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^e ;Gewpoi[f £rcs6Yierian. MONTHLY NOTES. (July, 1895). HESE notes are written on the breezy shores of Bracelet Bay, within sight of the Mumbles Head, within sound of the Mixon Bell. In front there rise and fall the swells of the Bristol Channel. Behind are heather slopes and grey old crags. To the right is the promontory that boasts the name of Tut. To the left stretch the Inner and Outer Heads, with the famous lighthouse on the latter. A delicious breeze is blowing from the South, bringing with it loads of health and strength. There is sunshine on sea and sand, crag and slope. What a beautiful spot it is ! It is invigorating indeed to body, mind, and spirit. If any of our readers are now discussing the question of holidays and are wishful to know of a good place to spend them, we should advise them to try the Bays of Gower. Bracelet, Langland, Caswell, and Oxwich Bays are all most delightful. The beach is good, and the cliffs are simply glorious. Pleasant walks abound, either along the shore at low water, or from cliff to cliff when the tide is in, or inland by paths and lanes without number. Headlands seawards and hillocks inland vary the scenery most pleasingly, and cosiest valleys lie between. Castles and churches, caves and coves, ancient mansions, barrows and tumuli, mounds and stones—all these, with their curious legends of war, religion, and lore, make the whole peninsula a district of intense interest. To those who seek the excitement of modern holiday resorts, Gower will be very tame ; but to those who desire rest and renewal of strength, far from the madding crowds of men, Gower will have no superior. Quiet, healthy, and beautiful, it is an ideal place of rest. * * Wherever our readers will go, we wish them a thoroughly restful holiday. The cares of life are now so wearing that we all find need of an annual rest. Let us seek the peace and blessing of God upon it, so that our youth may be renewed, and our minds and bodies be made ready for the winter's strain. Whether in the bonds of business, which are now so severely trying, or in the activities of our church, which are becoming more and more exacting, the stress and strain of a year's work are such that we need to store up as much force as we can. May our holiday be a time of true rest, and may we all return home with that gladness of heart which only God can give. The Teachers' Outing on the 20th of June was a holiday after the worker's own heart. In the charm¬ ing neighbourhood of Rhiwderin, in the loving fellow¬ ship of one's fellow-workers for Christ, it was in the honest meaning of the name a Treat. Not every Outing is a Treat. Many a little hitch can occur even in a Teachers' Outing, and sometimes the result is a Devil's Inning Our Outing, however, was most truly enjoyable from first to last, and will doubtless give another lift upward to our Sunday School. It would have added to our enjoyment perhaps if a larger num¬ ber of our young men had joined us. |In Sunday School work there should be a strong esprit de corps binding all the workers together. As freemasons are loyal to one another, be the demands what they may, so Sunday School workers should be ever true, con¬ sidering their mutual claims to deserve first thought and attention. The Scholars' Outing on Whit- Monday and the Teachers' Outing to Rhiwderin deserved and should have received the help and the presence of every Teacher and Adult Scholar. But was it so ? Let the absent ones answer. Not in Sunday School work only, but also in Church work generally, there should be a strong esprit de corps, an unbreakable bond of love and loyalty, keeping all the members together in the closest Christian fellow¬ ship. As Paul has said, we should " endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." This means more than merely not quarrelling. It means that we are to cultivate sociability. " Thou shalt not quarrel" —that is one half of our duty. " Thou shalt be sociable '' —that is the other half. We are able to observe the former half without a flaw. At any rate we keep the peace. But what of the other half ? Do we also cul¬ tivate peace ? Our church in Havelock Street is made up of many sections. There are differences among us. Race, language, age, position, and other little barriers divide us greatly, and the divisions are our weakness. For the common ends of our church we should forget nationality. Let Englishmen, Scotchmen, and Welsh¬ men sink their racial and lingual predilections, and serve together the universal Christ. Let us likewise forget our social position. What a miserable thing is the distinction of social status within a Christian church. Let us drive such hideous devilry from our midst. One in Christ—one for Christ—this is our watchword. Let us be true to Him, and true to one another. The Conference on the 19th of June, in one respect, was very like Heaven : there were some present whom we had not expected, and there were many absent upon whom we had counted. The subject was of sufficient importance to draw the great majority of our members ; but not even a fourth came. We do not desire to con¬ ceal our disappointment. Some of those who were absent had kindly advised us of their inability to come ; but of the rest we can only infer that they do not mind whether our Church goes backward or forward. They care not three straws for forward Christian work. What a sad feature of Church life 1 Well do we re-