Preface

This volume is not meant to be a history of the Welsh Revival; it provides a series of personal impressions and incidents, and is devotional in its aim and compass. Where it skirts the edge of controversy, an attempt has been made to be judiciously fair, and to furnish data for general conclusions, rather than to thrust forward private opinions. It is possible to dwell too exclusively on the bright and delightful features of the revival, and find ease in the optimist’s bower. It is also possible to fix the eyes on its shortcomings and mistakes, and betray the opportunities it has provided. A local folly, a temporary delusion, should not be suffered to discount the national gain. While the book is mostly drawn from personal observation, a few of the incidents are from the direct narrative of friends. We would also express our obligation to a volume in the vernacular, “The Revival and the Revivalists” (“Y Diwygiad a’r Diwygwyr”), published at the Goleuad office, Dolgelly, and containing a large number of local narratives, mostly among the Calvinistic Methodists. As few names as possible of persons or places have been given, for the movement was predominantly democratic. The people as a whole were made the Spirit’s instrument. If we have spent most of our time among the miners - using the term in its broadest sense - it is simply because they form the majority of the nation, and affect the whole directly. H. Elvet Lewis September, 1906.