Welsh Journals

March 25, 1892. THE WELSH WEEKLY. many of the second and third class minds have dwelt always in the mists and fogs. They had not the courage to face the spectres of the mind and to lay them. They had not the Humility to strive with God, and to wait for the dawn. They rashly conclude that the sun will never rise, and that man is destined always to grope in the dark, and with bitter pride they mock those that enjoy the blessing they despised, and slander them as wanting in backbone. It is asserted that the educated young men, whether ministers or laymen, that cast in their lot with religion, must do so, not from conviction of its truth, but because they are afraid of the storm of indignation which any supposed departure from orthodoxy in matters of faith is likely to raise. Rather then weather the tempest, it is maintained that they prefer to palter with the truth, and to seem to cherish what they inwardly reject. Any expressions they may use to signify their adher¬ ence to the faith once delivered to the saints are stigmatised as cant. No, a thousand times, no. It is not Want of backbone that makes intelligent and Well-educated men believe in a Personal God, who can be approached in prayer, and in a Christ the only begotten Son of the living God, who Was delivered for our transgressions and rose again for our justification. . It is not fear of a storm of Words that makes such men cling with tenacity to the belief that God has spoken through the Prophets of the Old Testament, and the Apostles of the New. Let our philosophers and new lights pause before they fling their sarcasms, and see first if they have the wit sufficient to enter the lists against those whom they attack, and secondly, let them consider that the Christian faith, which has Avithstood the test of so many centuries, is not to be lightly demolished by a brigade of clever youths. EDITORIAL NOTES. "We learn that the Council of Mans6eld College ha3 lecided to limit the number of tickets for the Summer School of Theology to 300, and almost exactly this number of applications have been received. We are glad to hear of the success of the scheme so far. At the same time we are sorry that the list is already closed, for the more the scheme is made known, the more it is appreciated by our ministerial brethren. But why should it be confined to Mansfield ? Why not have a Welsh Summer School of Theology ? Cymru Fydd men are too busy making history, to give much thought to the history of the movement. But it is now old enough to have a history, and im¬ portant enough to direct public attention to some of its originators and promoters. A correspondent, who, of all we know, seems»destined to become the historian of the National Awakening, tells us that one of the originators of the present phase of it is Mr. William Jones, of Llangefni, now resident at Oxford. No Welshman, perhaps, has so large a number of friends m the University, or is such a frequent speaker at Club and Society meetings. Last vacation Mr. Jones joined Mr. Lloyd George in his political tour. ■He is an ardent Nationalist, and an enthusiastic student of French and German. In the discussion as to what particular type of ecclesiastic is entitled to prefix the title "Rev. " to his name, the following anecdote may be of service :-—Two parsons of the same name once lived in the same town, the one a clergyman, the other a Dissenter. One morning the postman, unluckily, delivered at the Rectory a letter intended for the Dissenting minister. The Rector, who was no friend of Dissent, sent the letter by his servant to its proper owner accompanied by a curt intimation " that if Mr. So-and-So had not assumed a title (Rev.) to which he had no right, this mistake would not have occurred." Some time after¬ wards, more unfortunate still, a parcel of lithographed sermons was left at the Dissenter's house which should have gone to the Rectory. The parcel was at once despatched to the clergyman with this retort : " If you had not assumed an office for which you are not qualified this mistake would not have occurred.'' PRESBYTERIAN NOTES. Through the death of the Rev. David Jones, Mertbyr, a quaint and a well-known character has disappeared. He was not a man of great culture or ability, the educational advantages given to candidates for the ministry in the present day were not bestowed upon him ; indeed, he was advanced in years, and had served for some time as a deacon before he commenced to preach. But Mr. Jones, notwithstanding all defi¬ ciencies, was full of humour and natural wit, and had a keen sense of the ridiculous. He could relate a humorous anecdote with zest, even in his latter years, with all the solemnity of a future world hanging over him. This power, combined with great geniality and simplicity of character, made him a favourite wherever he went. No one was more expected and welcomed when his publication would come. Many amusing stories are related of him, and many tales of which he is the hero are current in the country. It is related that many years ago, during the period of his deacon- ship, he met Mr. Samuel Parry one Monday morning. Mr. Parry was also a deacon at Pontmorlais chapel, and a most strict disciplinarian, as well as an old bachelor. He had missed Mr. D.Jones from his usual place in chapel the previous day, and wanted to know the reason of his absence. Mr. Jones said that he had remained at home to entertain a stranger who had visited him unawares. The disciplinarian was touched on his sore point, and was moved to anger. " Did you remain at home the whole of the Sabbath in order to entertain a stranger," asked he, " neglecting the means of grace, and desecrating the day of God ? '' The other confessed that the accusation was true. " This must be brought before the church meeting," said the disciplinarian; " mind to be there next Thurs¬ day evening, when I lay the matter before the brother¬ hood." Thursday evening came ; Mr. Jones was there in his place, and so was Mr. Parry. The latter got-up, and said he had a grave charge to bring against David Jones, that he was sorry to accuse so faithful a brother, but that necessity was laid upon him, and he had no choice. David Jones had entertained some stranger on the Sabbath day, and had neglected the means of grace in order to do so. While he was thus descanting upon the heinous- ness of the crime, and the necessity of upholding discipline, another deacon tugged at his coat and whispered in his ear that the '' stranger " entertained by David Jones was a new-born babe of which his wife had been delivered that Sunday morn¬ ing. Samuel Parry, old bachelor as he was, sat down in confusion ; the members smiled with satisfaction upon one another, and no one enjoyed the amuse¬ ment caused more than Mr. David Jones. But although full of humour and fun, he was by no means a light and frivolous man. His character was pure and unblemished; none of his humour was per¬ mitted to gleam in the pulpit, and he impressed all that came in contact with him that he was a man of God. Sometimes he would preach with great power, and his hearers would be much affected. And espe¬ cially he was mighty in prayer. It is a pity that quaint and original characters, such as he was, are rapidly disappearing. The Rev. Thomas Rowlands, Aberdare, the news of whose death we find in to-day's (Monday) newspaper, was quite a different man. He also belonged to the old dispensation, which regarded all learning with suspicious eye, and thought college training rather a snare. But Mr. Rowlands lacked in humour; like the typical Scotchman, a surgical operation upon his head would be necessary before he could under¬ stand a joke ; and he was always in earnest. Neither was he considered as a preacher of the first rank. Still, he thoroughly comprehended the system of theology taught by the Puritan divines, and was exceedingly zealous for the truth as formulated by them. Moreover, he possessed good taste; nothing that he said would grate upon the most sensitive ear, and sometimes he would preach with great unction. We sorrow after these brethren who are taken away from us; but it is evident that the old order of things and the old order of preachers is passing away, and that a new order is arising. Whether the new will prove more glorious than the old is a question which the future alono can decide. We congratulate the Rev. T. Mortimer Green upon his election to the office of Registrar of the University College at Aberystwyth. No better selection could be made. He is a Cardiganshire man, being the son of the late Rev. Abel Green, Aberaeron ; he has been thoroughly trained, first at Trevecca, and then in the University College, London ; and is withal an affable and a genial man. We believe that he will prove a good organizer, and that he will be popular with both professors and students. CONGREGATIONAL NOTES. R&v. Wardlaw Thompson, Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society, and Rev. Stanley Rogers were the speakers at the last meeting held in Cardiff in connection with the Forward Movement. Mr. Rogers, in a most earnest speech, laid great emphasis on the necessity of interesting the children in the work, by teaching them at home in the family circle " to think, not only of their own things, but also of the things of others," and thus prevent them from being possessed with the selfish and self-seeking spirit of the world. Great things were naturally expected of Mr. Thompson, occupying as he does the highest official position in the Society. His speech in defence of the policy of the Forward Movement was so exhaustive, powerful, statesmanlike, and dignified as to exceed the highest expectations. The chief appeal is for men. The response, in some cases, comes from unexpected places. Twenty-eight years ago, Rev. R. J. Ward became pastor of the church at St. Helen's, near Liverpool, in succession to the late Dr. Macfadyen. His ministry there has been a marked success. Last week he was honoured by being elected to the chair of the Lancashire Union. For many years past he has been an enthusiastic supporter of foreign missions, from the pulpit, by his pen, and by his gifts of time and money. Now he has gone still further in his enthusiastic support of the good work, and has offered himself. The Society has accepted him, and he will leave England in the autumn for Madras, where he will work as a missionary amongst the English-speaking Hindoos, who are exceptionally numerous there. It is to be hoped that he is but the first fruits of many who will overcome all obstacles and follow the Divine leading. Is it not strange that many young men in our colleges, strong in health and well-equipped in other ways also for foreign work, should prefer occupying limited spheres of usefulness at home rather than become, to all in¬ tents and purposes, bishops over vast areas in foreign lands ? The late Rev. Robert Thomas (Ap Fychan) was accustomed to say to the Bala students, " Young men, do not be content with occupying rabbit-holes at home, but go to the wide fields of labour offered you in heathen countries." Much to the joy of all lovers of our nation, and this denomination in particular, Dr. John Thomas is im¬ proving in health. He has written a characteristic letter, interspersed with Scriptural quotations, to his many friends, in which he expresses his deep apprecia¬ tion of their kindness and sympathy. In all proba¬ bility, his voice will not be much heard during this year in the religious festivals of the denomination, but before many weeks are past, if his strength is restored to him, we can confidently expect to find him engaged in writing " in moderation." A correspondent in Y Tyst suggests that four addresses recently delivered to the students of the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, should be published