The anti-monopolist., 1875-12-30
SCIENCE
STRATFORD ON AVON AND THE SHAKE
SPEARE RELICS.

We fortunately brought q letter to Mr.
Edgar Flower, a Strattord 'scitizen Of credit
and renown,' 10 whom we are indebted for
kindly courtesy and valuable information
ON many point of interest TO ShakespeaI-
ian enthusiasts He first escorted us TO the
Shakespearian House, where we spent an
hour OF two. | could scarcely believe it the
same building had visited nearly quarter
of century age. Since it become the pro-
perty of the nation it has been tidied up and
preserved, and seems to have grown myster-
lously. The fact is, the OLD house on the
right, long supposed to be separate struct
ure has been found TO be part of the or
ieinal residence of John Shakespeare, and
has been added TO the modest, not to say
shabby, tenement Of three rooms, which
was ali saw in my first visit and all Wash
ington Irving and Walter Scott saw. This,
with various other plous reStoratlons and in
provements-such as the reclamation and
cultivation Of the old garden-makes the
place more worthy 10 have been the resid-
ence of respectable householder of the
Euzabet han age, of lady OF gentle descent,
and the birthplace OF the poet Of poets. This
newly restored wing Is used for museum Of
all the attainabe relics Of Shakespeare.
Here also, are copies OF all tho strangely
various portraits AMI busts Of this marvel
ous many-sided, multltudinous man. Here
We found hung IN corner, as though
worthy Of little consideration, photograph
Of the mysterious Dermst .dt Mask, which
maze a strong conviction Is the truest thing
among them all. 1t is nv ideal OF the deaf
Shakespeare. There is upon the worn but
still manly aud most noble face not
only the grand seal Of death, but the
granIer seal Of life-such . life as he
must have Knoun-sirong in human pas
sions. intense, ye; broad, in human affections
and sympathies. There are 10 me about this
face marks Of the peculiar impersonality Of
Shakespeare genius of that element
which has bAfied the world in its attempt
to track the man and his fortunes through
| the wonderful creation Of the poet-of =
| something which even he must have felt in
bis moments Of highes, exaltation TO be al
len, prophet like and immortal Observ-
! ing the strong character of the mouth and
chm, the generous orbit Of the eye, the
ample ye, compact forehead, one can almost
realize how this Shakespeare could have
been both the author and actor Of the great
plays; in bodily presence m -dest house
holder Of Siratford, in spirit . citizen of the
| So0iaiSi A0i huI ko1AGA Skr
Of Elizabeth, king maker for all succeeding
ages, a practical man Of business. divine
philosopher. In the portrait indersed BY
Ben Jonson, and prefxed TO the earliest edi-
tions Of Shakespeare's plays-tne ugly pic
tnre with the bulbous forehead and Puri-
tanic face-one sees evidence Of : morbid in
tellectual development and . meager physi-
sal nature; in The S,rasford monumental
bus, IS il stands, restored to the origin al
nigh coiors, can see little besides the
physical man, full blooded and fond Of
creature comforts There are in it more
traces Of the deep drinker who slept of his
beerv debauch under the crab-tree, IS fond
legend tells. than Of the deep thinker who
thought out that magnificent metaphysical
puzzle, the mad, wise Hamlet"
OF the relics Af Shakespeare the most in
teresiing is the sgnet ring 50 miraculously
turned up in the ground Of New Place, !"
and with his initials plainly graved upon it,.
We are glad to believe that j, once encircled
his fingers, and to fancy that while pacing
up ami down his garden IN the long, odor-
GUS twilight. and PLAYING with ii. pulling il
of and on as he studied out the story Of cen
slant Helena or eloquent Porsia, he droppe'l
| il, in dreamy ecstasy of invention. among
the daisies Or the thick-growing pansies, and
so lost Il Next il the desk from the old
grammar-school-,aie el Shakespeal'-, though
probably his master's-but which he may
often have stoed by - he recited his Latin,