peaCe and its victories.
The city's foremost citizen was not pres
ent TO grace the occasion, and had he
been he would have understood as little
as did the writer Of what was said OF
him in the ancient language of the
Cymri: but thought OF him was frequent
~ compelled by illusions 10 Captain w.
r. Jones Of whom the great meeting was
a memorial. for it was Captain Jones
who did much in laying the foundations
Of the industry which made Pittsburgh
and Mr. Carnegie rich
An Old Bardic Institution.
II was not the first international Els
teddfod held in America, as was often
said In the newspapers and once, at least
by a speaker, for the predicate had been
used for the meeting held In Chicago at
the time Of the Worlds Fair. in 1893, but
It was a great Esteddfod, much greater
than the Columbian. and In the feature
with which the writer OF these comments
was most concerned, one of the greatest
held within the memory OF the present
generation OF this | was emphaticaliy
assured by my fellow adjudicstors in the
department of music-Dr u. Vaughan
Thomas. OF Swansea. Wales. and DR..
Daniel Protheroe. of Chicago, two gen.
tlemen with whom It was a pleasure 10
collaborate. II was also unique In that
Il was the occasion OF the establishment
I'm America OF the ancient British institu-
ton called the Gorscdd. Or supreme
seattle bardic gathering which the an
Client Welsh triads say was the highest
assembly OF the Isle of Britain dis
pensation for the establishment OF an
American auxiliary was obtained at the
recent Wrexham convocation. and Arch
druid Dyfed (the Rev. Evan Rees, or
Cardf-all Welsh bards are better known
by the pseudonymes under which they
won the title than by their real names)
came TO Pittsburgh to act as master Of
ceremonies The relics OF the ancient ritual
which were used were considerably more
imposing IN the preliminary description
than i'm the performance. There was the
ancient circle OF unhewn stones-prooaoly
one OF the most ancient monuments OF
the civilization Of the white race which
can be found as far East as Russia-and
I'm the middle the Logan stone, on
which the Archdruid stood while he con-
Quoted the ceremonies I'm the race OF the
sun. the eye OF light" these were the
sentinels standing at each stone the
sheathed sword, which the bards touched
with their fingers after the Archdruid'
preparatory TO the opening Of the assem-
DlN, nAu uShtu III y iliA ~ - N''N'N
peace; but there were no Druidic robes
and oak chaplets except on the gentle
souled dominic from Cardiff. and pro-
safe air pervaded most of the doings as
they did the "chairing OF the bard at the
afternoon session on Saturday. This cere-
mony. however, illustrated the Internal
uonaI character of the meeting, for the
winner OF Bardic honors was resident
OF Wales who was at home ana had 10
he chaired BY proxy. There was some
singing TO harp accompaniment, but at
tho ceremony Of chairing there was no
trumpet call; the harp was replaced by a
pianoforte. and the proceedings We're per
functory and prosaic. We had, II Is easily
to be- imagined, a more vivid Illustration
of the ancient spirit In two OF the scenes
I'm Professor Parker's opera, Mona at
the Metropolitan Opera House two years
ago. But the Gorsedd Is become chiehy
literary; its oldtime political signih-
canoe is gone, and nobody vas more
amused than the. Archdruid himself
when nc read In newspaper that the
purpose of the institution was TO restore
Druldlsm-which might imply religious
TfNtfSlOu " nhilidAi so a'''''
Trying for a National Anthem.
Had this Eisteddfod been held a thou-
sand years ago Il might have achieved
one OF It's purposes, which was to pro-
vide the people OF the United States with
national anthem. How futile the ef-
fort was likely to prove was discussed in
A IA
the history OF three Of the finest ma
tlonal hymns I'm the world proves that
such compositions are not necessarily
born. instead OF being made, the genius
which makes them is a product of nature
plus artistic training. God Save the
King" is In "A way both a creation and
an evolution: Haydn's Austrian hymn
and Lwoff's Russian are artistic prod
ucts. both inspired by the English hymn
which called out enthusiastic praise from
Beethoven, who wrote variations on it to
show the English people what a treas
ure" they had I'm H. But Carey and Lwoff
were fine musicians. and Haydn WAS a
superlatively great one. 1t was not 20
have been expected that I'm this
Weak, piping time OF peace"
inspiration would fall upon an ordinary
mortal. or two ordinary mortals. in such
measure as to draw from them pocir-
and a setting worthy of acceptance as n
national utterance by great people:
but it must also be said hat something
hundredfold better than the best of
the songs submitted would have had to