The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-27
From Every Saturday.
Without Reserve.
TT -
T. DEDDINGTON REVISITED.

There is nothing like going away
from place-quite out OF slght-tor
getting the true view of 1t.
Now that [ have lived away from
DeGdington few years-and-
years are buta few to look backzupon-
| must confess | see it to be place OF
no importance whatever commercially,
archaeologically, historically or In
any other way. :,
| used to feel somewhat aggrieved
when my letters came addressed to
Deddington, near Shiretown, or
Deddington, Northshire; for |
never doubted that every post office
clerk in the three kingdoms knew
where Deddington was, just as well as
he knew where Shiretown was, or, for
that matter where Nothshire itself
was. l could admit that, forScorres-
pondents writing from America, or
the Continent, or anywhere beyond
seas, it was excusable to add North
shire, or England" but forcorres-
pondents dating from England, Ire
land, Scotland, or Berwick-upon-
Tweed, | saw no excuse zwhateyer for
any addition at all.
Since then, however, [ have lived
in many places considerably larger
even than Shiretown; and it has hap
pened so often within the last twenty
years that [ have met with respecta-
bly, people, who could have no posi-
BILE inducement to insult-me, and who
yet protested themselves entirely ig-
norant of the existenceEOf bedding
ton, that, as | said at first, [ have now
been brought to confess my native
place to be asplace Of no Importance
whatever
Per contre, I remember "a time
when1 thought no other place could
be of importance compared with it.
Let me try to describe it as it APP
peared to me then. O.
1t was place Of incredible clean.
illness, liyeliness, and architectural
wealth.
Its cleanliness was patent to every
one; for were there notAtwo old men
whose whole and sole duty it was tG
scrape the mud to the sides of the
streets after every day Of bad
weather?
It's liveliness would have been suffi
GENTLY guaranteed by the simple fact
of it's having a market once q week
whenethe carriers carts came in from
all the neighboring villages. But be.
yond this, the omnibus went to Shire.
town no less than three day week
returning always the same night
While, to crown all, there were nc
less than four fairs. in the year, one
of which lasted two days.
Its public buildings were the pride
Of all Intelligent people. The church
! | ho1 f044 &hoEh n-i
windows, and the ugliest faces on its
any church in England. There .cou.d
hardly be a doubt that at some time
: (about the Introduction of Christi
minister. The monument in the chan
early -bishops-as would have beer
easily-provedsif It's head had not beer
knocked off and lost.
THE Odd Fellows Hall. was a yer!
large and well -proportioned building
which would hold at least hundred
thousand people-er perhaps with
little squeezing, a million. Itwas il
, this magnificent hall that we used Il
have our lectures, for it was the hal
Of the Mechanics Institute as well a
the Odd Fellows. Owing to it
vast size, there. was always fount
some difficulty in lighting it, aswell a
in filling it. The audience used t
gather-close to the lecturer, and hi
candles, and leave a great dark voic
g behind. And | used to think that
ever | should achieve greatness Xix
that of the lecturer, and stand on
i little platform behind little table
. and have two. candles and a glass @
water to myself, and a long stick t
point out the figures on the diagrams
and vast assemblage of people (lik
that I nsed to see) to listen to me TO
as long as ever l liked to talk, the
!. indeed l should not have lived i
vain, and could die happy.
But the noble dimensions of tn
Odd Fellows Hall were, perhap;
i. never so apparent as on magic lanter
nights.
philosophic entertainment G
the magic lantern was one of whic
we were veryfond at Deddington.
have rot, Of late years, Seen any il
II strumeat of that kind nearly=equa
to the one we use to have, nor an
fguresanearlys curious and interest
ing. Fhe figure of@the man 's-heaC
A. with a.nose that kept onv growing a
IL long asathe curtain would allow, an
A. then was continued on the neares
wall, was always a great fayoriteJ an
I'd so was 'the oge'> head with, the rollin
1t eye, when theteyes happened to arriv
about the same time as ~the heaC
The nodding-, Mandarin was hardl
- liked SO well, perhaps owing toesom