business, and for part of the time in partnership with Mr. J. Edward Jones, the present Mayor of Oak Hill. In 1854, a number of Welshmen combined to form a company to build the Jefferson Furnace and to purchase land containing iron ore and timber for the use of the furnace. This was called "The Jefferson Furnace Company." Mr. Hughes, being one of the Company, became secretary and cashier. The duties of which office he discharged with great faithfulness for 26 years. Before commencing operations with the furnace, articles of agreement were carefully made, which, among other things, ccntained the provision that the furnace should not, under any circumstances, be run on the Sabbath. And this rule has been carefully observed without a single exception up to the present time. Very few smelting furnaces in the world have ever done this, because stopping of the fires on the Sabbath involves a risk of great loss to the ownThe Jefferson Furnace Company, however, proved very successful in their enterprise, having paid to its shareholders larger dividends than any other Iron Company in Ohio. After 26 years' service as secretary and cashier of the Company, Mr. Hughes retired from business cares and built for himself a handsome residence in the village of Oak Hill (Portland), where he now spends the remainder of his days in comfort, ease and plenty.

ers.

Mr. Hughes was Justice of the Peace for 20 years, and in 1870 he was elected by a great majority of the district as member of the Ohio Legislature. He commenced his literary career by contributing a series of articles to The "Cyfaill o'r Hen Wlad" on the Life of Christ and other topics of Scriptural History, which have been his favorite studies. These articles were very instructive and interesting and proved very popular and

readable in those early days of Welsh American Literature. These have been followed by many other excellent articles from time to time. Many efforts were made, but with no avail, to publish the articles on The Life of Christ in the form of a handbook for the Sabbath School. In 1882, however, Rev. T. R. Jones was privileged to publish an edition in America. And some time afterward, with the consent of the author, a second edition of the work was published in Wales with 16 plates, by the well-known publishers, Messrs. Gee and Son, Denbigh, which was very kindly received and met with a large sale.

Mr. Hughes has four children living-three daughters and one son, Rev. T. L. Hughes, D. D. Shelbyville, Indiana, who has enjoyed the best educational advantages, being a graduate of the Ohio University and of Princeton College, also of a Cincinnati Law School and of Lane Theological Seminary. He is now a successful pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Shelbyville, Indiana, has lately been honored with the title D. D. and is rapidly gaining an honorable position in the esteem and confidence of the denomination of which he is a member.

We may appropriately conclude this brief sketch by quoting a few remarks concerning Mr. Hughes made years ago in the "Cyfaill:" Cyfaill:" "Mr. T. L. Hughes is known to the readers of the Cyfaill as an able and gifted writer, whose articles a few years ago evinced great research and awakened general interest. Our readers would again greatly enjoy the productions of his well-stored and enlightened mind. He is a writer of excellent literary qualities-an easy and elegant style, a strong and clear mind, a thorough theologian, imbued with the spirit and doctrines of Christian truth-a faithful Christian and an

honored elder who has "gained to himself a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus," by his honesty, his faithfulness, his wisdom and charity in the

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performance of the duties of his office. We heartily wish our dear and estimable brother a long life to enjoy and ccomplish much good, and to see the salvation of the Lord."

EDITOR OF CAMBRIAN :

Dear Sir: I enclose a copy of the address delivered by the Hon. Charles E. Rice, Judge of Luzerne Co., Pa., who was the President

at the ten o'clock session of the Musical Festival of Wilkes-Barre, June 13th. Judge Rice is a man in every respect worthy of the highest honor, and the vast audience who had the pleasure of listening to his admirable speech were conscious of the fact that they were honored by his presence. I know that the Welsh citizens of this vicinity would be pleased to have the speech appear in the CAMBRIAN. It is replete with deep thought and was thoroughly appreciated by the vast audience. The following is the speech as delivered. Yours Truly, G. M. WILLIAMS, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Poetic legend ascribes fabulous effects to music. The poets assert, that Apollo raised the walls of Troy, by the music of his harp.

Music is the most ancient of the fine arts. Its history is older than that of civilization. Among the oldest nations of which we have any knowledge, it has been cultivated from time immemorial. Jubal, who lived before the deluge, was the father of those who played on the harp and the organ. Among those who were styled the chosen people, music was a religious art. It was used in their religious services, in public and private rejoicings, at their weddings and feasts, and on every possible occasion. Laban complained that his son-in-law, Jacob, left him, without giving the opportunity of sending his family away, with mirth and with songs, and with tabret and with harp. Moses having passed through the Red Sea, composed a song. David brought

the ark to Jerusalem with triumphal, joyous music. The old Testament prophets sought the aid of music in their services. The kings had their music. Ezra reckoned two hundred singing men and singing women in the enumeration of those he brought back with him from the captivity.

Innumerable passages in ancient writers show that vocal and instrumental music was made use of in their religious worship.

There are those here far better fitted to speak of the Ancient Celtic bards than I. But who can estimate their influence upon the social and political life of the people for whom they were both poets and musicians?

There have been men of genius who profess a dislike for music. Plato banished it from his commonwealth; Johnson considered it, of many noises, the least disagreeable, but these are the exceptions. On the other hand, Martin Luther called any man a fool whose blood was not stirred by martial airs or softer melodies. Shakespeare put into the mouth of Lorenzo the well remembered sentiment, "The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils: The motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affectiors dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted."

Confucius said: "Wouldst thou know if a people be well governed, if its manners be good or bad, examine the music it practices."

Surely, fellow citizens, it is no bad sign for the commonwealth that so many societies have been drawn together on this occasion, capable of rendering, with scientific accuracy intelligence and feeling, the immortal productions of Mendelsshon and Handel.

It is said that Mendelsshon was engaged nine years on the composition of his oratorio of Elijah. But if he had devoted a life time to that single work, it would have entitled him to a place among the greatest composers poets, painters, sculptors and orators of the century. His works are in many particulars a true index of his character. His heart and life were as pure as those of a little child. His earnestness as a Christian needs no stronger testimony than that afforded by his delineation of the characters of Elijah and St. Paul.

Of the great masterpiece of Handel, I hesitate to speak. All forms of thought and expression have been exhausted to describe its beauty and sublimity. Who can compute its influence for good? The Messiah has been called the musical equivalent of Milton's Paradise Lost. All feel its power, and listen to it with such awe as no other work of art inspires. Many a listener to its rendition has had something akin to the feeling of its inspired anthor, when, after finishing the Hallelujah Chorus, he said: "I did think I saw heaven open before me, and the great God Himself." Mendelsshon said: "I never can bear to hear people able to appreciate Beethoven only, or Mozart, or Bach only. Those who have a true feeling for beauty of one kind, and derive rest and pleasure from it, cannot circumscribe their powers of enjoyment, but on the contrary, try to widen them as much as possible to take in all genuine beauty." If I may be permitted to suggest a sentiment for

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the inspiration of those who participate in these exercises, and for the enjoyment of those who listen, it would be the idea embodied in the language I have quoted from great master. True love and enjoyment of music is confined to no one particular form of expression. Of all the powers of the human mind, the enlightened imagination is the most catholic. When we contemplate the universe, it is its harmony which overwhelms us. It has never been so beautifully and perfectly described as in the passage, in the passage, "When the morning stars sang together." Cultivated to its highest capabilities, the imagination feels, appreciates and enjoys harmony in all the forms it can exist or be expressed. Those who enjoy it in one form voluntarily circumscribe their powers if they say they can see no beauty in other forms of its expression.

Music is not a mere diversion; it is a noble science, a heaven born art. It is said to embody the noble feelings of which the other arts, painting, sculpture, architecture and acting exhibit, are but the effect. That painter has been able to describe the rushing winds, the swaying forest, the gloom of the night, and arouse the feelings which those manifestations of nature excite, as has been done by the musician in the Erl King? You, perhaps, do not see the solitary rider with his child pressed to his bosom, riding swiftly to the castle, nor the child shrinking into his father's arms, but you are made to hear the voice of the wind, the alluring tones of the ErlKing, and to feel all that the poet has described, as if you had seen and heard it.

Beethoven's Pastoral has been called a picture in sound. It is more than that. It not only pictures the scene, but does what painting cannot, it reproduces the sounds belonging

to the scene, which make the landscape instinct with life, and awakens the emotions which such a scene inspires.

As another has said without exaggeration: "In it we may fancy that we hear the song of the birds, the hum of insects in the noon tide sun, the trickling rills, and the murmuring brooks, forming a picture of tranquil beauty never before attempted in sound."

In the judgment of some, the worth of an act or of a pursuit is measured by its value in attaining some material end. The cultivation of the sentiments is in their eyes a waste, if not a perversion of energy. The imagination is an enemy within the camp, whose seductive voice, if not silenced, will woo them away from so called practical pursuits to their destruction. These tolerate nothing in science, in education, in politics or the arts, that does not in their finite judgment serve some useful endand with them, "useful" synonomous with "material." They may be broad enough to tolerate poetry, if it is turned directly to the uses of religion, or patriotism, but not otherwise. They perhaps excuse the painter for his devotion to his art, because he adorns their walls with pictures. They may admit that the astronomer and geologist have their mission in life because they hope to get some material good out of their work, as if the inborn desire to search out and communicate to others the beautiful mysteries of God's universe, were not a sufficient justification for their labors

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and vigils. In the judgment of such, music, while harmless enough as a pastime, is the least useful of all the arts. This idea might be successfully combatted on the grounds of those who entertain it. For example, looking at it from the utilitarian's point of view, who can estimate the influence upon civilization of several well known popular or national hymns that I might mention. But I do not admit the accuracy of the standard by which this class measure the worth of music. Of all the arts, none give a wider scope for the purest, most refined, and highest pleasures of which the enlightened imagination is capable. And this, and this alone, would justify the devotion of its fondest votaries. Music is not an invention of man, or the devil. It is heaven born-capable it is true of development and cultivation, to an almost unlimited degree, but in its essence as natural as thought, or speech, or as tears, or laughter or sleep. It is not a mere auxiliary to spoken language, in worship or in the expres sion of the passions, emotions and sentiments of which the human soul is capable. If there were no spoken language all these would find expression in music. It has a language of its own; happy is the man who can understand it, and whose heart is open to its influences. It is not a mere selfish pleasure or recreation. Of all the arts, none is more unselfish. Like the quality of mercy.

"It is twice blessed: It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes."

has influenced mankind, and the important part it has played in the affairs of nations and of men would be a difficult task. Since the dawn of

civilization, the triumphs of the tongue have rivalled if not surpassed those of the sword. Eloquence was the master spirit of the two great nations of antiquity. The words and The words and gestures of their great orators directed their destinies. They seemed to absorb all power into themselves and become at once the "brain, the tongue, and the hand of the whole people."

Man's power of expression is something that places him far above the brute creation. In his voice there is divinity, and, with cultivation and proper training, his spoken words become a power far greater than written language, and being the natural means of communication, exercise a more powerful influence over the minds of the people.

As the winds sway the forest, now gently, and again with the terrific fierceness of the storm, so eloquence sways the hearts of men. Verily the tongue is a lever capable of lifting a greater world than that of which Archimedes dreamed.

There is an inspiring enthusiasm in the voice and theme of a masterly speaker, which stirs the souls of all. Athens was silent when Demosthenes spoke; the silver tongue of Cicero moved Rome to rise; the departing glory of a thousand years of the Tribune sank in the brilliant sunset of Rienzi's eloquence, and the thunders of Mirabeau shook the thrones of Europe and gave to France a new destiny. How often has the Parliament of England been moved as if by an electric shock, when listening to the burning sentences of Bolingbroke, Chatham, Fox, Pitt and Gladstone! And, in our own country the triumphs of eloquence have been equally marked with those of the old world. In the night of tyranny and oppression, the eloquence of the country became the torch of freedom. We are told when James Otis and Samu

el Adams addressed the assemblies of Boston, denouncing the British Writs of assistance, that every man went away resolved to take up arms against the illegal intrusion. All who have read the history of those dark days are familiar with the triumphs of Patrick Henry, when he made his well known speech in behalf of American Independence, and the effect his eloquence had upon the people.

The social condition of modern times has changed, and modern eloquence has assumed a character very different from that of the ancient. It is imppossible for any one to overthrow a state in these days. The orator of to-day, however dazzling his genius, can no longer exercise despotic power over others. There are no men now, who, like Phillip of Macedon, would offer a town of ten thousand inhabitants for an orator, for oratory is not the only effective weapon of to-day; the empire of the press has been extended to all parts of the globe, and is a great aid to the statesman and reformer, and for this reason some are almost ready to conclude that oratory is an useless art. But from the imperfections of the political and social condition of the world, circumstances arise which demand all the powers of an orator, for he is the master, passing between Scylla and Charybdis, guiding the ship of state to safety.

The form and tone of society may change, demanding different styles of oratory in different ages: but whereever human beings exist who have souls to be thrilled, a public speaker will find scope for the exertion of his powers. The press can never do the entire work of an orator. Eloquent men are needed to speak in the cause of justice, to rouse and move men to action, and above all to plead with men in the house of God. Here is a boundless field for the eloquent. Not