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TOysm sgpapr npepip No. 84. Vol. VII. DECEMBER, 1899. Price One Penny. THE FABRIC OF THE CHURCH AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. {CONTINUED ) The Churchyard and Grave St'-nes, " I like that ancient Saxon phiase, which calls the burial ground, " God's Acre." It is just it consecrates each grave within its walls, and breathes a beuison on the sleep¬ ing dome. Longfellow. If there is one spot in the whole parish that should be dear to every Christian that spot ;s the churchyard, where our dear ones are sleeping till the Trumpet sounds. And whatever spot is neglected and suffered to get into decay, God's Acre should certainly have one special care and attention. The freehold of the Churchyard is vested in the Vicar of the parish and he should see it is properly cared for. He is the custodian of it, on behalf of the parishioners who have the right of interment there. No portion of a Churchyard should be appropriated and fenced off with iron railings They are out of place, where all distinctions should be done away, and the graves look better without them. The gravestones should be plain, and bear testimony that the spot is a Christians bmial place. The form they should take and the epitaphs should be submitted to the Vicar for his approval. The epitaphs should be truthful and free from flattery and convey some Christian lesson to the living; they can do the dead no good. I like the the good old custom of placing flowers and wreaths on graves at Kasterand other times, and hope it may long continue. Every thing connected with the Churchyard should tend to strengthen our faith in the resurrection of the dead. Therefore I like flowers in the Churchj-ard, they teach us lessons of hope, a hope that looks forward. The heathen looked back on the past, Christians should look forward to the future—and for this same reason I dislike the broken column placed above some graves, and the urn placed on others. The broken column looks backward on the earthly life that has been broken off and the urn it a relic of heathenism The heathen having no knowledge of the resurrection either embalmed their dead and kept the remains as long as they could, or else consumed them in tlie furnace and preserved the ashes in an urn. Christians commit their dead to the earth " in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life." LLANIDLOES. A very important meeting will be held in Church on Monday the I lth inst at 11 a m., to eonsider the report of the Committee appointed to deal with the decoratiou of the East End. The plans sent down by Mr. Street will be on view in the tower on Sunday, as also the drawing of a chancel screen which was included in the original Restoration Scheme, and which if still approved of we may be able some day to erect. A Rummage Sale will be held as usual on the Mon¬ day before Xrnas on December 18th, at the National Schools at 8 p.m., admission 2d. All those who have so kindly given their assistance in the past are earnestly requested to help again as sellers etc., and contributions of old clothes, boots, books, hats, frying pans, furniture, or in fact anything are begged for. We fear that the proceeds must onee more be poured into the yawning mouth of the National School Build¬ ing Fund which must be closed by the end of this year. Owing to disappointments in the payment of certain subscriptions we are about £'25 short. If we can make this up otherwise we will devote the Rummage Sale money to an equally pi'essing object— namely the provision of new surplices (and cassocks if possible) for the choir. Put your shoulders to the wheel and PUSH. As last year no one will be specially asked. On Xmas Day the services will be as on a Sunday, and there will be celebration of the Holy Communion at 8, 9, 10 (in Welsh) and at mid-day. We expect to see a much larger number of communicants than usual this }*ear. As a rule the market and the festivities of Xmas Eve keep many away, but as Xmas this year falls on a Monday it will be preceded by a quiet day of rest, and no one need be kept up late by the worries of business. Daily Service which had been dropped for some time has now been restarted, and we are glad to see attracts some seven or eight each evening. There ought to be more, a very interesting and instructive, though, short reading, is added and will be continued through the New Year. There are few who would.