Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

VOLUME XVI WELSH OUTLOOK Where there is no vision the people perish NOTES OF THE MONTH FEBRUARY 1929 COMPARATIVELY speaking, Wales is a very small country. It follows that any losses we may suffer in the ranks of nation- al leadership are the more acutely felt. Here is a short and very incomplete list of national leaders who have fallen by the way in the past three years — The Right Rev. John Owen, Bishop of St. David's; Principal J. H. Davies; Sir Walter Nicholas Sir David W. Evans the Rev. Charles Davies Sir Ellis J. Griffith; Sir Isambard Owen the Rev. T. Shankland; Sir Francis Edwards Professor David Williams Dr. Thomas Charles Williams; Lord Kenyon Mr. Beriah Evans Lord Pontypridd; Lord Glanusk; Mr. D. J. Saer; the Rev. Principal J. M. Davies the Rev. Principal Walter J. Evans; the Rev. Warden Poole Hughes; the Right Rev. Daniel Davies, Bishop of Bangor; Mr. Gwyneddon Davies Mr. C. M. Williams Sir Thomas Mansel Franklen. It is an impressive list and might be supplemented by the names of other important figures who have "retired" during the same period, but who are fortunately still with us. It is no surprise to those who know Wales to find that the names quoted are so closely associ- ated with religion, education, and public adminis- tration. The task of replacing such men in their respective places in such a short space of time would impose a heavy tax upon a larger nation than ours but we have no hesitation in saying that Wales has stood the test well. Despite much heart-searching and ponderous head-shaking, we think that in finding successors to these stalwarts there has actually been no lowering of the qual- ity of leadership. That is not to say that no man is indispensable, which is at best only a half truth, but rather that it is extremely creditable to Wales NUMBER II THE that she should have been able to sustain these heavy losses without suffering irreparable injury. But, alas, what of the future? We must not overlook the fact that the generation of those who succeeded these great ones was not the genera- tion whose ranks were so sadly depleted during the Great War. Shall we, say in ten years' time, be equally well equipped for filling the vacancies that will then inevitably occur? At that time we shall be compelled to rely for reinforcements upon the generation which sufferd so heavily in 1914-18. This is a vital consideration for our educational bodies and for the youth of Wales. If the stand- ard of national leadership is to be maintained, and a portion of it is to be improved, our young people must here and now make a conscious and inten- sive effort to prepare themselves for their future responsibilities. In this way more than in any other can those who were spared the ravages of the Great War keep faith with those who then laid down their lives. THE entry of the Government into the spirit of the Lord Mayor's Coalfields Distress Fund with an offer of a £ for £ Government grant to meet all contributions made voluntarily, has given a great impetus to the movement. The Fund stands at about £ 570,000, and this, with the Government grant, will become £ 1,140,000. So far as South Wales is concerned it is under- stood that about ^80,000 has already been allo- cated to the Lord Mayor of Cardiff for expenditure mainly on boots for school children and to some extent on clothing and other items, such as mater- nity outfits. On an estimate that £1 pays for three pairs of boots, this allows for a distribution of over 200,000 pairs of boots. In many areas