Welsh Journals

ceived the first moiety of my salary, we "owed no man anything," and yet we had ten shillings in the bank. My wife and I had weathered the storm and come to port. At that time and for some years afterwards the Welsh Colleges prepared their students for the examinations of the University of London. There was no University of Wales. Philosophy did not enter into the curriculum of the candidates for the degree of B.A. till their final year, and even then only as an option. Students who pre- ferred mathematics might go on with that subject and omit philosophy altogether. A happy chance brought me during the first session two students who had passed their "First B.A. and were taking Philosophy for one of their final subjects. They were both preparing for the ministry of the Baptist Church. One of them, Mr John Thomas, had been a working miner. He passed the degree examination in Philosophy at the head of the year's list after a bare twelve months' study and he took the M.A. degree afterwards in the same subject. He was afterwards appointed minister of an important Baptist church in Liverpool, and became one of the best known preachers of his day. The second student was Mr Silas Morris. He has for many years been the trusted and esteemed Principal of the College in Bangor for training ministers of the Baptist Church. I was much less fortunate during the second session, so far as the inner work of the College was concerned. I had still two students, but neither of them was bright. The intellectual light of one of them was a very weak jet; and teaching left him uninformed and happy, and me helpless and despairing. The simplest logical deduction and the most well-worn was beyond his reach. Do what I would I could not get him to see that one might not conclude that "all animals are men" from "all men are animals." My outlook as professor was not bright. The best students naturally chose to go on with mathematics, a subject of which they knew something already, rather than to take up a new subject the nature of which no definition could make quite plain. It looked as if I could never be of much value to the College; and I found the consciousness of being of little use very heavy to bear. During that winter I had thoughts of resigning, and of seeking my livelihood else- where than in Wales. The temptation was I shall forget thy deep and wondrous eyes And though thy glories were my very Heaven, I shall not dare to breathe thy name at even, I still my heart lest adoration rise. And when dark clouds shall crowd in my life's skies, And the high firmament is rent and riven, Hopes passionate before the wild winds driven, I shall not turn to thee, my Paradise! strengthened by other facts amongst them one which I still remember not without resentment. The professors, and I believe Reichel, the Princi- pal, also, delivered courses of extension lectures in the larger towns of North Wales. Naturally and rightly all reasonable means were used in order to secure the success of these courses on Unit success depended in great part that of the college itself. But I found myself one evening in a neigh- bouring town, whither I had been sent to deliver a series of extension lectures, expected by no one. The lectures had not been advertised any- where, nobody knew anything about them, and, needless to say, no hall or meeting place of any kind had been secured. I felt silly and helpless, and not a little indignant. I thought that I was able, without any extraneous help, to secure my failures. How this misadventure came about I never enquired, and I do not know. Even if this course I was to give was only overlooked and forgotten, there remains the plain fact that its success had not been an object of care to anyone. I believe that it was thought best at the time by good friends of the College and even of myself that the little candle I carried about lit in Wales should be kept under a bushel. Other lights would shine the more triumphant. I need hardly say that the Principal himself knew and suspected nothing-he has neither faith in devious paths to good ends, nor the capacity to follow them. How- ever all this came to an end when, encouraged by Edward Caird, I spoke out and showed that my endurance had come to an end. After the storm broke there was clear air; and I did not resign. Instead of resigning I thought I would try to let a few of the best students know what kind of diet I could offer them in Philosophy. So I in- vited a number of young men, most of whom were about to become ministers, to meet me on Satur- day mornings, and read John Caird's Intro- duction to the Philosophy of Religion. Amongst these I remember were the Rev. Prof. John Owen Jones and Prof. Edward Edwards. The experiment succeeded. All these men took Philosophy for their final B.A. I had found my footing in the College and had no more anxiety of that kind. (To be continued.) A WAY OF LOVE. I have no part in thee nor thou in me; Strange and remote as some strange, sobbing sea, Poignant no more the wastes between us cast. My way ahead is bright with glad new hours, Radiant with light and fragrant with sweet flowers, And love is crowned,-but thou are of the Past W.G.J.