RURAL ENGLAND STRATFORD
Especially Interesting Letter
wb
from
Rev. Fred B. Hill.
Brussels, Belgium,
Sept. 8 1905.
To the Eiitori
When last I wrote, we were in
Leamington, England having just
arrived from London. A month has
passed and
have had varied ex
periences. some of which I shall try
to relate to the reiiers of the Tri
bune. It doesn't seem quite natural
to be writing a letter in English
when all about we hear French alone.
But as I do not know French (as is
painfully evident when I *ry to
make myself understood) there is
little danger that a "furrin" language
shall creep into this letter.
I think I intimated that I should
write something about rural England
this time. It is an agreeable subject
now I am able to do it justice.
Before going on however I think I
better state that from henceforth I
shall endeavor to make few com
parisons between the lands I am
visiting and my own. I am finding
by experience that comparisons aie
not only odious and often invidious
but generally rather foolish.
Leamington is situated in the
center of the Shakespeare country
as it is also almost exactly in the
center of England. An oak was
pointed out to us which is said to
in the very center. The country tho
very flat possesses a peculiar charm
which is hard to describe. Whether
it is due to the more or less senti
mental power of historic association,
or to the quaint and picturesque
hedges of holly and hawthorna, or
to some other cau^e, I do not pre
tend to say—but the country is in
deed delightful and attractive
Every field is marked off by well
kept hedges. The farms would be
called gardens in Minnesota. The
trees are old and stately and no
doubt if each could speak, it could
tell a wonderful history of intrigue,
feudal strife and the plav of human
passion.
Within three miles of .Leaming
ton is Warwick where is the seat of
the Earl of Warwick. Here also is
the oH castle where Queen Eliza
beth and her court spent a few days
while on the way to Kenilworth.
The situation of the stronghold
above the Avon ri^er is very striking.
No doubt the position was well
chosen for defense. Wi*hin the
castle walls are many antiques, one
the Warwick vase, is over two thou
sand yeirs old. Below the castle are
the remains of an old Norman bridge
over one thousand years old.
Within two miles of Warwick are
the ruins of Kenilworth castle. Aside
from the very evident beauty of the
ruins, a great air of romance hovers
o^er the place due to the interest in
Amy Robsart, the heroine of Scott's
"Kenilworth." The walls are now
much delapidated and ivy covered,
but enough remains to show some of
the places mentioned in the famous
no7el. We saw the place where the
Earl of Leicester and Tressilian
fought and we sat in the room where
Amy Robsart was imprisoned
Caesar's tower and the old banquett
ing hall are still to be seen in some
thing of their ancient beauty. We
speDt
a most interesting half day
among these ruins.
One day we hired a two-wheeled
gig and witb ourselves for coachman
and footman, drove to Stratford.
English roads are proverbially good
and their reputation is well earned
and rather costly. An Englishman
told me that in Kentshire it cost five
hundred pounds per year per mile to
maintain the roais. To digress a
little, the same msn told me that the
British army cost thirty two shillings
per capita to maintain—$8. approx
imately. Inquiring about taxes I
learned that the Irishman had to
pay ten shillings and six pence, the
Scotchman seven shillings and thn
Englishman but five. And the
Irish members of Parliament were
causing quite a commotion in their
endeavor to ''show up" the scheme
which permitted such discrimination.
C*n we wonder that the Irish rnem
^rs of Parliament is disliked by the
English!!
Well to go on *o Stratford. A
quaint old town, the houses all ap
pear aged. Here it is said that
John Harvard was born: here Mari*
Corelli lives—but here preeminent
ly is the shrine of Shakespeare.
Here is the Mecca for American
travellers. And on every hand one
witnesses the loyalty of the
American for the great poet. A
chapel in the church was given by
Americans: a Shakespeare memorial
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fountain is the gift of a Phila
delphian and yearly thousands of
Americans visit the place and pay
their respects to the very erratic and
often times guilty, but always the
able and truly human bard of
Stratford. Tne visit to the church
was of interest to me for a very
superficial reason I admit,
wanted to know just which "rubbing'
of that inscription stone, was
genuine rubbing—I dincovered that
the larger one is the genu
ine one but I discovered
by far the more interesting inscrip
tion and the one which really is
tribute to the poet, is seldom copied
I had never seen it before. Here
is, I give the translation of the
Latin
'In wisdom
a
Nestor, in genius
Socrates: in art a Virgil.
The earth shrouds him, Olympus
guards him." And this,
"Stay passenger, why goest thou
by HO fast?
Read if thou canst whom envious
death hast plast within this monu
ment,
Shakespeare with whom quick
nature dide, whose name doth deck
ye tomb.
Far more than cost, sith all that
he hath writ
Leaves living art but page to serve
his wit.''
The old English Spelling makes
the sentences rather confusing but
it is easily seen the tribute paid to
Shakespeare. The story goes that
the often quoted verse, was hastily
put upon the stone during the night
for1 fear someone would steal tie
remains before they were finally aac
properly interred.
The birth place, now given over to
be used as a museum, was full of
interesting reminders of the age of
Shakespeare. The birth-room, now
bare of furniture, was not wanting i&
names scribbled on plaster, wood
wcrk and glass. Among other
names were those of Carlyle, Scott
and Browning. Great men some
times have done foolish things. The
difference between these names and
those which you and I may have left
otherwhere?, is that these are care
fully protected and are pointed out
as part of the value of the room. In
this connection let me say that at
Hawkshead I went to the Grammar
School in which Wordsworth
educated and found carefully pro
tected by glass, his name carved in
a desk. I remember very vividly
what happened to me on several oe
casions when I sought to leave my
name thus for future generations on
the desks of various rooms in the
West side school.
Well, we spent a great
day
in
Stratford, secured some good picture?
with our Kodak, had a terrible lunch
at the Red Horse Inn, sat in the
Washington Irving drawing room,
and finally summoned our carriage
(coachmen being with us) and drove
back to Leamington. And now we
know why Americans swear by Strat
ford. ...
After ten daya at Leamington we
set out for the English lake region.
We were booked for the Queen
Hotel, Ambleside, at the head of
Windermere Lake. Let me tell a
little of our reception I think Fra
Elbert Hubbard 9ays in one of Lis
little journeys that the beauty of the
English Iun is tnat at all times and
at any time you may get anything
which you wsnt to eat. Had I not
spent four weeks among English
Inns, I might believe the erratic but
interesting Fra. But aias I must
dissent. We arrived at the Queens
at eight p. m.. We were told that
dinner had been served and that
nothing hot could be secured. And
we could not make them change
their minds. We were a trifle late
for breakfast and discovered that we
could not have a hot breakfast
These experiences combined with the
fact that our room was illuminated
by candles and was most uuattractire
shortened our visit at Ambleside and
sent us to Windermere where we
were well cared for (but not after
Fra's Hubbard's fashion) for a week
We hava taken the star away from
the ''Queen's" as Baedeclrer has
placed it. I fain wonld talk of
"Boots" a personage who knows
everything but the thing which his
name intimates h.^ should know, viz
to polish boots. He cannot do that
We liked the English Lakes and
the hill country. We coached to
Coniston, the home of Ruskin anc
we spent a day at Grasmere where
Wordsworth wrote his best verse in
Dove Cottage. We caught a glimpse
of Rydal Mount where he spent the
later years of his life. We had some
fine coaching to Ullswater and to
Keswick—the hills covered with
heather and heather-bell and hare
bell. The hedges of hawthore and
rose, studded with wild popies, the
fox-glove and thistle by the road
side—ail these made the landscape
peculiarly beautiful. During the
caching trips we met some pleasant
English people and were agreeably
disappointed at their warmth of
greeting and friendliness. I should
like to tell of the many conversations
along political and economic lines
of the high tributes I heard on every
hand for President Roosevelt, of the
evident feeling of good will felt for
the American people among all
classes. But I must hasten along
and tell of the trips to Bonnie Scot
land. There is no use in making
comparisons between the English
and Scottish Lakes they are both
unique and each has a glory of its
own and fortunately inanimate
things do not depent upon argu
ments and comparisons for their own
satisfaction and beauty.
The Scottish Lochs possessed for
me a great charm. Nestled down
amid the hills which Scott has im
mortalized, and fed by a thousand
silver streams with waters placid as
glass, revealing most wonderful re
flections, they were fit objects for
poet or artist, and their beauty is
beyond
the power of
my
1
"THE MORRIS TRIBUNE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 1905
pen to
de
scribe.
We took the trip from Oban to
Inverness by the Caledonian Canal
Our steamer passed thru twelve
locks during the journey. We hac
boat rides oi lochs Katrine and
Lomond and Awe: we had glimpses
of several others. We enjoyed
little shower while cosching down
from the hills to Loch Katrine, but
a storm in the hills is a sight worth
being wet for.
Edinburgh, the Queen of cities, the
modern Athens—is deserving of
visit from every lover of the. artistic
and quaint in the city structure.
Nowhere have we seen such care
taken of the pai ks and streets and
few cities can boast of such a nobie
site as can Edinburgh. The castle
which has seen some stormy times
and where Mary Queen of Scots often
fled for refuge, has a commanding
situation. Calton Hill with its monu
ment to Lord Nelson and Calton
cemetery with its statue of Abraham
Lincoln in memory of Scotsmen
who fell ia our Civil War, the lordly
memorial to Sir WTalter Scott and
one less ornate but representing
equally perhaps the affection of
Scotchmen for Bobby Burns Hoi.)
rood Palace, the sceue of many
festivities and of many tragedies—all
these lend a charm and grace to the
city. We visited "Old-town" and
saw very pronounced slums. Walked
lown Canongate to the honse of
John Knox and past the place where
Bobby Burns was made a Free
Mason and the bouse where Moray
lived as Regent.
I must not leave out the day spent
at St. Andrews, tne Mecca for golfer?
of the world. Fortunately for me
frieud of mine from Providence wa»
there and he arranged a match anc
furnished clubs, so I had some great
eport on the world famous links,
that day I saw Yarden and Taylor,
the English professionals and Hurci
and Braid the Scotch cracks play
the caddies are men past middle agt
nd they know the game and th»
links. They had great fun with me.
for I was quite a "dub" in their eyes.
You who do not know golf, cannot
appreciate the pleasure I had that
day. I have not lost my love for
base ball and never shall, but I en
joy golf and play it in spite of the
fact that I am a minister and must
be careful about my "language.
Well, we returned to London about
September first, visiting on our way
Melrose aud Dry burgh Abbies and
York, Durham and .Lincoln Cathe
drals. Wish we had some such old
buildings in America. London
seemed quite like home and we rel
ished the week spent there. We had
the pleasure of seeing Tree, the Eng
lish actor present "Oliver Twist" to
a London audience. It was a wonder
ful performance.
Wednesday we visited Canterbury
cathedral and Thursday crossed the
English Channel without being ill!
The papers said it was a rough day
but we didn't feel it.
Now we are on the continent—
There is a peculiar sensation comes
over one when tie leases behind those
who use his language and falJs into a
nation where the tongue and appear
ance and thought is foreign—I'll tell
more of my opinions on Europe Inter.
We are on our way to Switzerland—
thence back to Germany where we
plan to spend at least a month.
May I add just a word in closing
of the sense of personal sorrow which
came to me with the news of Judge
Darling^ death. I have had a deep
respect and regard for him for 1
believed him to be a true man. I
believe he always revealed a geuuine
public spirit in ail matters which per
tained to the welfare of Morris. His
death has come as a shock to me.
With kind regards to the home
friends.
Very Cordially Yours,
eapolis Minn.
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OA8TORZA.
fiwrt the
Vm Have AlwajfS Bought
Signature
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of Mrs. J. H. Devenney.
5P
V
&
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$
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0
S
FRED B. HILL.
(Jniverbalists Convention at Minn
J. H. DEVENNEY.
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Inquire
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Cartoons and Illustrations
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.1905