Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-12-17
snakespeare's House.

A writer from London says; it would
be ancient history to 50 many of my
readers to write of the house Shakes
peare was born in that 1 will not run
the risk Of being quite SO tiresome.
There is an idea prevailing that the
| three antique ladies who have the house
and museum in charge are the last liv-
ing descendants of the great poets
family. This is fiction, unfortunately,
but if the old ladies have not in point
of fact any blood relationship to the
Shakespeare family they are thoroughly
saturated with the conviction that the
little house OH StratfOrd ON Avon is,
with the events that have made it fam
Gus, the one important and imposing
spot on the face of the earth; that it is,
| in fact. the axis around which every
thing else revOlves. They also believe
firmly in the greatness of their own po-
sitiOn as guardians of these world-rev-
cred relics, and, joking aside, it is one
of great trust, and probably could not
be contded to more Jealous hands.
The greatest care is taken that no ac-
cident should occur. Gentlemen are
not permitted to bring lighted cigar
over the threshold, a match is never
lighted i'll the house, nor any kind of
light OF fire introduced. The building
is closed at dusk to prevent the neces-
sity of the former, and is heated by
steam, which is conveyed through pipes
from half block away. The houses
Oh either side of the Shakespeare birth
place were torn down a few years since
t1 urpyent danger from fire
During the tourists session hundreds
of people daily make this pilgrimage,
and hundreds and thousands of times
probably the three little old ladies in
their grim black silk gowns, with vel
Vet spencers and what the English call
''dress-caps" ornamenting their scant
locks, repeat the explanatory remarks
to group after grOd of visitors, begin
ming with BE kind enough TO place
umbrellas and walking sticks upon this,
the Old table of the poets father, next
turning your attention to this, the liv-
ing-room of the family, unchanged iii
any respect since the childhood of the
great author. After the father of the
poet died this room was rented for u
butcher-shop, which accounts for the
de:acing Of the floor; look, also. at the
chimney with its corner seats; here
William Shakespeare, as a lad, doubt
less little dreaming OF the great future
before him, often sat on winters ey-
ening after his return from the village
school. Visitors are permitted TO sit
moment in the chimney seat"-this in
tones at once solemn and patroniZing.
1--WE next have the second or best room
in the house, and OF OF it our poets
bedroom, but poor place, ladies and
gentlemen, to shelter the king of INTEL
lects.
And 50 from room to room. While
our party is in the poets so-called bed
room, IS.ear the second old lady, who
Is evidently just beginning the tour
with company, chanting the qnchang-
ing refrain word for word asa bur old
lady did at that point, and as We de-
5cend the narrow, crooked staircase,
after seeing the long upper room which
has the autograph Of Sir Walter Scott
Gut with diamond upon the window
pane, we run against the third of the
weird sisters just as she Is saying: "But
a poor place, ladies and gentlemen, to
shelter the king OF intellects."
The Shakespeare house is like two
houses, now that there is partition
wall cutting it directly through the
center from garnet to cellar or ground
floor, which was put there ''when the
poets father met with reveTses and
rented part Of the house as an inn."
This is now called the museum, where
in are collected the various relics Of
Shakespeare. his family, and a few In
teresting objects pertaining to his time,
notably the form OF desk from the vii
lage school the poet attended, ana
youched for by the best authorities
about Stratford as authentic. Every
smallest object is rellgiously guarded
as something sacred, and in noticing
this care and sOlicitude one cannot but |
bless the happy chance which awakened
these sleeping old villagers to realiZa-
tion of the treasures in their midst.