National Pageant.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 11997, 4 September 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

National Pageant.

CASTLE STORMED BY I'OOTBALLEKS.

The Welsh, pageant which opened in Cardiff on July to dmtiiiguishej from other pagcanw in that it is'anhoiuteiy national, so tornung the first occasion on whicn a whole nation has gone iurtu pageauteering on ,us o»u, and also in the fact tout if will not so much renew tne hiatory ot Wales as it will to iwteach sad expound this history in an absolutely, new light. Whether this will picas* the Welsh, most crotchety [and difficult of notions under tho &uii,'it is impossible to say, but Owen Khusroniji, the lanunu Welsh historian, has devoted a Idetime, to the history of his native land and months ot «.\ceedingly arduous work, Wider the splendid mastersli'o ot .Mr George Hawtrej, to the historical accuracy ot the pageant, lus taken up a strong hue in the inattei and, a tanatic tor the truth, he will stand revealed before his astound-"! countrymen as an absolute iconoclast a breaker down of old jdols ami s»ncient traditions. But he, the greatest patriot of them all, stands to the guns, because nc knows that his researches have led l.mi to the truth. That, together witn tlu» fact of its splendid nationality, is the mam reason why tho We.'sh pageant will possess an interest wnu h lias not yet attached itse'll to any ot.'n i pageant in the land. The whole difficulty in the history of Wales has hitherto lain in the stant recurrence of the same " ime in many successive generations, so iliut historians ha\e been too leady t» assume that one name refers to tne person onlj, whew as in reality it m:«p referred to three or four. Thercroe, Owen Whoscoiml wandered thiough the fciinnv 'and of Wales searchim.' the ancient documents hidden in many a gloonn c.istle and ancient famil. hall, and it was then that there came to him the revelation ot trddition.il inaccuracy, and then it was that trr true histoiy ot the Welsh was phu<«l in his hands. For these ancient genealogies haw been faithfully recorded, and in tne British Museum, in Aberystwyth. .11 Cardiff, in Mosiyn, and 111 alnuwt everv 1 house in Wales these documents ar.e actually to be seen and liispecto:. when Queen Elizabeth sent heralds f 'v that purpose- through and round Walus nearlv 4<V) years ago. The master ahd-tue historian ot t' e pageant, when they first met to d.seiiss tin- pageant, fell n-tnlking of tins very question of genealogies, and «aui the" - realise that each generation of-the early Welshmen.; was about the same length? That m to say, the men of, say, the ninth generation from Ounedda, were covteihporary. In other words, these men were alive at; the. same time. •• What." said the master, "you don't mean to say the generations kept level; kept step the whole way ; down through the-centuriesF" l ••That is what I mean," was-, thereply- \., . , . . And Owen Rhosoomyl. in devising, the different episodes of this wonderful forth-coining pageant, has borne

nil theso things in mind, so that tiu's Welsh pageant will- bo nothing eisc th.ui the history ot Wales, re-wntton, icvised, and bioiight up to date, whi''i is Vihcre its silpieme interest will tome in

In connection with the pageant uselt thei«* are manj t.icts ol mterc>i. in certain instances descendants ot the actual histoiic pei&onages will themselves impersonate the flcro who 1,500 jcars ago it may be, onginated their own family. The old Crimean hero, Lord Tredegar, will play a gallant' part in one episode, whilst Lad> liute will repiescnt Dame Wales. Hut the most interesting episode of the whole pageant, without doubt, will be the storming ot Cardift Castle b\ tlie t.imous A\e'sh tootballers. And this episode 1 w.is loitunatc enough to see m rehearsal myself It was a memorable spectable, although the pageauteers were in muftt. .Prominent amongst the many figures passing to and fro upon the 'pageant ground was the short, broad-set. powerful figure of George Haw trey, the Master, he of the gigantic head and e\en more gigantic voice, controlling a vast.multitude- with absolute equanimity and extraordinary ability.

,For have >ou ever reflected upon (he task of grouping and marshalling | an army of 5,000 people, most ol them i '. women, some of them s suffragettes 9 I For every individual movement and | gesture, and every foot ot ground whereon each man stands, and the exact moment of each entry and exit the-massing together of thousands of peasants, tho placing of a solitary ' prince, the psychological jnstant when such a one must 'make an entry or a i speech, the moment -of - finale, tho ,tossing up into the air of some great chorus of chorale—all these details are m the hand' arid brain of George Haw- j trey, a brave and imperturbable figure, who, though ho will be unseen during the actual pageant, is hero, there, and everywhere during these physically and mentally overpowering days of reheat-, | sal." Tho spene, itself , was quite impressive. There, against a stormy sky, was outlined in white and striking I lines of perspective the huge grand stand,' lookjng like the skeleton of I some vast mammoth of prehistoric days | in crimson of that i wild' sunsets One caught a glimpse I of the time-worn walls df Cardiff Cas- , tie, grev and massive in the,distance. Harct.bv flowed the river Taff, on the lonelv bank* of which were gathered, hidden beneath the ancient oaks and breeches, the' storming party of footballers At, the signal from George Hawtrev, on they came with a magnificent" rush. Owen Hhoscomyl, who, I may" add, has led many a forlorn hope in real battle in South Africa, rushing enthusiastically ahead'of them. A stirring battle ensued, mostly withirt tho walls of the- Castle in effigy, awl then out they 'all came to. discuss terms with the conquered. And here one was iablc compaie them with English lads, ind to note the curio"- n.ttionui «h , ** > r« nces. As, a rn.t- > rtinir Eiig'-siini'-n would, have been slv .«•<! i.ei .i» »n «uUnf re--1 stra.'»t '"i«>'» i '•»',. 'ii/Wiver. wer *•*<•'.! i 1 ■»• •'<■- »»e. >ind all ol*ir-i. >•«>'• <hi..is ri,«.hed by a ciev t win/ ir ist. M> >"'■» ' • ' "• . v declaimed their lwi- x. at \ -» >«r arid enthusi..s:i > * ■<»•• ..stonnding, and it -> «•»<•• l«rnied a picture fo> an ..rt »t w hen -> ihev gioupid t*>gether to ..sler t» iiv r\» Haw trey's closing words ot conns-I'. * *■ "Ol course," he <ned. -you. ar,o nervous just at -lirst .mtl self Conscious. /fhat doesn't matter. But >ow mn«t be serious. Tins i« tho, most seri- , ous thing you were ever, in m >our lives. Hemember the V»yes,of all Wnle4 will he upon you, and you must lvv->t« voiirselvea to plajing your parts -r.*w(fl»' #vote, y^rself .. iMUmuMnr-iil. Ci»p>final. • '■>.,' ciSsouc will l><| ■ t ,„.. <i crimson and* pueplo and . ..p »j the greensward when the l i, .ir-i. <»f Wales, dressed as fairies, • 7 i.pe<l together after a wonder.c iitiice., in such nmniier that they mil depict and represent the map ol W-ales * And then ;when, that is dcme r they, ami "II the performers; nwnhenng not U>-s than .>,tK« souk will kmwl down iiim'ii Ilieir Mother- Wales and sing the We!-h National Anthem, ' Land of our Fathers.," U\ which, on the nr.st«ay at all events, 80.000 Welsh school children will take part. -Vnd those who have shuddered time and again at' the hafcous howling which ;» Coclntey crowd calls; smgmg, or shivered beneath the- musical intonations ot hutfolk Dorset, or the Midlands, will then realLc. possibly for the first time in their, lives,'-how splendid a'thing it is when .i- nation that really kn°" s how to sing, tosses up that splendid. RKttenng anthem of Wales mto the listening summer air. ' That, I tike it, will he the coming *.,cnt and effect pf what will proli•iWv "he theVn\ost* interesting pageant tint h.is yet been held in Great Britain. * * ,» '