and, so far as is necessary, blamed. {0b} It was, indeed, not my
purpose to make blame the chief part of what I said; for the Celts,
like other people, are to be meliorated rather by developing their
gifts than by chastising their defects. The wise man, says Spinoza
admirably, 'de humana impotentia non nisi parce loqui curabit, at
largiter de humana virtute seupotentia.' But so far as condemnation
of Celtic failure was needful towards preparing the way for the
growth of Celtic virtue, I used condemnation.

The Times, however, prefers a shorter and sharper method of dealing
with the Celts, and in a couple of leading articles, having the
Chester Eisteddfod and my letter to Mr. Hugh Owen for their text, it
developed with great frankness, and in its usual forcible style, its
own views for the amelioration of Wales and its people. Cease to do
evil, learn to do good, was the upshot of its exhortations to the
Welsh; by evil, the Times understanding all things Celtic, and by
good, all things English. 'The Welsh language is the curse of Wales.
Its prevalence, and the ignorance of English have excluded, and even
now exclude the Welsh people from the civilisation of their English
neighbours. An Eisteddfod is one of the most mischievous and selfish
pieces of sentimentalism which could possibly be perpetrated. It is
simply a foolish interference with the natural progress of
civilisation and prosperity. If it is desirable that the Welsh
should talk English, it is monstrous folly to encourage them in a
loving fondness for their old language. Not only the energy and
power, but the intelligence and music of Europe have come mainly from
Teutonic sources, and this glorification of everything Celtic, if it
were not pedantry, would be sheer ignorance. The sooner all Welsh
specialities disappear from the face of the earth the better.'