A NATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR THE ENGLISH SPEAKING WREXHAM HUGHES AND SON, 56, HOPE STREET. PREFACE TO VOLUME IV. HE preface to the fourth volume is to be the editor's farewell. The necessity of severing my connection with WALES began to threaten me almost as soon as the January number left my hands; it became certain on March 9th. Between that time and to-day I felt fairly resigned; but now, when I have to write my words of awkward farewell, I confess that I never realised that parting would be, after all, so difficult. one. The aim I had before me was certainly a lovable I meant WALES to be a magazine to emphasize the bonds of union between all Welshmen, rather than the causes of disunion. I hoped to make Welsh history and Welsh literature interesting to the peasants of the English-speaking parts of Wales. I trusted WALES would be, to some slight extent, a power in the development of our people in the direction of happiness and purity,-in love of reading, in enlightened patriotism, in love of flowers, in a higher conception of duty. How far I fell short of realising my aim, no one knows better than I do myself. My only excuse is that I served my country, not to the extent of my love for it, but to the extent of my power. Month after month, year after year, I expected to have more leisure; but the leisure did not come. And now the duties of my profession demand all the short, but happy, hours I could once give to WALES. Still, it will give me never-failing pleasure to think of the articles and stories, notably The House of the Twisted Sapling,-which gave WALES its value. The support given me, by publisher and contributor and subscriber, was all I could desire. I am not richer, but I stated at the beginning that I did not intend to make money. Many offers were kindly made to continue WALES, but I thought that, in justice to the contributors who wrote for me because their aim was the same as mine, it would be wiser to make WALES disappear with me, so that anyone who feels inclined to imitate my attempt may begin afresh. Lincoln College, Oxford, Nov. 18th, 1897. OWEN M. EDWARDS. |