learned man once said to a Welsh student: "You Welsh are born metaphysicians." It is a pity, therefore, that Aristotle was not published in Welsh with Salisbury's Testament. When he was editor of "Amserau," Dr. William Rees ("Hiraethog") insisted, in very resolute terms, on "prepayment as the only condition of receiving the 'Amserau.' Not a copy shall start a step from the office, to one more than another, without prepayment with the order for it. It is impossible to continue its publication by any other means; and if her Majesty Victoria were to order it without a remittance we would be compelled to tell her that we could not serve her with the 'Amserau' without her sending to the office the requisite number of pictures of her own head either on paper or money." The rapid development of the Gorsedd, as witnessed in the latest Eisteddfod, may be measured by the chaotic state of things at the Aberdare Eisteddfod in 1861. "Nicander" was the chaired bard. He had a hazy idea that he should be given some "bardic order." "He asked," says "Cynddelw," "in his simple way for some kind of order, if he was worthy, if it were only an 'order of the wooden spoon" (llwy bren). There was much merriment over the order of the wooden spoon, and the chief bard received the highest order we could bestow upon him." Two of the best livings in the Diocese of St. Asaph are now vacant. Bodelwyddan, which is, perhaps, the plum of the diocese, is at present in the gift of the Bodelwyddan Estate trustees. The present Bishop of Bangor (who is brother to Sir W. Grenville Williams, Bart., Bodelwyddan) held the living for many years, until he succeeded the present Bishop of St. David's as Dean of St. Asaph. The noted "marble church" is the most exquisite modern ecclesiastical edifice in Wales. The other good living vacant is that of Ruabon, the chief parishioner in which parish is Sir Watkin Wynn. Judging from the statement of an old inhabitant of Breconshire, the election of mayor in the last century was something worth going out to see. "My grandfather," he said, "was chosen mayor of Pontsticill, a village which had been of importance in its day, for the earliest coal worked at Dowlais was carried there in sacks and then placed in smaller ones and taken by mules as far as Herefordshire. The mayor was selected from amongst the oldest and most respected, placed on a square board, and taken round the place. Beer was distributed freely from the two public-houses of the place, and the singing and cheering sounded far and wide. After the ceremony, the elected gave peppermint drops to all the children, and then he was taken home as mellow as a ripe pear." King Henry: I wear (the leek) for a memorable honor. For I am Welsh, you know, good countrymen. Fluellen: All the water of the Wye cannot wash your Majesty's Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that; Got pless it, and preserve it as long as it pleases his grace and his Majesty too. King Henry: Thanks, good my countryman. Fluellen: I am your Majesty's countryman, I care not who know it; I will confess it to all the world; I need not to be ashamed of your Majesty, praised be Got, so long as your Majesty is an honest man. King Henry: God keep me so. General Baden-Powell addressing a deputation of the Cape and Johannesburg Cambrian Societies, who had met to extend a cordial welcome to the gallant General on his arrival from the scene of hostilities, said according to the "Cape Argus" that although he was a Welshman and had Welsh blood in his veins, he came back, what they might call, a prodigal. He had never done his duty to his Wales. He had never lived there properly, and he had never learned the Welsh languagewhich he was very much ashamed ofbut at the same time he could not help feeling that they had forgiven him and taken him back into the fold, and he would promise to reform. On his mother's side he came from Cardiff, and on his father's side he came from Carnarvon, and his godfather built Menai Bridge, so that he had some connection with Wales. To lovers of ancient proverbs and common sayings the following old couplets, formerly in general use in Wales, may be of interest. March will search, April will try, "If the grass grows in February, it will not grow much afterwards throughout the year." "February will despoil a giant." "A small bagful of March dust is worth a large bag of the king's gold." "If the meadow grows in March, plenty will be seen to follow." "A dry summer never left a famine after it." "February will fill the ditches, and March will drink it up in draughts." "Happy our lot if a mild April will clothe with green the ground and the branches of the grove." "A dry April everything languishes." "A kind April will wet the bush and dry the bush." "Ebrill garw porchell marw." "Na flina ar dy egin cyn diwedd Mehefin." The cry for "Welsh" at the Eisteddfod, and which produced a scene in connection with one of the choral adjudications at Liverpool, is of comparatively recent date, for English had been spoken freely from the National Eisteddfod and other eisteddfod platforms for many years without its giving rise to any hostile demonstration. Of late, however, it has become a sort of battlecry amongst a section of our eisteddfodists. Sometimes the disturbance emanates from a few irrepressibles, who seem to be more or less on mischief bent, and spoiling for a little diversion in some way or another. Whilst to some others it looks as if it were being utilised as an easy means of notoriety and self-advertisement in so-called patriotism and love for the mother tongue; although it by no means appears that the protestants are always found amongst the "people," the most monoglot portion of an eisteddfod audience, the back-bone of the institution, and real conservators of the language. There are occasions nevertheless when the cry of "Cymraeg" gives expression to the prevailing national, and however well the Liverpool Committee managed their business generally it cannot be said that they were fortunate in this particular.-D. Emlyn Evans. We have no particular desire to refer to the extraordinary time it took the judges to come into a decision upon the chief choral award, but that it gave cause to an incident that commands our attention. After Mr. Ben Davies, to fill up the gap in the proceedings, had sung and been encored, and penillion singing had followed, a section of the audience we are told, in order to while away the weary waiting, started a hymn-tune, but were promptly pulled up by the conductor, and told that in the "opinion of the committee the best places for hymn-singing are the churches and chapels." What exact connection the adjuration that followed as regards "paying debts" had to do with hymnsinging does not quite appear; and the speaker might have more happily sug-. gested other national airs than "Hob y derry dando" as substitutes for sacred tunes; but in this matter at least the Liverpool Eisteddfodwyr have done a signal and much-needed service. "The rebuke was well-deserved," to quote an able correspondent, "too long have the beautiful hymns of Wales been prostituted to secular purposes;" and it is to be hoped the bold front shown by Dr. Morris-the conductor in questionand the committee will be emulated by the conductors and committees.-D. E. E. This year's chief choral competition is not considered to have been of very high excellence, and although it is generally conceded that the best choir-at least the choir that gave the best performance upon the whole-won, it is satisfactory to know that a Welsh choir ran it closely, and that it excelled in one important piece. It is not necessary to particularise further, but it may be added that that statement is made here upon highest authority. Even at the worst, it would not be correct to say, as some papers have, that "All Wales" was defeated, for neither Glamorgan nor Monmouth was represented in the contest, not to mention other counties which can boast of competitive choirs possessing premier records. However, our own writers and chair orators have been proclaiming without ceasing that in time past a Welsh choir beat "all the world" at the Crystal Palace; and, as these things, like curses, come home to roost, we must put up with the consequences. over As regards the second choral contest Wales can draw but little consolation. Our choirs were completely matched. Blackpool is a new factor in the business, but we had an example of what Talke could do at Cardiff last year, and at other places previously. True, the part-song selected for the test piece at Liverpool is a difficult and catchy composition; but what is possible to English choirs should be as much so to our own-if they leave the one overtrodden path, familiarise themselves with up-to-date music. Dr. Varley Roberts, one of the adjudicators, waxed eloquent if not wrath more than once over the "abominable tremolo," the "great failing in Welsh singing," and "the curse of the Principality." That is somewhat strong, but is ever so much better than the indiscriminate praise so lavishly scattered about by some of our English friends who have come amongst us occasionally, whereby they have helped to undo the work which our best Welsh adjudicators have been laboring at during the years. As far as we know, this was Dr. Roberts's first appearance at the Eisteddfod, therefore a more or less limited knowledge of the exact condition of things is excusable. In bravely stating that he "did not care what the Press said, what Wales said, or what all the musical critics in the country said," the eminent Oxford musician seems to beg the question, for we who live in Wales have no knowledge that this tremolo or vibrato abomination is approved of by the press, the country, critics, or teachers. The evil habit is a comparatively new thing, imported here from or through England-London, as it happens-and it is one tha. our better and more able and straight-speaking class of native adjudicators have not failed in condemning.-D. E. E. she made rapid progress, and at an early age she was also a good musician and vocalist. As a young lady she was decidedly popular and greatly beloved. At the age of nineteen she was united in marriage to the Rev. William R. Griffith, who for years was the pastor of the Welsh M. E. Church on Washington Street, and afterwarus of Coke Memorial. Owing to the small number of Welsh M. E. churches in this country Mr. Griffith united with the Congregationalists. As a pastor's wife at all the churches he served, sne was very helpful. Her deep piety, ready utterance, winning ways and musical proficiency drew around her for instruction the young people and children. She For some months before leaving Utica she was employed as a nurse in one of our city hospitals, and then she made up her mind that if ever she lived where there was a medical college, she would enter it and go througa. found no such until she went to Denver. There she found two Allopathic colleges, and one Homeopathic. She chose the latter. During her first college year she was employed as an organist in one of the city churches. Here she found many warm friends who gave her much substantial encouragement. By her ladylike demeanor and rapid advancement in her numerous studies, she gained in an unusual degree the respect and confidence of the faculty. For months before she graduated she was permitted to practice, and even then her cash receipts were astonishingly large. She graduated with high honors, and won the first prize in Materia Medica. She has already gained a large number of firm friends among the wealthy class, and her invitations to dine out are frequent and cordial. The following are the closing remarks of an editorial article in "The Denver Evening Post:" "To the already list of honors has been added still another-the title 'doctor,' the degree M. D., and no physician in the annals of the town has opened up a practice with more radiant prospects than has Mrs. Griffith. The Doctor's office is in the Mack Block, and she has for some time been physician in prominent families in Denver. Her husband is William R. Griffith, a Congregational minister." To a friend in Utica Dr. Griffith writes: "I am laying up money to go abroad in one or two years, to take a post-graduate course, and to see my relatives in Wales at the same time." As an old friend, not only of her mother, but also of her mother's parents, having often when a young man enjoyed the hospitality of Thomas Williams and his ever kind wife, it is genuine pleasure to pen this brief sketch touching the success and brilliant prospects of their talented grand-daughter in the magnificent capital of Colorado. 0:0 John Sims Reeves, the English tenor singer, died October 25, at Worthing. He died while he was asleep. John Sims Reeves had a longer public career than any singer before the public during the last generation. Mario retired at the age of sixty-one, and Patti has not yet reached that age by five years or more. Reeves made his debut in opera at La Scala in Milan as Edgardo in "Lucia di Lammermoor" in 1845. He was then 23 years old, and had sung in concert at Newcastle seven years before. He was born at Shooter's Hill, Kent, on October 21, 1822. After he had sung in Italy and France, he appeared at the Drury Lane Theatre in London in the same role he had first sung in Italy. He was from that time a popular tenor in Italian opera in England, and later appeared at Her Majesty's in 1848 in "Linda da Chamounix," then sang at Covent Garden, and later made in 1849 his first appearance as an oratorio singer in "Judas Maccabeus." Since that time he sang in opera, oratorio and concert, and long after his voice had gone entirely, and he had become a |