The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-08-21
FOREIGN TRAVEL.

FOREIGN TRAVEL.
a Visit to the Banyan Battle field
statue to BunyAn at Bedford-Bun-
hnlhelds Censtery-JOhn WssIey'l
Chapel and Grave.
rl u LoNDON, July %, 1874.
EDIToR News Since my arrival
in London L have repeated visit
to Bedford in order to take g. view
of the Royal agricultural fair, and
to extend my observations of OBJ
iects, new and old, that are con-
nected with the career of John
Bunyan. The fair brought together
a collection of tile evidences of in
dustry, and of farm skill and i'm
provements which could not well
be surpassed in any country. was
not expecting to find the evidences
of the use of improved farm imple-
ments, and the extent TO which
steam power is employed in their
use. A steam plow or plows (for
there were four drawn by the same
engine) were used In field near the
fair ground, and furnished what l
regard as ample evidence that they
may be probably employed upon
the prairies of our country. These
plows were drawn by III engine that
was arranged for the threshing ma
chine and in order to show that the
same power may be employed for a
diversity of purposes. 1t is the
more surprising 70 find these evil
dences of progress and of substan-
tial improvements In farming, when
we remember the little vein of ridi-
cule which was INDUCED in by the
London Times upon a view of a
Mccormick reaper in the Crystal
Palace exhibition of 1851. But the
staunch old aristocrat took back all
it had said, and bestowed q hand
some compliment upon observing
the machine in motion in an Eng
lish harvest field. An expensive
luxury was exhibited that was not
strictly agricultural. 1t was per-
petual waterfall by the continued
refusing of a comparatively small
quantity of water, worked by a
steam pump. The water was forced
up about ten feet upon n box or
platform, and the falling sheet was
about eight feet wide.
An object that was not strictly
the minor one that brought me back
to Bedford, was to more deliberate
ly view the statue of John Bunyan,
and the scenes and mementos of his
eventful career. The statue was
unveiled on the 10th of June, Lady
Stanley officiating as the unveiler,
and the good Dean of Canterbury
took conspicuous part in the in-
teresting ceremony. But this was
reasonably to be expected from his
fraternal conduct at the meeting of
the Evangelical Alliance at New
York during the last year. The
statue is gift to the town by the
Duke of Bedford, who is q worthy
member of the church of England.
The statue is of bronze, and cast
from bells and cannon which were
recently brought from China, and
weighs more than three tons. The
l;Hanaco raNpaoauto Runya,, q, Tho
attitude OF preaching; the fingers OF
the right hand resting upon an open
bible which is held in the left. AT
his feet are symbols of his imprison-
ment, and on three sides are bronze
relieves which illustrate incidents
that occur in the Pilgrims Progress.
Upon the remaining side of the ped.
estal is the following passage from
the Pilgrim's Progress, which might
we'll have been written in letters OF
gold: at had its eyes lifted up tC
heaven-the best of books was in
his hand-the love of trnth was
written upon his lips--it stood as il
it pleaded with men,"
And here in Bedford, and within
a few hundred yards of the plac'
where Bunyan languished within
prison walls for twelve long years
has this statue to his memory beer
erected, and amidst throng fpeo
pie of all creeds, only that they lool
TO the same source of all good, a
did Bunyan. None were NOR
ready to do honor to his memoir
than the successors of the same &C
clesiastics who were the cause of hi
imprisonment.
extended my visit TO the littl
village of Elstow, where Bunya
acted as ben-boy of the paris
church, and where he lived befoI
his imprisonment, and was the hon
of his family during that period.
partook of simple midday repa
under the roof of the same lit
cottage where they lived, and whe
Imet two English gentlemen WI
came there upon the same erran,
to view the mementos OF Bunya
One of these was q member of th
church of England from Manche
ter, the other an Independent {
CongreGationalist from Shefiel
We walked and talked familiar
Gas is not common for unknov
EnglishmeD) on our way to Bedfor
The home of Bunyan's nativity is
short distance from the village up,
a principal thoroughfare and is
place where simple repasts and be
erages, not stimulating, are furniI
ed. The old parish church of
stow has ivy twining over fits wa
and of its detached tower, for it
orthe Ancient Norman style, a