Blair Collection > Rhys Lewis, minister of Bethel

326 RHYS LEWIS.
"Well, if I never took another hop a-hoeing, this is the
queerest thing I've hard of ! I had always thought a language
was somethin' to be spoken. Tell me, which is the Black's
language? They must, surely, larn that, or they can't go
missionaries."
"The language of the Blacks is not taught in college,
Thomas Bartley. The missionaries must go to the Blacks
themselves to learn that," said I.
""Well, if ever I hard such a thing with my ears before!
Larnin' the languages of people who are dead and not larn-
in' the languages of people who are alive ! But since we've
begun talkin' of the thing, what else do they larn, tell me ? "
he went on.
"They learn mathematics," I returned.
" Matthew Mattiss ! and what may that be ? "
"How to measure and weigh and make all sorts of calcula-
tions, and things of that sort," said I.
" A bandy thing enough," remarked Thomas. "That's the
reason, I s'pose, why so many preachers turn farmers and
shopkeepers. Do they larn anything else there ? "
"English language and history," I replied.
" Proper," observed Thomas. " If a man doesn't know a bit
of English in these days he's bound to be left behind. And
history is an interestin' thing enough. One of the best I ever
heard at it was James Pulford the tailor. When I used to go
to public houses I doated on that man. There's nothin' better
I like in a sermon than a bit of history. When Barbara and
I've forgotten everythin' else, we'll have a pretty fair grip of
the story the preacher's told. But, for all that, I don't find
those college boys any great shakes at tellin' a story. William
Hughes, of Abercwmnant, beats 'em flyin'. D'ye know what ?
William, last time he was here, tuld a story of a little girl a
dyin' which I shan't forget's long as there's breath in me. If
I was to drop dead on the spot I couldn't help cryin' while he
was tellin' it. I'm glad in my heart they larn history in college ;
only some of m are dreadful long a larnin.' There was a lad
of a preacher here lately who had been three years in college so
they said ; but I couldn't for the life of me make head nor tail
of him. He spoke of some ' mechanism,' ' unity,' or something