eat educational difficulty
continues, and is maintained from year to year by patriotism and
Eisteddfods.

Possibly the difficulties to be encountered may occasionally evoke
unusual powers of study; but this can only occur in exceptional cases.
While at Bangor Mr. Cadwalladr Davies read to me the letter of a
student and professor, whose passion for knowledge is of an
extraordinary character. While examined before the Parliamentary
Committee appointed to inquire into the condition of intermediate and
higher education in Wales and Monmouthshire, Mr. Davies gave evidence
relating to this and other remarkable cases, of which the following is
an abstract, condensed by himself:--

"The night schools in the quarry districts have been doing a very great
work; and, if the Committee will allow me, I will read an extract from
a letter which I received from Mr. Bradley Jones, master of the Board
Schools at Llanarmon, near Mold, Flintshire, who some years ago kept a
very flourishing night school in the neighbourhood. He says: 'During
the whole of the time (fourteen years) that I was at Carneddi, I
carried on these schools, and I believe I have had more experience of
such institutions than any teacher in North Wales. For several years
about 120 scholars used to attend the Carneddi night school in the
winter months, four evenings a week. Nearly all were quarrymen, from
fourteen to twenty-one years of age, and engaged at work from 7 A.M. to
5.30 P.M. So intense was their desire for education that some of them
had to walk a distance of two or even three miles to school. These,
besides working hard all day, had to walk six miles in the one case and
nine in the other before school-time, in addition to the walk home
afterwards. Several of them used to attend all the year round, even
coming to me for lessons in summer before going to work, as well as in
the evening. Indeed, so anxious were some of them, that they would
often come for lessons as early as five o'clock in the morning. This
may appear almost incredible, but any of the managers of the Carneddi
School could corroborate the statement.'

"I have now in my mind's eye," continues Mr. Bradley, "several of these
young men, who, by dint of indefatigable labour and self-denial,
ultimately qualified themselves for posts in which a good education is
a sine qua non. Some of them are to-day quarry managers, professional
men, certificated teachers, and ministers of the Gospel. Fiv