Welsh Journals

This keeping of special days for special purposes is excellent in every way it is one of the best instances of this new century's intention to revert, in many things, to the days of its great-grandfathers, and revolt against its fathers. So far from its resulting, as some have objected, in a state of mind that is divided into water-tight compartments, it acts as the little piece of leaven that in time leaveneth the whole lump. The man who objects to keeping Sunday holy because all days are holy, is in very fact less likely to keep all holy than the man who remembers the one. There is. however, another important point about St. David's day, and that is that it has been handed down to us by tradition, instead of being the creation of some excellent modern philanthropist. And a traditional day is good because it is democratic its authority is based on the commonalty's consent for many centuries, whereas our modern public holiday. however excellent it may be is aristocratic we owe it to the condescension of our betters in Parliament. The old holiday's centre of gravity is the Saint, the modern's, if we are to judge by the name it bears, is the Bank. For these and for many other reasons the keeping of Saint David's Day is of very real importance. It is the symbol of nationality, and a symbol, if we may be permitted the Irishism, is always something more than itself. True, it is just that something more that matters, but that is acquired by honouring the symbol. A Welsh We hear a definite step has now been Repertory taken by Lord Howard de Walden Theatre. and others to provide this country with a National Repertory Theatre. Many difficulties had to be overcome before this preliminary step could be taken. In the first place it was decided that a travelling company was abso- lutely necessary no town in Wales is large enough to support a permanent Repertory Theatre-and besides, it was naturally felt that to be of any real value as a missionary enterprise its influence should be spread over the whole country, and not merely concentrated on one small spot. But this intention at once produced the very real difficulty of theatre accommodation. The towns in Wales, with any- thing like an adequate provision in this respect, are exceedingly rare and the enterprise seemed to be defeated at the outset. But a way out of this diffi- culty has been found it is now agreed to provide the company with a travelling theatre-stage scenery and seating accommodation all complete-in which the plays may be performed in the various selected towns. A private company has been formed with Lord Howard de Walden as chairman of directors, and it is hoped to start producing plays some time in the spring. Anyone who knows anything at all of the success (not necessarily a financial one, by the way) of the Abbey Theatre Dublin, and Miss Homiman's theatre in Manchester knows the supremely valuable work that a repertory theatre can do, has in fact already done. Though of course there is no necessary connection between the repertory idea and really artistic work, in actual fact the connection has been, from the point of view of the ordinary theatre goer, only too obvious. Dublin and Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham, have not only taken their cue from London managers in the case of the first two towns they have again and again shown London the way they have discovered some of the finest of modern plays and, what is more, have shown London how they ought to be acted. But there is a closer connection still between the case of Wales and that of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, for the latter has been one of the finest forces for the expression of nationality that Ireland has ever produced. It is the outcome and again the melting- pot of the Celtic movement. It has shown that there is a nationalism which is of far greater im- portance than anything that politicians can make or unmake. It has never feared unpopularity it has preached (if Mr. Yeats does not object too strongly to that word) uncomfortable doctrines to the patriots;" it has told home truths; it has laughed with a wholesome laughter at much that shelters itself under the Nationalist wing it has preserved an artistic balance. If Wales can now discover a J. M. Synge, and this new company has the pluck to produce another Play-boy," and persist with it through the storms of unpopularity, as The Abbey Theatre has done, time and again, then it will be doing a service to the cause of Nationalism, whose value will be literally immeasurable. Drama One of the first and most difficult and problems with which the dramatist Dialect. who deals with the life of a particular district, or an isolated people, is confronted is that of the treatment of language. Mr. J. 0. Francis in his introductory note to"Change" has asked the question whether it is necessary for the dramatist to transcribe local forms of speech with absolute precision, or is it enough for him to suggest a local atmosphere without aiming at phonetic fidelity ? And though Mr. Francis has refrained from committing himself to any definite answer to the question, it is clear that he looks forward to a time