Welsh Journals

THE EISTEDDFOD AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS UNION ONE of the most interesting events on the programme of the Eisteddfod is the recep- tion which is accorded every year to the visitors from overseas. The welcome accorded to our compatriots by the vast audience is one of the most inspiring spectacles during the Eistedd- fod week. Of late years it has been customary for the League of Nations Union to accord a similar welcome, on a smaller scale, on the same afternoon, which gives the Union an opportu- nity of informing our overseas visitors of the work which is being done in Wales on behalf of the League, and also of endeavouring to enlist their interest and support. This year the Eis- teddfod audience at Llanelly expressed in no measured terms its appreciation of the presence of so many Welsh people from overseas on this auspicious occasion. It may therefore not be out of place to draw attention to the close connection which exists, and always has existed between the Eisteddfod and the Welsh Council of the League of Nations Union. The Eisteddfod has become the great rallying point for all Welsh people who are attached to the history, literature, language, music and art of their native country and who are interested in the cultural development of our nation. Here is a common meeting ground where creeds and politics are excluded. Here is assembled the in- tellectual parliament of the nation to which the sons of Wales may make their pilgrimage from the ends of the earth. It matters not that thev dwell in distant lands and that they have formed new relationships and attachments. They may return to the family hearth, and draw fresh in- spiration from the ideas and ideals radiating from our national festival. But the Eisteddfod and its Bardic Circle stand for something even broader and deeper than in- tellectual development. To foster the arts is not enough. A nation cannot live by bread alone, nor can it be content even with the advancement of its culture. Deep down and underneath it must be inspired by a great moral purpose upon which ultimately the whole fabric rests. It is this purpose which endows its institutions with that cohesion and unity which should character- ise all their proceedings. The Eisteddfod has firmly established this principle. It is expressed in its watchword-" Heddwch. The high pur- pose proclaimed by the Bards of old is still the dominant note of our national institution. And never was this watchword more needed in the world than it is to-day. Our Gorsedd holds aloft the banner on which by David Davies is inscribed "Peace." At the head of its pro- cession is carried a sword in its sheath. Here is represented the symbol of Justice and a recog- nition of the great principle that Peace, Perma- nent Peace, can only be secured through the enthronement of Justice. When may the sword be removed from its scabbard? Never, except to vindicate the claims of Justice. How is International Justice to be dispensed? Only through the instrumentality of international courts and arbitration tribunals, a responsibility which in the olden days was under- taken by the Druids and the Bards. Thus in the ritual of the Gorsedd one sees reflected the moral purpose of the Eisteddfod reinforced by cultural development and the advancement of our arts. The Eisteddfod is essentially an instrument for Peace. As such, it has a world significance which must make its special appeal to our visitors and kinsmen from overseas. Since the catastrophe of the Great War the responsibility for maintaining the peace of the world has been entrusted to the League of Nations. But this League cannot carry out its duties unless it is firmly supported by all those national governments whose peoples have become members of the world confederation. These governments, in turn, cannot assist the League unless they can command the support of public opinion in their respective countries. Thus it follows that voluntary societies have been estab- lished to inform and educate public opinion in order that the governments may be able to sup- port the League wholeheartedly. In Wales the Welsh Council of the League of Nations Union endeavours to perform this task. It is, therefore, closely connected with the Eis- teddfod, because the moral purpose animating both these voluntary institutions is identical. It is for this reason that the Welsh Council offers a welcome to its friends from overseas. It wants to remind them that the spirit of Henry Richard still animates his fellow-countrymen, that our nationalism is not a selfish instinct, but is imbued with the desire to make our contribution, however insignificant it may be, towards the progress of mankind. We can all help in this Crusade. Every Welsh- man, in whatever part of the world he may reside, can become a missionary in the cause of interna- tional justice and peace. Our emblem is the daffodil. It is the svmbol of Hope, the flower which heralds the return of Spring, after the rigours and storms of the Winter. We are slowly recovering from the disaster and devastation of the Great War, which