BXoAf- a'+k. IX^l^Ti understrocl f ] ' ' 6€pe7'cent oi' tJiff adv JVe/sh izrtderstcod nr j I ' ' cent cf the adidi jh Draw-}! i\tjtiressh; tcr "Wales aiitl. : WALES AND HEK LANGUAGE COXSIDKREl) FltOM A IIISTOKICAL, EDLCATlOiXAL AND SOCIAL .STANDPOLNT WITU REMARKS ()X MODERX WELSH LITEEATURE LIXC;U1STR" MAV OF TllK I'UIMKY JOHN E. SOUTHALL. --:'^^> NEWrOKT. Mc.N. .1. E. South ALL, J4li Duck Street LONDON E. llicKs Jix., li Amen Lurnel. 1'aiernoster Kow. 0'' u PREFACE. A PREFACE is the place for npoloirios and cx])lanatioiis '^ plus anythino^ else, that may set off the Author's work, or give wings to his vanity. T shall not apologize to the Welsh nation, because T feel rather indignant that none of them has attempted a similar work, and I shall not apologize to the English public, as this was not primarily inteuded to meet their eye, if they read it. it must be at theii' own risk, whether they find it dull or un- intelligible, especially as I have in certain instances given quota- tions without translations, though it might be affectation to deny that a circulation in England would be gratifying. It is a nauseous practice which some writers in Wales fall into, of giving translations without the original, sometimes for the benefit of a minority only of their readers. Tt is easy to say, why cannot Welsh be served up in a translated form ? Personally, I do not believe that one language can be trans- lated into another, to say so is almost a contradiction in terms, and if Welsh prose is partially untranslatable, Welsh poetry is much more so. If English people want to become acquainted with the Celtic genius as manifested in Welsh literature, they nuist learn the language, not merely the scholastic dry bones of it, but they must in some way acquire the accent from living lips who know its power. It will then be demonstrated that AVelsh is not a succession of uncouth sounds, but can produce rare com- binations of forcible and melodious utterances. It was, as I have said, not principally for the English that this book was written, but to rouse the Welsh nation and prevent the premature and artificial extinction of their language, IV. PREFACE. by a system wliicli is condemned by a preponderatinj^ weight of evidence on abnost all hands, as will be seen by the follow- ing pages, and to point ont that (piite independently of the question of the desirability of preserving the language or not, by properly applying the means within their reach, the managers of elementary schools can secure the basis of a much more efficient literary education, than is yet the case in Wales, if they cause their instructions to be bilingual in every stage. Talk as we may about technical and scientific education, important as tliey are, a sound l)asis of /Iferari/ education, should after all. be one of the chief aims of elementary schools, and in many cases they will have time for little else. The Welsh language then should be looked upon as a means to extend this basis, i.e. a means by which at a mhiljiium of mental lahoiir to himself and the teacher, and of material expense to the community, the scholar has the opportunity of rising into a higher sphere of knowledge, througli the training (b'rect and indirect, thereby affiu'ded. When I say a nn'nimum of mental labour this presupposes a Welsh Cofk which enlight- ened educationalists, ought to strive for, as well as previous training on the part of the teacher, the deficiency of which is at present a hindrance to e(hication. If Welsh dies, should the reformation here ])roposed become general, well and good, let it die : but it is a fact to-day, tlierefore treat it as a fiict affecting not merely a few districts, but the greater part of a whole nation. It would have been a comparatively easy task to have pre- sented to my readers a hodge-podge of miscellaneous facts and fancies about " Wales and Her Language," pitched-forked together in an undigested mass, without much regard to rhyme or reason, but this was not aimed at, and how far I have steered clear of such a course, the reader nmst decide. Literary faults, there are, of which some are felt by the — PREFACK. author himself, but when it is considered that indifferent liealth occasioned frequent delays in the prosecution of the work, and that he has seldom felt physically able to attend to it for more than short periods of time at once, the severity of criticism may be mitigated. The principal scope of the book can be compressed under three heads I. A demonstration of the defects of the present educa- tional system, in its relation to the language, II. A historical record of the position of the Welsh language, in 1892. III. A commendation of the language to the attention of English people, especially those resident in Wales. I have to add that " Wales " in these pages refers to the thirteen counties. I do not believe that Henry VIII., when he di\ided the country into assize circuits, and tacked Mon- mouthshire on to an English one, had any idea of defining the limits of Wales, but that it happened to suit his convenience to make this arrangement. " If this is so, until the limits are fixed by law, " Welsh is simply a conventional term of the same character as the " Midland Counties," or the " East of England," which has rather by force of custom, than law, become limited to twelve counties. W^elsh people do not all admit the custom as a respectable one to follow. My thanks are due to Principal M. D. Jones, of Bala, who has kindly read through most of theproofs, although so much new matter has frequently been added before going to press, that he cannot be considered responsible for any errors that may occur ; also to Col. J. A. Bradney, of Tal-y-coed Court, who has given me valuable information on the geographical limits of Welsh, to Dr. Burlingham, of Hawarden, and Henry Tobit Evans, J. P., of Xeuadd Llanarth, as well as other friends for the service they have rendered, and to my subscribers — VI. for supporting a man (unknown to most of them) in a com- paratively untrodden track. It may be observed that in the case of certain names, the Author lias either dropped the usual prefix of St., or put it in quotation marks. Some of the persons to whom this prefix is applied were beyond question Saints, i.e. they lived in a heavenly atmosphere above the general spirit of the world. There are however, some serious objections to the use of the term as a formal distinctive —one is. that thereby the men who put such epithets into circulation as current coin are in effect telling tiie world. '" these men and women were holy Saints, they lived in quite an unreaciiable plane, oi- (»nc to which a very few need as))ire. therefore you may be satisfied to remain as you are—uidu)ly sinners." Another objection is that the authority, which guarantees the fact of so-and-so being a Saint, is the excathedra voice of the man who, on a given occasion, professed to hold tlie power of the Keys. What guarantee have we that these men have at any period lived so near the infallible Spirit as to be able to inwardly discern beneath the sui'face (without any promptings from Cardinals, .Jesuits and the like), who deserved the epithet of Saint, and who not. Take Patrick, of Ireland, for instance an honest, simple-minded, earnest, God-fearing man ; but has one Irishman been inclined to a saintly life through putting him outside the level of every-day life, and calling him Saint Patrick ? It will also be noticed, that 1 have abstained from calling any places built of stone and mortar Churches. I believe that a religion which attaches any sanctity to places, is nearly nineteen hundred years out of date, at least, when an oppor- tunity is afforded to know better. JOllX K. SorTHALL. 6 mo., 1892. — CONTENTS. Preface . ... ... ... ... ... ... m. (TIAITEK J. PHll.Ol.lKlU .\.L .StllA[*(>. British Laiigiiago.- Ill the 18th Ceuturj'—Changes in Wales— Interest of some English names to a Celtic Student—Bilingualism among the Saxons — Foreign names of Celtic origin —Influence of Welsh on the English Language ... ... ... ... ... ] CIl.Vl'TKK 11. IIISI'ORICAJ-. Offa"s Dyke—Northmen's iTitluence —Leominster and its Welsh name- King Harold in .Mimmouthshire — The Flemings — Welsh Family names— English despised and ignored in England itself —Baronial Families Welsh speaking—Owaiu (ilyndwr—The Act of L^nion —Sub- sequent decay of Welsh Culture au<l Keusons therefor. lO CMAI'TKU 111. KIUL'ATIOX FIFTV YEARS AUU. Government Commission of 1846—Bisho]) Thirhvall —"Sunday" Schools and Statistics of Language taught —Condition of Day Schools in Eng- lish and in Welsh-AVales—Inefficiency of Teachers—Welsh Language generally excluded— Parents—Trustees and Managers—Monmouth- shire—Delinquency of Employers of Labour— Lewis Edwards, of Bala leuan Gwynedd -Sir T. Phillips— Defective Morals. ... ... 48 CHAPTFli iV. TUE BILI.NUL'AI, MOVEMENT. Intermediate Kducation— Llandovery Grammar School and the Provisions of its founder for teaching Welsh —The Intermediate Education Com- mission of 1880— Establishment of University Colleges—The London ( 'ymmrodorion and their Systematic l">nquiry from Welsh Elementary Teachers—Replies pro and com—The Aberdare Fisteddfod of 1885, and the formation of a Society for Utilizing the Welsh Language in Education —Opposition to the Proposal—D.