Welsh Journals

June 17, 1892. THE WELSH WEEKLY. MANSFIELD NOTES. The last two Hibbert Lectures were delivered on Tues¬ day and Wednesday, June 7 and 8. The lecturer apolo¬ gised for being obliged to omit, for want of time, much that was contained in his manuscript on the subject of the development of Judaism. The aim of the lecturer was to vindicate the character of Post-Exilic Judaism against its distractors, who often aimed at elevating Christianity at the expense of the Jewish law. The law to the pious Jew was not the bond of the spirit but its joy. This was a case in which the logic of deduction was at variance with the logic of facts. What could appear more convincing than that the stress laid upon the law Bhould dry up all the spriDgs of religion. Yet what was the actuality. The law, as we learn from the Psalms, was the delight of the Jew. By means of it heaven was brought to earth for the Jew. The God who was at a distance was brought near through its medium. What again seemed more convinc¬ ing than the argument that the law was produce pride in the Jew. Yet here again facts proved otherwise. The Jew humbled himself before the law, and what pride he might feel was that of belonging to the nation which God had selected from the nations of the earth to reveal to them His Torah or law. It was said by some that the Jew only regarded the Torah for selfish reasons. The reality was not so. The pious Jew, who loved every ordinance of God who had given the law, naturally attached great importance to the ceremonial law. In performing what seemed the apparently arbitrary commands of God, the Jew seemed to feel that he showed his devotion to God more than by performing the commands even of the moral law. Protestant theologians had allowed themselves to be biassed excessively by St. Paul's estimate of the law. The convert from any religion is never the best, and most unbiassed judges of the religion which they have left. We should never expect a correct estimate of Protestantism from one who has been perverted to Roman Catholicism. In the same manner we should not judge the Jewish law and Judaism generally from the standpoint of the Chris¬ tians who left it. There are in the Jewish Eabbis many statements which are thoroughly in harmony with Chris¬ tianity. Jews on .their side should regard with greater favour the great step which was taken in the development of their own religion by One who was Himself a Jew, Jesus of Nazareth. Yet the law had been the means of producing in the Jewish people a heroism which was Worthy of the martyrs of any nation or religion. In the dreary times of the Middle Ages, certainly dreary times for the Jew, they displayed most extraordinary heroism. The lecturer quoted passages from the present ritual of the Synagogue to show that the true ring of genuine piety could be found in the religion of Judaism. The lecturer concluded with the expression of a hope that his lectures had made clearer the character of that religion which was held by the descendants of the ancient race of Israel. Professor Ramsay's last lecture dealt with the miracle at Collossse. It could scarcely be said that there was general interest in the last lecture, but for students of church history it was exceedingly interesting. It was especially interesting as showing the method which should be followed in separating the genuine elements from the legendary in old patristic narratives. Several Mansfield men have been in for the final examination, and great hopes are entertained of their success There was a touching scene in the Oxford station at the departure on Saturday, June 11th, of Mr. Ferguson for South Africa. Mr. Ferguson had won the esteem and friendship of many in Oxford by his signal earnestness aQd devotion, combined with a remarkably keen and Penetrating intellect. At the dinner given at" Mansfield by Dr. Fairbairn on Tuesday, June 7, among the guests invited to meet Prof. W. M. Ramsay was our fellow-countryman Prof. Rhys. On Tuesday, June 14, will be held the annual meeting °f Mansfield College. Dr. Mackennal, of Bowdon, a familiar figure at Mansfield, will give the address. On Sunday, June 12, Principal T. F. Roberts, M.A., of Aberystwyth, preached at Mansfied on the text, " When two °r three are gathered together in My name, then am I in the midst of them." The. deep spirituality of the dis¬ course, and its clear religious insight, left a strong lrnpression on many of those present. Next Sunday Principal Scott, of Lancashire College, ^ill preach at Mansfield. Some broken urns have been found recently in the Rectory garden atGelligaer; they are supposed to belong to the Roman period. During the last thirty years there have been many discoveries made in this neighbourhood, Which are of great interest to antia iirians. THE LADIES' COLUMN. Anxious to Learn.—(1) The Lord Mayor is elected by the municipal officials of the City of London. His salary is £10,000 per annum, and he is the chief magistrate. The Crown, the Ministry, the judges, &c, unite in honouring the Lord Mayor; surely no one ought to scoff and say there is a great deal too much fuss made because one of our distinguished country¬ men has attained this honour. (2) Buy Carlyle's " Choice of Books," price Is. 6d., published by Chatto and Windus. (3) Certainly, we expect all our corre¬ spondents to send us their proper name and address in confidence, but not for publication. Moiea.—(1) A good linoleum would be far more serviceable for your dining room floor, especially as you have so many young children. It would look fresh and clean for a long time, after even a pretty good carpet had been half worn out. (2) A good shade of salmon pink would be very pretty for a pale girl, as it would give her face a little colour. (3) Call on new-comers by all means if you wish to. (4) You can purchase very handsome tapestry quilts at Messrs Howell's, Cardiff, for quite reasonable prices. Gift.—You can buy nice editions of Jules Verne's books for about Is. 6d. each, if you order them at any booksellers; and they are always very acceptable presents for boys. Also Dr. Gordon Stables's delight¬ ful stories are very much appreciated by boy readers. Green Goose.—(1) Geese are called green till they are about four months old. A green goose should not be stuffed, but after it has been trussed, put into the body a seasoning of pepper and salt and two or three ounces of butter to moisten it inside. Boast before a clear fire for about three-quarters of an hour, froth and brown it nicely, and serve with a brown gravy and gooseberry sauce. Garnish the dish with water- cressee. (2) You will find the following an excellent recipe for a gooseberry tart. Trim the gooseberries and put them into a deep pie-dish, pile the fruit high in the centre, and put in a quarter of a pound of moist sugar to every pint of gooseberries ; add about half a small tea- cupfull of water ; line the edge of the dish with short crust, put on the cover, and ornament the edges of the tart; bake in a good oven for about three-quarters of an hour, and before being sent to table, strew over it some fine sifted sugar. A jug of cream, or a dish of boiled or baked custard, should always accompany this tart. A Welsh Maiden.—You have omitted sending your proper name and address. Will you let us have them, or communicate yourself with Miss Pugh, 248, New¬ port Boad, Cardiff, who will be very grateful for, anything that you will send her towards the bazaar, that is to be held in July ? We are much obliged for your compliments to the Welsh Weekly, and especially for your assurance that it is very popular with all the Welsh ministers you know. The life of Christ, by the Ven. Archdeacon Farrar, is published in a popular edition at 6s. by Cassell and Co. With the discount off it will cost you 4s. 6d. Owain Wynne.—In our next we will insert your reply to " Gayney." Your letter is a long one. Musical.—(1) Boosey and Co. publish " The Songs of Ireland " for 4s., but order it from your local book¬ seller ; it will be cheaper, for then you would get 3d. in the shilling off. You can also get Mendelssohn's " Songs without Words," published by Boosey at Is. for 9d. Blue-eyed Bessie.—Butcher's blue linen will make a very pretty summer dress. It washes beautifully. L ong blouses will be worn, also one or two narrow flounces round the hem of the skirt. Line your cape with surah silk, and have your hat of mixed straw, trimmed to match the lining of your cape. Send your ermine to a cleaner ; it is a pity for you to spoil it, which most likely you will if you attempt to clean it yourself. A Servant Girl.—(1) You will get much better wages in London or any other large town than you will in the country. In a town a "general's" wages run from £10 to £18 a year; a housemaid's from £14 to £20; and a parlourmaids's from £16 to £24. Good cooks, of course, can command almost any wages. (2) If you think of going to any town, we would advise you to communicate as soon as you are there with the minister of the church or chapel you mean to attend ; it is so easy for young girls to make mistakes on the outset of their career in large towns. Job.—We are so sorry for you, and would gladly advise you if we could be of some use. It is dreadful for a man to find his wife giving way to such a habit. Can you not, by plenty of cheerful society, wean her from the wine cup now, before it makes a complete slave of her ? You must certainly insist to her that the friend to whose influence you attribute this mis¬ fortune must be given up. By God's help she may conquer herself; without it, all else is powerless to battle with the evil of drunkenness. A. Z.—sends the following answer to " Worried."-— " If I understand • Worried's' question rightly, she asks in plain words, ' shall she marry the young man if he is not a Christian ? ' No, provided she is one. I say a thousand times no ! Come out and out on the Lord's side, and have nothing to do with those who are not His professed believers. Marriage is a very sacred relationship, and a very serious one. It involves, as a rule, lifetime cohabitation with another, and how can your life be happy and your Christian purposes be fulfilled if you are clogged by the worldly conduct of that other ? Besides we have the special Scriptural injunctions contained in 1 Corinthians vii, 39, and 2 Corinthians vi., 14. I would warn * Worried' that if she marries an ungodly young man she will find many troubles, and her own Christian life will be very likely to deteriorate. All communications to the " Ladies' Column " to be addressed to GWYNETH, Office of the Welsh Weekly, 19, Moira Terrace, Cardiff. REYIEWS. Cyfrol Jubili, a volume of sermons by the Bev. Dr. T. Davies, of Llanelly.—This volume has been pub¬ lished as a memorial of the jubilee meetings of Siloah Church, Llanelly, of which Dr. Davies is pastor, held in May, 1891. It is always pleasant to hear Dr. Davies preaching with his accustomed unction and force, and we are glad to find that it is equally pleasant to read his sermons. Many of the subjects are fresh, and the treatment of all, whether new of old, is always original. The first sermon opens with a quotation from John Foster, and all the discourses are studded with references to literature and science, which clearly show how varied and extensive is the reading of the author. His wide reading has not pre¬ vented the writer from making himself well versed in the very words of Holy Writ. We can truly say that sermons more fresh and readable than these have not been published in Wales for many a long day. Fifteen Sermons, by the Bev. W. Gilbert Evans, ot Bridgend.—Several of these sermons contain most striking divisions. Even those subjects which we have often seen treated are divided and analysed in a most ingenious fashion. In his divisions the author is quite original, ^ LITERARY NOTES. Barry is in danger of being deluged with classical scholarship. The South Wales Star has from the start been distinguished for the good literary style and classical allusiveness of its articles. But something in the last number has taken our breath away. Speaking of Mr. Littlejohn, the Unionist opponent of Mabon, the Editor says," He is enjoying what the Boman poet so highly valued, ' otium cum dignitate.' " "I have waded through as many of the Boman poets as most people do," writes a correspondent, " but I have never yet come across otium cum dignitate in any one of them. Of course, " peace with honour " occurs in Cicero, but I am curious to know which of the Boman poets speaks of it, and in what kind of metre could he possibly have written." —-——♦--------- He's true to God who's true to man ; wherever wrong is done, To the humblest and the weakest, 'neath the all beholding sun, That wrong is also done to us ; and they are slaves most base, Whose love of right is for themselves, and not for all their race. God works for all. Ye cannot hem the hope of being free With parallels of latitude, with mountain range or sea. Put golden padlocks on Truth's lips, be callous as ye will, From soul to soul, o'er all the world, leaps one electric thrill. 'Tis ours to save our brethren, with peace and love to win Their darkened heart from error, ere they harden it to sin; But if before his duty man with listless spirit stands, Ere long the Great Avenger takes the work from out his hands. J. Russell Lowell.