Early Welsh settlers in Patagonia, clad in national dress. In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing across Great Britain.  Mills and factories dotted the landscape of England, and were soon appearing in southern Wales.  Southern Wales was a prime candidate for industrialization, due to an abundance of coal, which was vital to powering factories, as well as decent iron deposits and plenty of wool. Wales also had an English-speaking population, having been part of Great Britain since 1282 (except for a brief seven-year separation during the 16th century), so the English language and culture had had plenty of time to dominate the country. In the cities, English was more prominent than in the countryside, where the Welsh language was still widely spoken.  However, industrialization drew workers (and political power) from the countryside, diminishing the Welsh culture and language.  By the middle of the 19th century, there was a sense among the Welsh

Cain and Abel: inventors of sibling rivalry. Eve had a problem.   She was knocked up by this man, but she wasn’t married.   In fact, she had two boys before out of wedlock, which might have scandalized the rest of her family, if they existed.   The boys grew up with their emotions unchecked, due to their parents carrying around guilt, worrying about social stigma, even though it wasn’t apparent whether society had even been invented yet.   They had issues.   The boys were lucky—they would be able to blame their problems on their parents’ inability to deal with these issues.   Who could their parents blame? The boys were Cain, who grew up to be a farmer, and Abel, who grew up to be a shepherd.   This meant that come sacrifice time, Abel was in a position to bring more impressive sacrifices to God, since He has always had a thing for lambs.   Cain grew jealous of his younger brother, who Mom always liked best.   And now God.   It was too much to bear.   “Little brother,” s