New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-22

preciaton that she has received in this country or
the genuine worth Of her performance People
like her vigor DASH impetuous spirit and rich and
original personality Her impersonation Of Katha-
rine is purely Shakespearean-for 10 subtly shows,
beneath the shrewishness the sweet, wholesome
woman nature of Katharine, that makes her so
we'll worth winning.
AT the Shakespeare Birthplace Mr.. Savage kindly
submitted to my inspection many choice selections
from those old papers, lately found in room Of the
Grammar School adjacent to the Guild Chapel
About 5000 separate papers were discovered,
the old casixngled with the new; many OF them
indentuHs Il apprenticeship; many OF them re-
ceipts for money; none OF them especially I'M
portant rs bearing on the Shakespeare story.
Several are in Latin. The earliest date noticed In
them is 156O-four years before the poet was
born. One is an amusing memorandum pre-
senting' couple Of the wives OF Stratford 1or
SANDER Of certain other women and quoting theIr
language with rather startling fidelity. Another
is letter from a citizen Of London, named smart
establishing and endowlng free school IN Stra'-
ford, for teaching English-the writer quantity
rcmarlSng that schools for the teaching OF Latin
are numerous while no school for teaching English
exists, that he can hear Of Mr. Savage had CLASH
fed and arranged the papers, but as yet he had
found nothing directly pertinent to Shakespeare
I saw deed that bore the Mark" Of Joan, sister
Of Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother. but this
may not be a recent discovery. All these papers
are written in the character denoted by Tony
Lumpln, as a ID, cramped piece Of penman-
ship as ever I saw in my life Mr.. Savage,
however, is singuarly sldlful in reading this
crooked and queer cagraphy; and know that
the materials and the duty of utilizing them are in
fha HOG
sions of Mr.. Savage published they will be
found to possess this value-that they will aug
ment the mass of evidence already existing, much
of it well set forth by Observation-Disclosures, that
the writer Of Shakespeares plays was man
vastly familiar with the neighborhood, the names,
and the everyday life Of Stratford-upon-Avon;
little fact which is not without its admOnitory
suggestiveness to those credulous persons who
incline to listen to such silly and ignorant talk
that of Mr.. Ignatius Donnelly. This peripatetic
donkey, by the way has lately visited Stratford,
under the escort of that excellent Shakespearean,
Samuel Timmns, of Coventry, who had
quiet lark with him. Mr.. Don
nelly viewed the scenes usually visited.
but said nothing-at the time. He was thought
to have felt little surprised that the inhabitants
did not assal him with disapprobative eggs. In
fact he attracted no attention. The new vicar Of
Trinity, the Rev. George Arbuthnot, formerly of
Arundel, an unpopular man. and one who cares
nothing for Shakespeare, naturally enough invited
him to luncheon. But that is all :" He did not
address himself to me-" said Miss Chataway, at
the Birthplace; had he done so, should have
informed him that. in Stratford, Bacon is all
CANNON" She was quite right. So it 49, And
not alone in Stratford, neither.
They have in Stratford one clergyman of rare
abty-the Rev. II. S. De Courcy Laffan. He
is the headmaster of the Grammar School and
he breaches in the Guild Chapel opposite to New
Place Liberal in thought, frank in spirit, manly
in character, simple in style, and full of sens-
bllity, he made a most interesting figure in the
pulpit, and very strongly impressed his hearers.
The Rev. George Arbuthnot, whom saw and heard
at Trinity, presents striking contrast to this
gcnteman-hterally a striking contrast; for he has
once been arragned before the magistrates for
battery. This clergyman, when asked for leave
to open Shakespeares grave, promptly gave it,
and only withdrew it when he found that the
people of Stratford were Indignantly opposed to
this proceeding Since the Rev. Mr.. Arbuthnot
came into the Stratford vicarage the exterior Of
the church has been restOred-which was de-
sirable and necessary work-and the old galleries
have been torn out of the nave. which was a
change of questionable propriety. In an archi-
without galleries; and those galleries that were
removed were not ancient. But there is evidence
that the church contained galleries in Shake
pearcs time and for many years galleries had
existed in it. There some things which ought
not to be tempered WITH and Stratford Church
is one of them. Other innovations are contem-
plated-one being the destruction of the ancient
crypt and the addition Of a chapel upon the north
side of the chancel This would spoil the church,
but 1t would be useful for professions Of choristers
The churchyard has been made prim and formal
Every gravestone has been Strengthened, and many
mounds appear to have been leveled. The de-
lightful air of antiquity, which was one charm OF
that place has thus been in some measure dispclled
The Rev. Mr. Arbuthnot is, seemingly, a good
hearted man, strong in character, resoute IN will,
obstinate in disposition, truculent, narrow, OF
high-church proclivties and deficient In poetic
sympathy. Such man is dangerous as the Gus
todian of Shallespearean shrine, and the people
in England who are interested in this subject
ought especially to watch his proceedings. This
one of the interests of the whole civilized world
New Place is not nearly as much visited as the
Birthplace, yet one would think that the spot
OH which Shakespeare died would be deemed fully
as sacred as that on which he was born. Only
537 visitors went there last year the year ending
April 10, 1889. In repairing the custodian's
house at New Place, not long since, the crossed
timbers in the one remaining wall Of the original
structure were found beneath plaster. These
have been left uncovered, and their dark lines add
to the picturesque effect of the place. 1t is not
known how the old house looked prior TO ZAP;
but we know that when Shakespeare lived there
(he bought it in 1897, when he was only thirty
three years old the street, Chapel Lane, that
separates it from the Guild Chapel was narrower
than it is now, and that the house stood in a
green, enclosed by a wall, the entrance to the
garden being in Chapel Lane The chief rooms
were panelled in oak, with square, sunk panels,
covering the entire walls. There is nothing left
now but the old well in the celarage, the frag
ments of the foundation, the Intel, the armorial
stone, and the wall that forms part of the Gus
todian's house. That custodian. Mr.. Bower Bull
mer whom many travellers will remember as u