The Portland daily press., 1886-11-10
FIGHTING FIRE IN MAINE
Oxford Democrat.
OUR FOREIGN LETTER.


Especial correspondence of the PREss.l
DEVoNsHIRE AND SOMERSET CONTINUED.
This delightful exchange, of being trans
ported to Barnstaple, ride of twenty miles
in the bracing sea air, and over the fertile
hills of North Devon by carriage, rather than
in the smoky train, is brought about by the
rivalry of two railroads From Barnstaple
the train sped us on our journey to Taunton,
our objective point, being the cathedral town
in the same diocese with rural parish Sto-
gumber During the winter, while looking
over an old Typographical publication at the
British Museum, the name Stogomor attract
ed the notice of one of our party. So many
of the old words have undergone changes by
tine mingling of tongues, in the occupation of
the land by new people, that the history and
origin OF names of places becomes very fas-
cinating. Following the history of Stogomor
it was found to be the present Stogumber,
the identical name that George Cleve gave
his home in Casco. If the name had no
charm Of association for him, it was singu-
lar coincidence that he should have selected
such an unknown and uncouth name, where
there were hundreds for his choice of his
Uoric interest. A correspondence was opened
with the vicar, who, though dead to all love
of antiquarian lore, consented to show the
parish records, which ran back to 1855 For
this purpose the trip to Stogumber was
planned. In strolling about Taunton during
the evening, we strayed into the lovely close
of st. James Cathedral, the mother church
of the city. Having with very few exceptions
been most courteously received and aided by
the Wears in England, in hunting up histori-
cal items, we made ourselves known at the
vicarage. We were ushered into the study
to wait while the reverend slipped his last
cup of tea; here his son, lad of dozen
years, was pouring over his next mornings
lessons. Whether it was his deep sense of
responsibility to play the host in his papa's
absence, or, like other boys, he was on the
alert to catch at any excuse to abridge his
study hour, we would not say, but the alacri-
ty with which he ended his Latin conjuga-
tions and began to make himself agreeable
to us, was quite amusing. Gradually the
conversation turned upon the schools and
churches, when he was wide awake to learn
everything about matters beyond the sea. In
reply to enquiries of the working of the
board schools or English free schools, he
odlu VII. Vi CouiSc, L uOu huOM uluCll dDOuJ
Them" and when the mistake was made.
SO natural to people from a free land, in
speaking of any house of worship as
church, the youth at once stiffened with his
ecclesiastical conservatism and said, "Ah!
but those are not churches, they are only
chapels. We have lots of them" However,
in moment the instructive free nature of
boy, whose thought had not become quite
crystalized by parochial training took pos
session OF him, and evidently his mind logi-
cally reasoned, that if we were conversant
with board schools and dissenting churches,
we should not think it sin to enjoy joke
at the expense of a high magnate of the
church, than whom he had been taught
to hold there was not greater
upon earth. His reyered parent might
have groaned and trembled at the he
heretical tendency in his boy could he have
peeped in at the door and seen the youth
leap to the table, fairly chuckling and shak-