Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-01-02
a StatesI1, MS Home.

English statesmen generally enjoy an
advantage not always possessed by those
If our owl, land III having country es-
tates to which they can retire when out
of office.
No one can attain to the full measure
OF harmonious manhood vino is totally
severed from the soil the common
source of healt. and wealth; and sure
ly, If any mai should have AL atlva5a-
geous lot, it is those who administer
public affairs
Mr.. Glaustcne>s country home is at
Hawardcn. q beautiful parish in the
county of Flint, within sight and SOM |
Of the Irish seq Flint, or Flincsiijrc, is
the smallest county III Wales, but rot
the least attractive, One-third of its
sxtent is owned by thirteen proprietors.
Of whom the premier ranks sec onG in
The number Of his acres. Lord Hammer,
has seven thousand three hundred and
eighteen, and Mr.. Gladstone six thous-
and nine hundred and eight acres.
Except 81 Well wooded park, this es-
;ate is divided into farms, which are let
10 tenants upon long leases, at a rent
d something like ten dollars an acre.
This rent. however, ilas of lato Years
been subject to serious reluct ions,
owing to al extraordinary series Of fonr
bad harvcsts. Such all estate would
usually yield the proprietor about forty
Thousand dollars year.
The house in which Mr.. Gladstone
lives is called Hawavtlen Castle. Arneri-
can visitors, who naturally think that
Eli castles must be like those described
in Sir Walter Scott's poems AMI novels,
are disappointed in finding this one an
imitation castle, built only fifty or sixty
years ago, & plain, roomy house with
sham battlemerts, such as a retired
merchant of the last generation might
have built. Indeed, we believe it was
built by Mrs. Gladstoae's grandfather,
who was an alderman of Liverpool,
The aesthetic visitor is consolesd by
sight of the real Hawarden Castle, an
ivy-mantled ruin, which lifts it's green
and venerable front in full view Of the
Inhabited mansion, which has nothing
to recommend it except that it is con-
yenient and comfortable
It may be said, perhaps. that these
;wo editices we'll represent their present
proprietor, who is himself a Nineteenth
century man, yet cherishes a wise re-
gard for the fourteenth. We say wise
regard. He values the ivy antled
ruin, without forgetting that it is ruin,
and lives in the ugly house which has
the modern improvements.
The charm of Hawarden, rs of every
other noted European house, is it's park.
For many centuries, the English people
have had peculiar taste for rural beau
$ty, owing to the fact that the homes Of
powerful families have always been in
the country. Ii YOU were to go through
the whole Burke's Peerage and ask
every person mentioned in it, "Where
7 do you live, my lord ?" not one of them
would answer london" r.. =
s# They have shouses" in London; but
their homes are where the birds sing.
Hence, age after age, the taste of the
nation has exhausted itself in deyelop.
ing and displaying the loveliness Of tie /
country, until I'M English park is the I
most exquisite thing to be seen in the
world. {ss @
Mr.. Gladstone delights chiefly in his
trees. and be likes them too we'll TO let
them fall into decay. When q tree has
reached it's perfect growth he rejoices
sto cntit down with his own hands aud
good American axe. He has q choice
seo1lection Of thirty axes, many Of which
;hsye been sent TO him by persons syn-
pAthizing with his lore of tho woods
mans craft For lbs own chop
hoWever, he viii have 40 axe but HE
inst ,lnant made Al lew England, and
developed "a perfection ~ two centnr-
oettls with the priimeyal forest.