The Rugbeian and district reporter. (Rugby, Tenn.) 1882-1883, 1882-10-07
A VISIT TO RUGBY.

In the London Daily News of September
18th was letter from the Rev. J. M. Wilson,
Head Master of Clifton College, Bristol, des-
criptive of his recent visit to Rugby, which,
with the exception of one or two particulars,
is very correct. The reverend gentleman
writes
Rugby reminded me more of Bournemouth
than any other place: sandy, wide road,
trees standing promiscuously about, and frame
houses, with neat gardens incosed with pail
sades, dotted here and there among the trees.
We pass the Hughes Public Library building
erected by well-wishers to Mr.. Hughes in
Boston, Cincinnati, New York, and elsewhere,
and to which American publishers have sent
about 5000 volumes. and which Chicago offers
to make symmetrical" by supplying some
thousands more, Rugby is fortunate in hav-
ing the services of an excellent librarian Dr.
Bertz, of Tubingen. The next building that
catches the eye is the church. 1t is a two
storied building; the lower story is school,
Of course free, now inspected and partly sup
ported by the State, under the charge of Miss
Brown, highly accomplished New England
teacher, whose father is one ofthe early settlers
The upper story is used for religious services
in the morning for the Anglo American
Episcopal Church, in the evening for Congre-
gatonal service. Both services are usually
conducted by Mr.. Blackjack a layman, form
erly an English schoolmaster, who has estab-
lished himself at Rugby with his seven sons in
large and successful farm, and undertakes
this Church work as a. labor of love with
characteristic energy. When mention that
in the school the average attendance is fifty,
and that the attendance at church on Sunday
morning was between fifty and sixty, and that
about twenty or twenty-five remained to the
Holy Communion, it will be evident enough
that the settlement is not nonexistent.. ........
About 1000 acres have been sold as farm land
to various colonsts. chiefly from England and
the Northern States and considerable number
of town lots. On some of the town lots are
exquisite little cottages. One belonging to
Mrs. Hughes, Mr.. Hughes's mother, vigorous
lady of So, is a perfect gem. though think
others quite equal it, Flowers and vegetables
and fruit trees grow here excellently, and
shall never forget the evenings spent under her
hospitabe verandah, watching the humming
birds fit among the flowers, till the sun set
and the katy-dids began their chorus, and
the frefies began to dart about, and the stars
shone out with brlliancy that have never
seen equalled in England. The farms here
are clearngs from the primeval forest. Here
are growing corn, millet, potatoes tomatoes,
cabbages, onions, tobacco, apples, peaches, and
all sorts of melons. For all these, except the
first, the soil is very we'll suited. 1t will never
compete with the rich low lands in corn. The
farmhouses are log houses, built of course
by the settlers themselves and are not bad
quarters. The creeks or rivers run in narrow
valleys, almost Of the nature of canons, about
300 feet below the plateau. There are extra
ordinarily picturesque. About mile from the
town is the junction of white Oak" and
"Clear Fork" and no river scenery that |
know surpasses it. Strata richer than the
top sandstones crop out on the slopes of these
canons, and then, when no fires have spread
downwards to damage the trees, and with
richer soil, other species of trees mix with
J those of the plateau and attain extraordinary
, size and beauty. The hemlock, spruce, white
pine, yellow pine, and Spanish chestnut are
m 'gnfcent and among their stems are mag
' nolias, kalmias. dogwood, sassafras, and rhodo-
] dendrons of great SIZE"