WALES 



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WALES 



THE STORY OF WALES 



ALES, waylz, a political division of the 

 British Empire which is geographically and ad- 

 ministratively a part of Great Britain, but with 

 respect to history and racial character has a 

 place of its own. The name is from an Anglo- 

 Saxon word meaning foreigners, and in a sense 

 the Welsh are foreigners to the English, though 

 they are really more British than the English 

 themselves ; for it was to the mountains of this 

 far western region that the early Britons re- 

 tired when the invaders from over the sea 

 pressed too hard upon them. 



Sine and Location. Wales is a broad penin- 

 sula jutting out from the western coast of 

 England. Its north and south length is 136 

 milen; its greatest breadth, in the extreme 

 south, is 96 miles; its area is 7,446 square 

 miles. That is, this country, historically so 

 important, has an area noticeably smaller than 

 that of Massachusetts or New Jersey. 



The population of Wales was 1,647,290 in 

 1911; there is thus an average density of 221 

 inhabitants to the square mile. The density 

 in Massachusetts is more than twice as great, 

 but Massachusetts has one city with almost 

 half as many inhabitants as has Wales. The 

 largest city of Wales, Cardiff, had 184,663 in- 

 habitants in 1911. 



The Land. The mountains of Wales are not 

 high. Snowdon, the loftiest point in Wales and 

 in the British Isles, rises to an altitude of only 

 3,590 feet ; but the peaks are rugged and craggy, 

 and much of the hill country has that wild and 

 picturesque character which makes it a fitting 

 background for the weird legends and semi- 

 historic wonder tales in which Wales abounds. 



More than one traveler does not hesitate to 

 declare that "the lone mountains and the wide 

 moors" constitute the most beautiful country 

 in the world. Especially lovely is the outlook 

 when the heather is in bloom. 



Several of the important rivers of Great 

 Britain the Severn, the Wye and the Dee 

 rise in Wales or flow through it ; and there are 

 in addition numerous rapid, dashing streams 

 which find their way through the mountains. 

 These are of no commercial importance, but 

 the Conway, in the northern part, though only 

 twenty-four miles in length, is broad and navi- 

 gable. In the mountain regions there are many 

 deep lakes, or "tarns," which add to the beauty 

 of the landscape. 



The People. A mountainous country, sepa- 

 rated by its hilly barriers into districts not 

 readily accessible, is certain to develop in its 

 people certain characteristics, and Wales has 

 been no exception. Its people are sturdy and 

 liberty-loving "gallant Wales," one writer calls 

 the little country and, like the ancient Greeks, 

 have never seemed to feel that desire for na- 

 tional unity which would have certainly grown 

 up among them had they lived in closer con- 

 tact on an open plain. The people are, on the 

 whole, contented and cheerful; they love not 

 only the scenic beauties which are bringing 

 travelers to their land in constantly increasing 

 numbers, but all the lore connected with their 

 ancient churches and castles and their historic 

 spots. Nothing makes an old peasant or vil- 

 lager happier than to be asked by visitors to 

 point out and describe some interesting spot 

 with which he has been familiar from child- 

 hood. 



Life in the Welsh villages is simple. The 

 women may take part in all the occupations 

 with which the men are busied, and in addi- 

 tion are notable housewives. Their particular 

 virtue is thriftiness, and the men seem to real- 



