Welsh Journals

WALES AT WORK: A SOCIAL DIARY. There is hardly need to point to the outstanding thought with regard to the successful bard who won the Crown. There stood a typical Welsh collier, with the blue scars of his pit-work on his face, and his hands horned with toil. He is a product of the Welsh University, a Bachelor of Arts, and he is wise enough not to scorn manual labour. It may be difficult for a phlegmatic Englishman to reconcile the make-up of such a man, but the Welsh people understand him Well, and rejoice in him and in his success. — The Western Mail Eisteddfod Correspondent. MOVEMENTS. The Welsh Folk Song Society has a membership roll of 339, with 28 life and 48 honorary members. In 1922 it is proposed to offer a shield for competition, and small medals to members of successful choirs. At the Carnarvon Eisteddfod next year a prize will be given for the best collection of unpublished folk- songs. Wales, for the purposes of this competition, will, like all Gaul, be divided into three parts-North, South-East, and South-West.-The Welsh Folk-Song Society Hon. Secretary, Mrs. J. Herbert Lewis, 23, Grosvenor Road, Westminster. The Welsh National Council of Music intends to be active during the coming winter. Dr. Walford Davies has outlined the four major schemes which the Council would develop if the music-loving people of Wales were prepared to give £ 5,000 or so to try the experiment for a year or two years." The Council hopes (1) to issue large quantities of good folk music; (2) to promote weekly concerts in schools, making a sort of end- less chain throughout the country; (3) to promote the appoint- ment of county tutors, at least one for each county. They would visit localities regularly, and once a year conduct the county eisteddfod. (4) To institute a Gymanfa Ganu book. — The Welsh National Council of Music; Dr. Walford Davies, Uni- versity College, Aberystwyth. The Welsh Outlook has pleasure in calling attention to the admirable programme of the Village Clubs Association. So far the V.C.A. has chiefly concerned itself with North-West Wales. There is already a union in Anglesey of Village Halls and Institutes-with ten. institutes. The Chairman of the Anglesey Union is Sir John Morris Jones; the Hon. Treasurer is Mr. H. R. Davies, J.P., while Miss Matthews, M.B..E, of Amlwch, is acting as the Hon. Secretary. There was a conference at Pwllheli in July, when 26 villages were represented, and a strong representative committee was formed, with Mrs. Hugh Pritchard, M.B.E., of Pwllheli,, as the honorary secretary. The next union to be formed is that of the Vale of Conway. In the formation of this Union, the Association is happy in being able to count upon the support of Mr. H. J. Jack, who is an enthusiast in social welfare work, and the institute in con- nection with industry controlled by him, is said to be the ideal for all industrial centres. — The Organizer of the V.C.A. for Wales is Mr. Edward Jones, and correspondence should be addressed to him at the University College, Bangor, N.W. The Welsh Housing and Development Association is tackling the difficult question of the re-grouping of South Wales areas. In this task it is co-operating with the South Wales Association of Labour members. In the month of July 326 representatives gathered under the chairmanship of Mr. D. LIeufer Thomas, to discuss the re-adjustment of local government areas and the formation of a water board or water boards for Wales. Mr. T. I. Mardy Jones, one of the few men in Wales who believe in thinking out the problem of efficient local government, sketched the proposals. The guiding principle should be one area, one authority." And the one authority should be respon- sible for all municipal services within the area. The three essentials were-(I) there must be a community of interests: (2) complete autonomy in local affairs; and (3) each area should not be too small to be self-maintaining, and not too large to be governed efficiently from one centre.-The Secretary of the Welsh Housing and Development Association is Mr. P. J. Evans, Charles Street, Cardiff. EVENTS. National. National Eisteddfod, August 2-6, at Barry-" the Eis- teddfod that broke the record." The Chair with-held-the Crown won by a working collier. Ammanford secured the Chief Choral prize and the Eisteddfod for 1922. The Gorsedd and the National Eisteddfod Association decided upon reform," and set up a committee for the purpose. By the Reo. Gwilym Davies, M.A. Expenditure was precedented-;i 14,000 so were the takings — £ 18,000 And in spite of wild weather and periods of deluge, it is said that there must have been 25,000 people accommodated within the boundaries of Romilly Park. The General Secretary was Mr. D. Arthen Evans; tbe Chairman of the Executive, the Rev. J S. Langdon the Vice-Chair- man, Major Edgar Jones, whose O.B.E. now stands for an Organizer of the Barry Eisteddfod. British Association at Cardiff, fourth week in August. The 1920 B.A." lived up to its reputation as the clearing house for new ideals and discoveries, and the forum for the discussion of how to apply knowledge to the problems of life and progress. Wales was worthily represented by a brilliant paper contributed by Mr. Lleufer Thomas, on Some geographical aspects of the distribution of population on the South Wales Coalfield," and by Prof. H. J. Fleure's ad- dress. illustrated by lantern views, on the physical types of Welsh people. On the social side the Lord Mayor of Cardiff and the Lady Mayoress received the members at an evening function. The estimate of the number present was 1,500, and the announcing of the names took an hour Local arrangements were in the hands of Dr. Evans Hoyle. The Welsh School of Social Service, now in its ninth year, met at Llandrindod Wells for the Welsh Social Service Week, August 15-22. It would require a whole issue of The Welsh Outlook to give anything like an adequately satisfying report of the transactions. Paper after paper, address after address, reached a very high standard, and too much praise cannot be given to the work accomplished by men and women who had set their face against derivative matter, and supplied the members of the School with first-hand re- search findings." A local newspaper report of the pro- ceedings may be obtained by post for 2Yzd.. from the Secretary of the School, Llandrindod Wells. The Welsh Holiday School at Llanwrtyd was a thing of joy-bristling over with enthusiasm. Both the Chairman of the School, Mr. Philip Thomas, and the Director, Mr. Roland Thomas, M.A., are to be warmly congratulated on the pro- gress made. A happy function was that of presenting the good wishes of everybody and a silver tray to the newly- married couple-Professor and Mrs. Ernest Hughes. Papers were read by Mr. O. James Owen on the teaching of Welsh to children; Miss Magdalen Morgan, M.A., on Ymgomio mewn Cymraeg; Mr. T. R. Thomas, of Cwmtwrch, on the new orthography Mr T. Williams, Glynedd, on teaching Welsh to the monoglot Saxon; Mr Lewis Davies, Cymmer, on Cynghanedd Prof. Ernest Hughes on the history of Wales; Rev. Eurof Walters on Welsh literature; and Rev. M. H. Jones on the training of Sunday School teachers. It all went with a rare swing from start to finish. No v oncer that one of the members in the farewell meeting declared his intention of being at the next School even if it were held in another world — The Director of the Welsh Holiday School is Mr. Roland Thomas, M.A., Brecon. The Summer School of the Welsh Language Society assembled this year at Trefriw. The Secretary of the Society is Mr D. James (" Defynog "), of Treherbert; the President, Sir lsambard Owen and Prof. J. E. Lloyd, of Bangor, is the Treasurer. An excellent series of lectures had been arranged, and amongst those who gave addresses were the Rev. J. Puleston Jones, on The art of public speaking Mr H. T. Evans M.A., of Aberayron, on The principles of freedom": Mr S. J. Evans, Mr. Ifor Williams. Mr. Silyn Roberts, and Prof. J. E. Lloyd. A feature of the School was the afternoon pilgrimage to places of historic interest. As at Llanwrtyd, so at Trefriw, the students took the opportunity of felicitating one of their leaders, and a pre- sentation was made to Mr. and Mrs D. James on their marriage.