Welsh Journals

about the clock. That must be our little joke I I followed Mrs. Jones into the dairy. As soon as we had entered she turned to me and said, I don't sup- pose you are really interested in this. What I want to tell you is about the clock. Of course, I know that Dick turns it on ten minutes it's a little joke of his, and it amuses him. He was whispering to you about it just now, wasn't he? My little joke comes in turning it back a quarter of an hour. Now let us see how slow the clock is after all." I am a serious man, but I hope my laugh was con- vincing. There are some jokes whose appeal is not universal, and the point of this one had to stand the test of being put to paper. One hour on for summer time, ten minutes back for Dick, and a quarter of an hour on for Mrs. Jones. I found the clock to be an hour and five minutes slow in all. There was still ample time. We went back to find Dick, who said he would like to take me round the buildings. We looked at the horses in the stable, at the newly built cowshed, and finally Dick took his coat off to set the oil engine going. I took advantage of this operation to call up John, the man-servant, and to send him to the house to see what time it was by the clock. John came back in a few minutes and said it was half-past three. I started calculating in my head. Half-past three, one hour on, ten minutes back, quarter of an hour on Are you going to catch the five, sir? I am going to try, John. Then I think there may be something I have to tell you. There is an Eisteddfod in the village to- night, and I want to get off work a little earlier than usual. The fact is-you won't tell the master, will vou ?­l turned the clock on half-an-hour this morning. I wanted to tell you for fear you might lose your train." This was getting a little beyond me. Half-past THE BULLETIN OF THE KELTIC* BOARD. By T. Witton Davies, B.A., Ph.D., Th.D., D.D., Life Emeritus Professor of Semitic Languages, University College of North Wales. I had been looking forward with great expectation to the first issue of the above Bulletin, and was very glad to receive it some months ago. I will con- fess at the outset that I was disappointed at its contents. I have not observed a single review of this first number in any English or Welsh publication, though many may have appeared. The members of the Board would, I am persuaded, be gratified to find that their periodical Bulletins are being read, considered, and discussed. I hope, however, as one means towards this end, that future issues will be less stodgy, fuller of fresh and vital items than this, the first one. The contents are arrayed under three) principal heads-I. Language and Literature II, History and Law III, Archaeology and Art. I assume that these categories indicate the boundaries within which the Board intends to operate. I hope, however, this h not so, unless the terms are to be interpreted in a I spell as I pronounce. three. An hour on, half-past four. Ten minutes back, twenty past four. Quarter of an hour on, twenty-five to five. Half-an-hour back, five past four. I had a sudden idea, and went to look for the maid. I found her down by the brook scrubbing the dairy pails. Now tell me," I said sternly, how much did you turn the clock on this morning ? She became very confused, and was evidently guilty. don't know how you found out, sir, but you see, I am going to the Eisteddfod to-night, and I turned it back twenty minutes I held up my hand. Wait a minute, please." Five past four. Five minutes to find the maid, ten past four. Twenty minutes on, that made it half-past. I motioned her to go on. Well, later on I started thinking about it, and I thought I shouldn't have turned it back, but on. So I slipped in again and turned it twenty minutes on; that made it the same as it should have been. Then I turned it twenty minutes on again so as to go early." I scarcely thanked her, and made for the house, hoping to find a piece of paper and a stub of pencil. I tip-toed into the parlour and looked at the old grand- father clock, which was so loyally supposed to be keeping the Lord's time. What I saw was the end of all things. A chair had been pushed against the casing. On the chair was a small boy with bright red hair, engaged in pushing the minute hand up and down and round and back again. Hallo, what are you doing? I'm playing clocks." Do you do it often? Yes. every day." I picked up my bag, and without saying good-bye to anyone, ran towards the station. All the way I wondered whether I would have an hour to wait or whether was an hour late. broad sense. The danger of Welsh scholarship is to be narrow in its outlook and conventional in its methods. Even University professors-and I have been a pro- fessor for nearly half a century-are apt to get into grooves, though expected to have open eyes and eager minds for the latest and best literature of their subject in all the great languages of the time. In what folic- it will be seen that I am thinking not merely of this Bulletin, nor of the Keltic Board, nor even of the Welsh Department of the University of Wales. I have in my mind the whole Welsh University system, which for all its marvellous achievements — almost incredible in so short a time-is not the perfect instru- ment of education and culture which the best Welsh minds wish it to be, and, as far as possible, intend it to be. The first section of the Bulletin treats of Language and Literature. Most of the pages in this part are devoted to dictionary-like discussions of certain words, and I half believe they are, with necessary modifi-