ST. DAVID'S DAY CELEBRATED

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1065, 2 March 1911, Page 8

ST. DAVID'S DAY CELEBRATED

THE WELSH SOCIETY. t St, David's Day was celebrated last evening by the Welsh Society, presided over by Mr. Rees AYatkins. Tho attendance numbered about 70 and the all-round success of the annual reunion was largely due to the energy of the secretary, Mr. A. F. Harding. The feature of the evening was an excellent address by Mrs. Williams, who took as her subject: "Celtic Revival." Some 4 Oor 50 years ago, said llrs. Williams, when a strong appeal had been made for the establishment of a Celtic chair at Oxford University the appeal was met by a storm of abuse,and was denounced as an unwholesome sentimentalisrn. The Celts, particularly the "Welsh Celts, were advised to abandon their barbaric tongue, and hasten in the name of common decency to adopt the tongue of their Saxon neighbours who were held up as an ideal to follow. Jlany changes, however, ■ had come about since that day. Tho Welsh Celt liad not abandoned liis language. In fact, it was at the present moment the most vigorous of the Celtic family and was being taught: and spoken by more people than it was 40 years ago. It was taught in all the universities of Wales and at Oxford and was taught as an elementary subject in the schools of the principality. The attitude of the cultured Englishman had changed from antagonism to at least enlightened interest for it was being more generally recognised that the ration had an individuality and that there n'as such a tiling as the honour of people to lie respected between nation and nation just as much as between man and mail. The Welsh manuscript societies and other literary bodies had, during the past 20 years, c'ollooted many manuscripts and, Mrs. Williams urged, a veritable treasure-house lay open to the skilful interpreter of the old sougs and folk tales of the C.vniri. It was her firm belief that the Celtic revival would reach its climax in tho revelation' nf the mysteries stored for so many centuries in the mystic literature of Wales During the evening songs wero given by Miss Watkins, Mrs. Lewis, and Messrs. Rees Watkins, Tunley, R. Williams, and J. M. Roberts. Miss M'Guimiess contributed a piano solo. A number of toasts wero also honoured including "Tho King," "Wales," "Brother Exiles," and "The Chairman."-