a short history of wales-第14部分

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ither　country　squires　who　had　lost　touch　with　the　people；　or　English　and　Scotch　capitalists　who；　with　rare　exceptions；　took　no　trouble　to　understand　the　people　they　governed；　or　to　learn　their　language。　　The　vestry　meeting　had　been　active　enough　during　the　early　part　of　the　eighteenth　century；　but　religious　difficulties　made　it　impossible　for　a　semi…ecclesiastical　institution　to　represent　a　parish。　　The　Tudor　policy　had　separated　the　people　from　the　greater　land…owners；　the　iron　masters　and　coal…owners　had　not　yet　become　part　of　the　people；　there　was　not　a　single　institution　except　the　Eisteddvod　where　all　classes　met。

In　no　part　of　the　country　was　local　government　so　warmly　welcomed；　and　no　part　of　the　country　was　more　ready　for　it。　　One　thing　the　peasants　had　been　allowed　to　dothey　could　build　schools　and　colleges；　churches　and　chapels。　　They　had　filled　the　country　with　thesetheir　architecture；　finance；　government；　are　those　of　the　peasant。　　The　religious　revivals　had　left　organisers　and　institutions。　　Four　or　five　religious　bodies　had　a　system　of　institutionsparish；　district；　county；　central。　　All　these　were　thoroughly　democratic　in　character。　　When　the　Local　Government　Acts　were　passed；　there　was　hardly　a　Welshman　of　full　age　and　average　ability　who　had　not　been　a　delegate　or　in　authority；　and　those　of　striking　ability；　if　they　could　afford　the　time；　continually　sat　in　some　little　council　or　other　and　watched　over　the　interests　of　some　institution。

It　was　from　among　these　trained　men　that　the　councillors　for　the　new　county；　district；　and　parish　senates　were　elected。　　The　work　of　the　councils；　especially　that　of　the　County　Council；　has　been　very　difficult；　and　when　the　time　comes　to　write　their　history；　the　historian　will　have　to　set　himself　to　explain　why　the　first　councils　were　served　by　men　who　had　extraordinary　tact　for　government　and　great　skill　in　financial　matters。　　In　the　lower　councils　the　village　Hampden's　eloquence　is　modified　by　the　chilling　responsibility　for　the　rates；　but　the　Parish　Councils　have　already；　in　many　places；　made　up　for　the　negligence　of　generations　of　sleepy　magistrates　and　officials。

With　a　great　difference；　it　is　true；　Wales　under　local　government　is　Wales　back　again　in　the　times　of　the　princes。　　The　parish　is　roughly　the　maenol；　the　district　is　the　commote　or　the　cantrev；　the　shire　is　the　little　kingdomlike　Ceredigion　or　Morgannwgwhich　fought　so　sturdily　against　any　attempt　to　subject　it。

The　local　councils　were　fortunate　in　the　time　of　their　appearance。　They　came　at　a　period　characterised　by　an　intense　desire　for　a　better　system　of　education；　and　at　a　time　of　rapidly　growing　prosperity。　　A　heavy　rate　was　possible；　and　the　people　were　willing　to　bear　it。　　The　County　Councils　were　able　to　build　over　seventy　intermediate　schools　within　a　few　years；　and　that　at　a　time　when　both　elementary　and　higher　education　made　heavy　demands　on　what　was　still　a　comparatively　poor　county。　　The　District　Councils　were　able　to　lower　the　amount　of　outdoor　relief　considerably；　and　without　causing　any　real　hardship；　for　they　had　knowledge　of　their　districts　as　well　as　the　philanthropy　that　comes　naturally　to　man　when　he　grants　other　people's　money。　　The　Parish　Councils　have　become　the　guardians　of　public　paths；　they　have　begun　to　provide　parish　libraries；　and　the　little　parish　senate　educates　its　constituency　and　brings　its　wisdom　to　bear　upon　a　number　of　practical　questions；　such　as　cottage　gardens　and　fairs。



CHAPTER　XXVTHE　WALES　OF　TO…DAY



The　most　striking　characteristic　of　the　Wales　of　to…day　is　its　unity…　…self…conscious　and　self…reliant。　　The　presence　of　this　unity　is　felt　by　all；　though　it　may　be　explained　in　different　ways。　　It　cannot　be　explained　by　race；　for　the　population　of　the　west　midlands　and　the　north　of　England；　possibly　of　the　whole　of　it；　have　been　made　up　of　the　same　elements。　　It　cannot　be　explained　by　languagenearly　one　half　of　the　Welsh　people　speak　no　Welsh。　　Some　attribute　it　to　the　inexorable　laws　of　geography　and　climate；　others　to　the　fatalism　of　history。　　Others　frivolously　put　it　down　to　modern　football。　　But　no　one　who　knows　Wales　is　ignorant　of　it。

The　modern　unity　of　the　Welsh　peopleseen　occasionally　in　a　function　of　the　University；　or　at　a　national　Eisteddvod；　or　in　a　conference　of　the　County　Councilshas　become　a　fact　in　spite　of　many　difficulties。

One　difficulty　has　been　the　absence　of　a　capital。　　The　office　of　the　University　and　the　National　Museum　are　at　Cardiff；　in　the　extreme　south；　the　National　Library　is　at　Aberystwyth；　on　the　western　sea。　The　thriving　industries；　the　densely　populated　districts；　and　the　frequent　and　active　railways；　are　in　the　extreme　south　or　in　the　extreme　north；　and　they　are　separated　by　five　or　six　shires　of　pastures　and　sheep…runs；　without　large　towns；　and　with　comparatively　few　railways。　　In　the　three　southern　countiesGlamorgan；　Monmouth；　and　Carmarthenthe　population　is　between　two　and　six　people　to　10　acres；　and　the　industrial　population　is　from　twelve　to　three　times　the　number　of　the　agricultural。　　In　the　central　countiesBrecon；　Radnor；　Cardigan；　Merioneth；　Montgomerythe　population　is　below　one　for　10　acres；　the　industrial　and　agricultural　population　are　about　equal；　except　in　Radnor；　where　the　agricultural　is　more　than　two　to　one。　　Though　Merioneth　has　more　sheep　even　than　Breconand　each　of　them　has　nearly　400；000its　industrial　population；　owing　to　the　slate　districts；　is　double　the　agricultural。　　The　population　begins　to　thicken　again　as　we　get　nearer　the　slate；　limestone；　and　coal　districts。　　In　Denbigh　it　is　two　to　the　10　acres；　in　Carnarvon　it　is　three；　and　in　Flint　it　rises　to　four　or　five。　　In　these　northern　counties　the　industrial　population　is　double　or　treble　the　agricultural。　　The　fertile　western　counties　of　Pembroke　and　Anglesey　come　between　the　industrial　and　grazing　counties　in　density　of　population。　｛4｝

Unity　has　arisen　in　spite　of　differences　caused　by　the　intensity　of　a　religious　revival；　an　intensity　that　periodically　renews　its　strength。　　The　Welsh　are　divided　into　sects；　and　the　bitterness　of　sectarian　differences　occasionally　invades　politics　and　education。　But　there　are　two　ever…present　antidotes。　　One　is　the　Welsh　sense　of　humour；　the　nearest　relative　or　the　best　friend　of　toleration。　　The　other　is　the　hymncreed　has　been　turned　into　song；　and　that　is　at　least　half　way　to　turning　it　into　life；　the　heresy　hunter　is　disarmed　by　the　poetry　of　the　hymn；　and　its　music　has　charms　to　soothe　the　sectarian　breast。　　The　co…operation　of　all　in　the　work　of　local　government　has　also　enlarged　sympathy。

Unity　has　arisen　in　spite　of　the　bilingual　difficulty。　　Rather　more　than　one　half　of　the　people　now　habitually　speak　English。　　For　three　centuries　an　Acta　dead　letter　from　the　beginningordered　all　Government　officials　to　speak　English；　for　many　generations；　until　recently；　Welsh　children　were　not　taught　Welsh　in　schools；　and　they　could　not　be　taught　English。　　The　bilingual　difficulty　is　now　at　an　end。　　The　two　languages　are　taught　in　the　schools；　and　as　living　languages。　　It　is　clear；　on　the　one　hand；　that　every　one　should　learn　English；　the　language　of　the　Empire　and　of　commerce。　　It　is　also　clear　that；　on　account　of　its　own　beauty　as　well　as　that　of　the　great　literature　it　enshrines；　Welsh　should　be　taught　in　every　school　throughout　Wales。

Next　to　its　unity；　a　characteristic　of　modern　Wales　is　its　democratic　feeling。　　It　is　a　country　with　a　thoughtful　and　intelligent　peasantry；　and　it　is　a　country　without　a　middle　class。　　There　is　a　very　small　upper　classthe　old　Welsh　land…owning　families　who　once；　before　they　turned　their　backs　on　Welsh　literature；　led　the　country。　They　have　never　been　hated　or　despised；　they　are　simply　ignored。　Their　tendency　now　is　to　come　into　touch　with　the　people；　and　they　are　always　welcomed。　　But　a　middle　class；　in　the　English　sense；　does　not　exist。　　The　wealthier　industrial　class　is　bound　by　the　closest　ties　of　sympathy　to　the　farmer　and　labourer。　　The　farmer's　holding　is　generally　smallfrom　50　to　250　acresand　he　always　treats　his　servants　and　labourers　as　equals。

The　three　great　levelling　causesreligion；　industry；　｛5｝　and　educationhave　been　at　work　in　Wales　in　recent　years。　　Education　helps　and　is　helped　by　equality。　　In　town　and　country　alike　all　Welsh　children　attend　the　same　schoolselementary　and　secondary；　and　they　proceed；　those　that　do　proceed；　to　the　same　University；　and　a　university　is　essentially　a　levelling　institution。　　The　dialects；　as　well　as　the　literary　language；　are　recognised；　and　no　dialect　has　a　stigma。　　In　this　respect　Wales　is　more　like　Scotland　than　England。

There　is　one　other　characteristic　of　modern　Walesa　certain　pride；　not　so　much　in　what　has　been　done；　but　in　what　is　going　to　be　done。　Wales　is　small；　though　not　much　smaller　than　Palestine；　or　Holland；　or　Switzerland；　and　every　part　of　it　knows　the　other。　　There　is　a　healthy　rivalry　between　its　towns　and　between　its　colleges；　each　town　can　show　that　it　has　done　something　for　Wales　in　the　pastby　means　of　its　industries；　or　school；　or　press。　　In　the　strong　feeling　of　unity　there　is　ambition　to　surpass；　and　each　part　lives　in　the　light　of　the　action　of　the　other　parts。

The　day　is　a　day　of　incessant　activityindustrial；　educational；　literary；　and　political。　　What　is　true　in　the　life　of　the　individual　is　true　in　the　life　of　a　nationa　day　of　hard　work　is　a　happy　day　and　a　day　of　hope。







AN　OUTLINE　OF　WELSH　POLITICAL　HISTORY



INFLUENCES　UNDER　WHICH　THE　HISTORY　OF　WALES　WAS　FORMED


1。　　The　nature　of　its　rocksIgneous；　Cambrian；　Silurian；　Old　Red　Sandstone；　Limestone；　Coalall　belonging　to　the　Primary　Period。　　Its　rocks

（a）　　explain　its　scenery；　（b）　　explain　its　wealth；　the　richest　part　of　Britain　in　minerals。

2。　　The　configuration　of　its　surface。

（a）　　It　is　isolated；　its　mountains　being　surrounded　by　the　sea；　or　rising　sharply　from　the　plains。　　It　is　part　of　the　range　of　mountains　which　runs　along　the　whole　of　the　west　coast　of　Britain；　but　the　range　is　broken　at　the　mouth　of　the　Severn　and　at　the　mouth　of　the　Dee。

（b）　　It　is　divided；　its　valleys　and　roads　radiating　in　all　directions。　　So　we　have　in　its　history

A。　　Wars　of　Independence。　B。　　Civil　War。


THE　PEOPLE　WHO　CAME　INTO