Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-02-09

STRATFoRD-oN-AyoN.
On Friday, after our return from
Warwick, we started for Stratford-on-
Avon, expecting friend to join us at
Birmingham. We were easily persuad-
ed to remain over till the next day, thus
giving us an opportunity of seeing the
principal streets of Birmingham, filled
with fine shops, Gillitt's pen manufac-
tory, and the board school houses, built
after the American plan, with all mod
ern improvements, "a great change from
their former ones. Miss B was
head teacher, over 800 girls, with six
assistants. The partitions were of
glass and could be showed up like a win
dow. thus giving one large room, for
singing or closing exercises.
Standardization has nothing par
ticularly interesting except as being the
birthplace of William SHAKESPEARE.
From the station we walked to the
church where he, his wife and one child
lie buried in the chancel. just above,
in the wall is monument, the bust
is as large as life, and was originally
colored in imitation of nature; the eyes
were Gght-hazel the hair and beard au-
burn the doublet was scarlet; the
loose gown, without sleeves, black; the
plain band around the neck, and the
waist bands were white; the upper part
of the cushion in front of the bust was
green, the under half crimson; the
cord running around the cushion and
the tassels were gilt. These colors
were renewed in 1749; but Malone
caused the whole to be covered over
with one or more coats of white paint
in 1793.n
MARBLE EFFIGIEs
of the Clopton family, were in another
part of the church. We passed the
grammar school, where Shakespeare is
supposed to have received his rather
primitive and meagre education, as he
and Anne Hathaway were married,
when he was only eighteen and she
twenty-six He left Standardization,
and his home, soon after their third
child was born, and did not return until
quite late in life, when he bought from
some member of the Clopton family, the
new home which he called New
Place. spending the last years of his
life there, We returned by another
street, passing over the old bridge,
built by Henry VIII from which there
is such a lovely view, of the church
meadow and river Avon, stopping at
the " Falcon" time for dinner opposite
New Place. In one of the inns called
Shakespeare Arms each room is
named from one of his plays.
We soon reached Henley street, and
the old house where he was born, and
spent his early life. As we rang the
bell, and the door opened, small voice
was saying, in a monotonous way, as
if learned by heart with oft repeating
g This is the room where the family
lived, cooked and ate their meals.
THE ROOM WAS VERY Low,
with a stone floor, which was badly
broken, while used as butchers shop.
The building now belongs to the govern
ment, no one lives there, no fire or light
is ever allowed in it, iron pipes are laid
through it, ard heated from the next
house, where live the Misses Chataway,
two very thin old ladies in whose care
is the house and museum. They give
and the honors generally.
They reminded me of two birds chatter
ing their daily lesson of items. The
furniture for the different rooms has
been donated, as relics of that age.
In the room above, where we first
and in which Shakeshere was
born, the walls, ceiling, as well as the
lambs were filled to completeness, with
not another could possibly have
been added. Even the window pancs
were full of
NAMES CUTIN WITH A DIAMOND.
Madam Vestris, Sir Walter Scott, and
Lucien Bonapart, were the most distin-
guished that | could dccipher. A fine
bust of the poet stood on the table in the
front room, where the bed had formerly.
The ceiling was very low. The back
room had been made higher by taking
away small attic, to make room for n
splendid painting of the immortal bard,
which is in a tire-proof case, in frame
made from the oak left from the altera-
tons. This picture was found acct
IDENTIFY, covered by another, where
crack in the canvass had disclosed the
picture beneath 1t had no doubt been
done to save it, during some troublous
times. Perfectly preserved. The ar
fist unknown.
We were requested to leave our auto
graphs, Our guide said 10000 were
left each year. five Americans to one Eng
Gshman The Museum a side room,
with an extra charge of sixpence, con-
tanned many curious things, among them
fine paintings of
DAVID GARRICK
and his wife, also the first edition of
works, Merchant OF
Venice" 100 guineas. His signet ring,
chair, and desk upon which he learned
TO write. From its hacked appearance,
he used his knife more freely than his
pen, at that early age. Four lines from
Washington Irving, of praise during
his visit to the poets old home, the
deed of settlement of the estate, with
his fathers X, anu he was mayor of the
city. Our guide gave us parting
benson THAT he was not only the
Nations pride, but the worlds" Some
Americans have presented very hand
some memorial window just to the left
of the monument in the church, design,
I" the seven ages of man.
/. S. VA.
The fertilization bill for keeping in re-
pair and arming the seacoast defences
appropriates $1,000 This for coast