The Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder. — 1885-08-22 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

CURIOSITY. "Suspicion always haunts the isasele mind," says someone parodying Shakespeare. This, I think, is trun,.but it might also beadded—" aril curiosity." Women are naturaily curious. They would not go so far as to open a. letter addressed to anyone else, but they will peep round the edges, and a feeling of curiosity as to the contents WOWS up they don't know how. If the good man on his return from a journey brings back with him a parcel of clams* cuttings, one of the first inquiries will beast. the contents of ; the package. If there is a row in the street. or a dog fight, it's ten to one that you have a fair quantity of female spectators; and in the days of public executions there was no more interested spectator of the revolting scene than the average WO3lOll. Take last Sunday and Monday as an inatanoe of this habit. The pavement outside the house wherein the man Smith was murdered, and where Jenkins was Icing, was orowded with womea and children. They were there in the morning, at noon, and in the night. Some with young babea in their arms, others surrounded by young children, others again—with arms akimbo—goesipping ; but all intent on getting the last these of the case from thoes who went in and out of the Louse. How is it that women are possessed of this morbid curiosity, I wonder ?  err. KART'S somas. The old attendants of St. Mary's Parish Church, Swansea, enusrtain a high opinion of the "grand old organ," which stands in the gallery of that place of worship, but what will they think when strangers, who are competent judges, my "It's an old rattletrap."? Of oourse they will grow indignant, and call the vandal who dares utter such sentiment a nincompoop, an ignoramus or something even more expreesive still. If you want to estimate the real value of your organ take neither one view nor the other, the medium as usual Is nearer the truth. St. Mary's organ contains some delightfully voiced stops, and some that are not.quite so good as they might be. It has magnificent pedals, but not sufficient wind to make them speak properly. The organ has been added to again and again, but the wind power has not grown ,proportionately with the increase of stops, and when all the manuals and the pedals are coupled, the lower range of the instrument suffers by being under winded. There is another &felt, the inettument speedily gets oat of tune, but this applies to nearly all the old °roma, and the n,ellowness of any stop is very much at • discount it that mellowness is also accompanied by a chronic flatness.. The question is, " Shall we have a new organ in St. Mary's. or shall we have the old one remodelled?' There are many associations connected with the present instrument that one would not readily sever, and perhape the better plan would be to renew the sops that are practically worthless, and replant) them by new ones, and at the some time have a large addition made to the wind producing power. This, I believe, would meet the present requirements, and greatly add to the MICAI3BB of the services. It would pethaps be better to have a first clam new crgan, but this would raise many heartburnincs, though it is abetted he suppose that people cannot build organs as well— yes, and bettor—now, than they could a century or two ago. The only thing is a question of price. If you want a really first class instrument, you can get it and if you want a cheap and nasty affair, that is also to be procured with term] ease. For my own part Ido not think St. Mary's should be behind other churches in the matter of organ power and sweetness. If I anything—it should be ahead.  MB.