Welshman has building named for him in Chicago!
Promoting Wales in the USA
What a pity the man wasn't called Owain Glyndwr or Llewelyn ap Gruffudd.
Forum Activity for @gaynor-madoc-leonard
Promoting Wales in the USA
Allen Raine (Anne Adaliza Evans) and Queen of the Rushes
Welsh Literature
I haven't actually started this book yet; it's been re-published by Honno. Raine was a successful author in Victorian times; born in Castell Newydd Emlyn, sent to school in Caerfyrddin and then "finished" at Cheltenham and London. After her marriage, she returned to Tresaith, Ceredigion.
The introduction to the book states "..As Jones pointed out, Raine was instrumental in 'popularising Wales as an acceptable subject for novelists' at a time when Wales in the London literary establishment was not simply deeply unfashionable (as it still seems to be today) but virtually did not exist on any literary map which they were able to read..."
That statement is only too true.
More when I've actually read the book.
updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 11/11/15 10:37:52PM
Empire of the Summer Moon (by SC Gwynne)
Welsh History
LastnightI continued reading Gwynne's Pulitzer Prize nominated book on the Comanche nation. On page 60 are these words:
..."The Celtic peoples, ancestors of huge numbers of immigrants to America in the nineteenth century, offer a rough parallel. Celts of the fifth century BC were described by Herodotus as 'fierce warriors who fought with seeming disregard for their own lives'. Like Comanches they were savage, filthy, wore their hair long, and had a hideous keening battle cry. 'They were superb horsemen, inordinately fond of alcohol, and did terrible things to their enemies and captives that included decapitation, a practice that horrified the civilized Greeks and Romans. The old Celts, forebears of the Scots-Irish who formed the vanguard of America's western migrations, would have had no 'moral' problem with the Comanche practice of torture."
I've no idea if Herodotus ever met an ancient Celt although it's almost certain they (the Celts) traded with the Mediterranean countries. And I have no idea about how much time my ancestors spent in the bathroom. I confess I find decapitation as repugnant as many of the practices described and attributed to the Comanche but let's look at the "civilized"Greeks and Romans. Both considered slavery to be part of the normal order of life, unwanted children were exposed without a second thought, the Romans considered people killing each other in an arena (or being torn apart by wild animals) to be fair entertainment for the whole family and atrocities committed by their soldiers in war don't bear thinking about.
On the previous page, Gwynne (and I'm thinking here that his surname indicates that his ancestors came from nearer Merthyr than Athens), he states..."Thus the fateful clash between settlers [ie: Europeans] from the culture of Aristotle, St Paul, Da Vinci, Luther and Newton and aboriginal horsemen from the buffalo plains happened as though in a time warp - as though the former were looking backward thousands of years at premoral, pre-Christian, low-barbarian versions of themselves." Christianity (man's interpretation of it) unleashed centuries of cruelty and bigotry yet it's held up as an exemplar of morality. Did morality not exist in Celtic culture? Yes, it did. My ancestors had their faults but they did have a proper culture, were settled and not stone-age nomads. If anyone can prove that the 5th century BC Celts and the Comanche were cultural brothers then I'm Cleopatra's Auntie Nelly.
updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 11/11/15 10:37:52PM
More about David Gwynn's "Wales in the Golden Age of Picture Postcards" (amberley-books.com)
Welsh History
Silly of me:
Sorry about that. Smacked bottom and off to bed with no supper for me!
More about David Gwynn's "Wales in the Golden Age of Picture Postcards" (amberley-books.com)
Welsh History
In the book are pictures of ancient Welsh ladies taking tea and so on. There are now a couple of companies producing greeting cards using similar pictures, and some of them are very funny. There's www.secondtime.co.uk which also has calendars featuring the Welsh ladies in stovepipe hats. And there's Tidy Cards which, paradoxically, are available from www.heartsdesirescotland.com . The latter are a bit naughty at times!
More about David Gwynn's "Wales in the Golden Age of Picture Postcards" (amberley-books.com)
Welsh History
This book is turning out to be very interesting and informative. From 26th July to 7th August, 1909, there was a National Pageant of Wales - a celebration of Welsh history. 27 episodes from Wales's history were played out and the Marchioness of Bute was created Dame Wales for the occasion.
Further on in the book there's a very amusing postcard "In Loving Remembrance of Poor Old England", this was to celebrate the defeat of England by Wales on the Rugby field in 1907.
Two of my favourites are:
"Wales was Wales before England wass wass" (sic) which alludes to the fact that Wales is far more ancient culture than England.
Another card showing Columbus arriving in the New World, only to find it already populated by the Welsh. This comical one shows a druid wearing a native American feathered headdress alongside women in their stovepipe hats and plaid skirts.
There are plenty of panoramic views etc. too so I really recommend this book.
updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 11/11/15 10:37:50PM
Amazon wishlist
General Discussions ( Anything Goes )
I've been given two books from my wishlist as birthday gifts. One is "Wales in the Golden Age of Picture Postcards" by David Gwynn which has some very funny examples of visitors to Wales being bamboozled by the Welsh language. Another is "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S C Gwynne (could he be of Welsh extraction, I wonder?) about the rise and fall of the Comanche Empire.
And I've received a really nice e-mail from William Knox who wrote "The Pan-Celtic Phrasebook" which inspired (if that word is apt!) The Carmarthen Underground. And the e-mail was in Welsh.
updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 12/04/15 03:57:45PM
"Anti-Welsh census row (Daily Telegraph 13 Aug 2011)
General Discussions ( Anything Goes )
As Brian says, Turnbull makes a valid point. Presumably there wasno Gaelic on it either yet there were completely foreign languages available (no disrespect to them). I've spent a lot of time gathering 1911 censuses for my Ancestry tree and some of my Welsh ancestors did complete the census in Welsh but of course it was a much simpler form (just one page!).
"Anti-Welsh census row (Daily Telegraph 13 Aug 2011)
General Discussions ( Anything Goes )
updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 12/04/15 03:57:45PM
"Key" Problem
General Discussions ( Anything Goes )
I'd be interested to know what American members think about the new rules for many schools and the teaching of "The 3 Ts" (typing, tapping, texting) as opposed to proper longhand writing. Although schools can apparently choose to teach writing too, this is not seen as a priority.
As I understand it, 41 states have now decided to prioritise typing etc. in this way. Given that what happens in the USA all too soon comes to the UK (and other countries), I find this rather worrying. Are we going to end up with a younger generation unable to write (or, if they can, only in primitive capitals)?
updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 12/04/15 03:57:45PM
