'The celebration of St. David's Day by the vigorous Welsh community of Shanghai evokes more than the usual interest of British residents because In the past year special attention has been drawn' to the claims of Welsh nationalism, The resistance of the Welsh people to the process of Anallcization has been all the more Yermarkable because It has relied upon aggressive propaganda, no spec-facular demonstrations by well-finan-cod societies. A century ago Mathew Arnold foretold the disappearance of the Welsh language as a living tongue. He was wrong. The culture which Wales kept alive with literature and song found support in a press. which virile because it serves a current need=the presentation of the day's hhews in the language best understood by the people. But political signi ficance has lately been developing in Welsh. nationalism -not out of any antagonism to the Empire of which Welshmen are the senior partners but because the complexity of modern bureaucratic administration has somehow seemed—unwittingly no doubt—to expose Welsh Institutions to. new dangers. Tt has been recently stated by one observer that the "aggressive uniformity of the modern world is Penetrating Wales as it is penetrating everywhere else." "Rapid means. communteation, the cinema, the broadcast have played their part in this threat:
Although even nov, in the remote paris of Wales, a farmer wilt discuss fy" with te berger wha calls present rate of decay, the' Welsh dor tne me grows short! the Euaition cannot, survive as a, living {Bite Zoe Snore! oran' a cereraton oF
This assertion may have no better fate than Mathew Arnold's, but Welsh folk are not disposed to take the risk. Welsh nationality ig fikely: to find "firmer political expression, "not in any fantastic hostility. to English institutions, but rather with the object of ensuring the proper rec ognition of the Welsh nation In public Me. An unhappy incident has awakened the British public to the Importance of giving more intelligent) attention to Welsh opinion in dealing with Welsh affairs. Wales is inclined to ask for recognition of her right to manage her own economy which has suffered so sadly at" the war upheaval. Nor is it ikely' that} she will meet with much opposition: the unequal balance of her industrial situation eries for remedy which can. best be applied by consultation with Welsh genius, fortined by knowledge of Welsh needs,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.