Welsh Journals

of all the obituary notices in the 1915 volume of Y Drysorfa is the Rev. R. W. Jones's fine tribute to a fellow-student, Mr. Richard Bennet Hughes, son of the Rev. R. W. Hughes, of Park Hill, Bangor, drowned while bathing in Lake Pennant, near Llanbrynmair. A glance over the contents for the year 1915 discovers the names of a few well-known authors whose writings have a literary rather than a theological bias, a fact which does not surprise those who know the editor's many-sided interests and sympathies. Trysorfa'r Plant has, as the editor tells us in his address, readers in all parts of the globe-in South Africa, in Egypt, in Australia, in the South Sea Islands, and in the trenches and it is no idle boast of his that it has helped materially in fostering the Welsh language for two whole generations. We hope the editor's appeal to his readers to find others will meet with ready response, for no children's monthly, except, perhaps, Cymru'r Plant, is more eagerly awaited on the first of each month by the children of Wales. CORRESPONDENCE THE WELSH B.D. COURSE. To the Editor of The Welsh Outlook- Sir. I read with much interest in your last number the letter of the Rev. D. Francis Roberts, dealing with the criticism of the B.D. Syllabus of the University of Wales. Allow me to state that I entirely concur with it, and that I greatly appreciate my friend's protest against the Welsh mania for criticism. The tendency to pull down new buildings or to uproot newly-planted potatoes (to use a Pulestonian figure), seems to be one of the besetting sins of Welshmen. It may be due to the inherent impatience of our race, but that is no reason why it should be allowed to arrest the natural growth of our national life. It is my impression that the bane of destructive criticism has been far more in evidence in modern Welsh life than the boon of constructive criticism. It is needless to reiterate the points of Mr. Roberts letter, and I have no inclination to add anything to his general statements. Let me conclude by saying that I can think of nothing more absurd than a BJD. Course rendered possible without a scrap of Hebrew and Greek. Yours, etc., J. PRITCHARD. Llanberis. AN APPEAL TO THE WOMEN OF WALES. To the Editor of The Welsh Outlook. Sir. Miss Barrett very reasonably suggests that even if the Central Powers agree to evacuate conquered territory, they may still take advantage of their conquests for the purpose of obtaining other concessions. This is undeniable. It is plain, however, that we shall disastrously hinder our own cause. and do a grave dis- service to our allies whose suffering is greater than ours, if we refuse for this reason to consider such claims upon their merits. Supposing Germany to make demands in accordance with these very principles of freedom for which we are fighting, shall we then refute to consider them, only because she is willing in return to evacuate Belgium, France and Serbia? It is true and inevitable, in the circumstances, that Miss lane Addams' interviews with the various governments are of a confi- dential nature, and cannot, therefore, be published in full detail. No one surely understands democratic control to involve of necessity the immediate publication of all interviews between the government and private persons. Miss Barrett further complains that the Women's International Congress was not representative of women of the belligerent countries including Britain. Here again in a sense she is right The women who attended the Congress made no profession of representing average war-time opinion in their respective coun- tries. They did, however, represent a certain section of opinion in each country. It was a point of view, though not necenaruy the majority point of view, which they set out to represent. The alleged opposition of French women is a case in point. Some French women, it is true, made their protest others sent to the Congress a most cordial message of sympathy. now reprinted in Towards Permanent Peace." I may mention also that a National Committee affiliated to the Congress is now permanently established in France under the name of Comite International des Femmes pour la Paix permanente. The German women who attended the Congress, so far from upholding the invasion of Belgium, themselves supported a resolution that there should be no transference of territory without the consent of the men and women residing therein," and the Congress declared by vote that it interpreted this to imply that the right of conquest was not to be recognised." Indeed, members of the German National Organisation affiliated to the Congress, are not only engaged in active propaganda against any annexation, but some of them have suffered imprisonment on that account. It is difficult to see why the most patriotic of British women should object to meeting such women as these, as is suggested by your correspondent. GWENDA GRUFFYDD. Rhubina, near Cardiff. (This correspondence is now closed. — Ed.) THE FREE CATHOUC. (Edited by Rev. J. M. Lloyd Thomas.) Price Id. per month; pott free 2d. The first number contains articles by Prof. E. A. Sonnenschein, D.Litt. Mr. H. C. Colles (Musical Critic of The Times), and others. Orders with remittances to Mr. E. ELLIS TOWNLEY, 65, Temple Row, Birmingham. THE Calvinistic Methodist Health Insurance Society. (Joint Approved Society No. 375.)] Ofice REGENT CHAMBERS. WREXHAM. General Secretary Mr. T. W. THOMAS. Organising Secretary Rev. W. W. LLOYD. Gmeral Treasure? Mr. J. S. LLOYD (Wrexham)