CAMBRIAN NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18451, 30 April 1928, Page 13

CAMBRIAN NOTES.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. Very naturally the daughter churches, all over the world, are concerned about what is taking place in the beloved Mother Church at Home. Anglican Church people in every climate and environment are anxiously awaiting the denouement of the present crisis. The Anglican community is dispersed all over the world. There are bishops, like Bishop Molvneux, “ whose business is in great waters,” others who, day by day, are in the saddle or on foot in the tropical valleys and frigid tablelands of Africa and India; bishops amid the heathen civilisations of ancient worlds in Asia, and in the pioneer settlements in the making; bishops of our race and of other races, so what affects the church at Home is bound to tell upon the church abroad. The very* life of the church which has right down the centuries been so abun- . dantlv blessed is at stake.

The "\ enerable Archbishop of Canterbury, now 80 years old, who accepted the defeat of twenty-five years’ thought and work so nobly, is now putting on his armour again and coming back to the arena with new weapons of persuasion. lie is a great and famous man --great because he is good—looked up to as no other Primate has been looked up to in the long history of the Church of England. He will live in history side by side with those great archbishops of centuries ago, Anselm, Lanfranc, Cranmer and Laud. He has guided the church wisely, and for twenty-five years has carried a burden of responsibility which is heavier than that borne by any other ecclesiastical personage in the whole world. Himself attached to no party in the church, though probably three great schools of thought have existed ever since the Reformation, he stands for the width and breadth of the Holy Catholic Church. WELSH NIGHTINGALES. There is a tradition in Wales that nightingales have never been heard there since St David made impolite remarks because their song disturbed his meditations, and as if in compensation, it would appear that the songstresses Wales have been specially endowed with peculiarly sweet and beautiful voices. There are some of us who remember Madame Edith Wynne; then there was Miss Mary Davies, a beautiful and gracious singer, and now there is Miss Amy Evans, who is paying a second visit to New Zealand after seven years’ interval, and who has been charming Christchurch audiences this week. Her singing is a thing of imperishable beautjq a veritable delight, and the memory of it will be a pleasure to recall, especially to the Welsh community, for many a long day. In GernJan > Italian, French, English and V elsh songs she was equally at home, and gave nausicianiy renderings of many song forms—oratorio, grand opera—calling for dramatic power, lullabies of soothing, cooing sweetness, and many well-known ballads, such as Coming Thro’ the Rye,” sung with much piquant humour. The tones and cadences of Miss Amy Evans's voice are exquisite and elusive, and combined with her grace and queenly bearing, and the artistic and distinctive sty! or dress she adopts, recalls Wordsworth s lines; “A perfect woman, nobly planned.”

At the opening concert on Tuesdav, nearly 100 Welsh people were present and gave their gifted countrywoman a great reception. The president, Mr C. E. Jones, presented Miss Amy Evans with a high-handled basket of grapes, with their autumn-tinted leaves, grown by one of the vice-presidents of the society, Mr Long, at St Martin’s, and said: “On behalf of the Cambrian Society of Canterbury, I have much pleasure in asking you to accept this basket of grapes, grown in the Garden City of the Dominion, as a slight token of our regard for you as an eminent daughter of Wales, who so worthily renders the songs of our beloved Principality, the home of song and beauty.” As a special compliment to the Welsh, at each concert Miss Amy Evans has sung a Welsh song. On Thursday her rendering of the old lullaby, “Suo Gan,” was perfect, and no less so was her singing of “Bugeilio’r Gweneth Gwyn on Saturday'. No doubt many will be present at to-night’s concert. Madame Gower Burns, whose voice is of the same timbre as Miss Amy Evans s, and has that same clear ringing quality, so peculiarly- the gift of \\ elsh singers, was a guest at a morning tea party given in honour of Miss Amy Evans on Friday. On Tuesday morning Miss Amy Evans was the guest of honour at the Christchurch Women’s Club. Two or three of the members are also members of the Cambrian Society, and one. Mrs Hudson, spoke in Welsh with her, to her evident delight. Mr and Mrs F. W. Jones are at present staying at New Brighton, till they leave for California on May 16. The next social is on May 12,’ and on that date the members’ will bid farewell to Mr and Mrs F. W. Jones. Mr Jones was president for two years and all remember how Mrs Jones endeared herself to all by her kindly interest in the affairs of the society and the happy* manner in which on all occasions she carried out her duties. Preliminary arrangements were made by the sub-committee set up for the purpose last week for the decoration of the lorry in the procession, representing Wales, on the occasion of the cit)'’s Diamond Jubilee.

The next committee meeting is on Thursday, May 3, at Mr C. E. Jones’s office, at 8 p.m.