As Mr. Cadwalladr Davies observed at the banquet, which took
place on the following day: "The establishment of the new
institution will mark the dawn of a new era in the history of the
Welsh people. He looked to it, not only as a means of imparting
academical knowledge to the students within its walls, but also
as a means of raising the intellectual and moral tone of the
whole people. They were fond of quoting the saying of a great
English writer, that there was something Grecian in the Celtic
race, and that the Celtic was the refining element in the British
character; but such remarks, often accompanied as they were with
offensive comparisons from Eisteddfod platforms, would in future
be put to the test, for they would, with their new educational
machinery, be placed on a footing of perfect equality with the
Scotch and the Irish people."
And here must come to an end the character history of my autumn
tour in Ireland, Scotland, Yorkshire, and Wales. I had not the
remotest intention when setting out of collecting information and
writing down my recollections of the journey. But the persons I
met, and the information I received, were of no small
interest--at least to myself; and I trust that the reader will
derive as much pleasure from perusing my observations as I have
had in collecting and writing them down. I do think that the
remarkable persons whose history and characters I have
endeavoured, however briefly, to sketch, will be found to afford
many valuable and important lessons of Self-Help; and to
illustrate how the moral and industrial foundations of a country
may be built up and established.
Pages:
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471