New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-07
THE SHAKESPEARE CITY.
QUARTOS AND FOLIOS-LORD RONALD Cow.
Frs STATUE--AMERICANS AT
THE RED HORSE.
fPRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE rRIBuvE.l
Gfraf ford -nrnn. A Nnn Iniu 90,

Shakespeare Memorial, who died a short time
ago. was buried at Kcnsal Green, in London-his
wish being to rest in that place. Mr. Wall, who
has succeeded him, is learned man, an antiquary
and an old newspaper writer. To him the readers
Of THE Stratford- on-Ayon Herald are indebted
for many instructive articles notably for those, re-
Gently published, giving an account Of the original
Shakespeare quartos. lately acquired for the Mes
mortal Library. These quartOs are The Mer-
chant of Venice" The Merry Wives of Wind
sorn and Perices" They were bought at the
sale Of of the effects OF the late Mr. Halii@
well-Phillips They are in fine condition. copy
of Roger of Faversham was also bought and a
copy Of one of the plays Of Aphra Behn. MIR. O!
j.. Flower purchased at this sale copy OF the
First Folio OF Shakespeare and all four Of the
Folios are now in his private library at Avon
bank, where lately passed an hour with them
and found them well worth seeing. II never be-
fore was my fortune TO see all four Of these
precious volumes Q625-l 1921 6G3-l $3.50 together
in one collection. Mr.. Flower animated the ins
tention of giving them al. finally, to the Shake
speare Memorial Library
One OF the new features of Stafford, Interests
ing to the Shakespeare pilgrim, is Lord Ronald
Covers statue of the poet. erected last summer
in the Memorial gardens. This work is fine in
of its details, but not fortunate in all, and
certainly infelicitous in its composition and its
site. 1t consists Of a vast PEDESTAL on the top OF
which stands the full-length bronze figure ot
Shakespeare, while at the four corners Of the
base are bronze figures Of Hamlet, Lady Macbeth
Henry and Falstaif. These character figures
are here named in the order Of their merit Ham,
let is the fuflment Of a noble ideal. The face
and figure are full of misery yet full OF thought.
The type of man thus embodied would be at once
rpcoUr anLvvhprp--an immortal poworfy1i
tender, gracious nature, completely broken and
subjugated by hopeless grief Lady Macbeth
though conventional in treatment, does convey
the idea of remOrse and Of physical attenuation
from suffering. and likewise the sense Of being
haunted. Henry is Represented as putting on
the crown. The figure is 1.-the, graceful and
spirited, and the action of it is natural 1t lacks
royal individuality, however, and 10 might be
taken for anybody as soon as FOR Prince Henry.
Falstaff appears as type of gross, chucklins
humor and almost might be taken for Gambrinus
or King Beer The intellect and the predominant
character of Fastaff are not indicated. These
figures are dwarfed by the size Of
the stone they surround-a huge pillar,
upon which appropriate lines upon Shakespeare,
selected by Mr. Flower, have been inscribed The
statue Of Shakespeare himself shows a man Of
solid Instrumentation and iron will an OBJ
server of universal view and incessant vigilance,
The remarkable feature of this figure is the perc-
ing look of the eyes, This is a man who sees,
ponders and records. Imagination and sensibiity
are not strongly suggested. The face laclua
modelling: it is smooth as a childs face
without characteristic curve or wrinkle; perhaps
it was designed TO express idea Of eternal youth!
The man who had Shakesrelres obvious experience
must have risen far above all that this world can
do TO bless or 10 ban human life. This structure
finally, has been badly placed. 1t stands on the
south side of the Memorial Building, and within
few feet of it, so that it is almost swallowed up
by what was injudiciously intended for its back
ground 1t would show to far better advantage
il placed further TO the southwark, looking down
the long reach of the Avon to Shakespeare
church The face Of the poet could then be seen
from the spot where he died. while his face would
still look, as it does now, toward his tomb.
The stream of American visitors continues ia
pour through the Red Horse Hotel. inside Oh
three days, recently hundred American names
appeared in the register The spirit of Washington
Irving is mighty yet Looking through few OF
the old registers Of this house came upon many
familiar names Of notable Americans. Bayard
TAYLOR came here on July 90, 1856; James f.
Murdoch on August 81, the same year; and the
Rev. Francis Vinton on June 10, 1851 Henry
Ward Beecher was here on June %, 1862; Elihu
Burritt the learned blacksmith on Septembep
10 1865; George Ripley on May IL, 1866. Poor
Artemus Ward arrived on September Is, 1866;
his death occurred, at Southampton, In the fol-
lowing March, The late Rev. Charles T. Brooks,
translator Of Faust registered here
on September 90, 1866. Charles Dudley
Warner came on May 6, 1868 Mr. and Mrs. W. j.
Florence on May 30, that year. and
S. r. Clifford and Jervis McEntee on the same
date. The poet Longfellow, accompanied by Tom
Appleton, arrived on June %, 1o6s. These bed
Horse registers constitute a unique and remarkable
collection of autographs. Within few pages L
noticed the curously contrasted signatures OF
Cardinal Wiseman, Sam Cowell, the Duo d'Aumae,
Tom Thumb, Miss BuIdett-COuttS Qo61), Banch-
ard Jerrod Edmund Yates, Charles Fechter,
Andrew Carnegie, David Gray of Buffalo,, the
Duchess of Coburg, Moses H. Grinnel, Lord Leigh,
j. NJ. Bellew, Samuel Longfellow, Charles ana
Henry Webb 1.-THE DromioS), Edna Dean Proctor,
Gerald Massey, Clarence A. Seward, Fred. Mac
cabe. NJ. D. Conway, the Prince of Condo, and
John L. Toole That this repository of auto
graphs is appreciated may gathered from the
fact that special vigilance has to be exercised to
prevent the hotel registers from being carried OF
or mutilated The volume containing tie signat-
ure of Washington Irving was stolen bodily some
wears ago, and has been vaguely heard of as being
in America
There is collection Of autographs of visitors
10 the Shakespeare birthplace that was gathered
many years since by Mary Horribly, former GUS
todian Of that cottage lit she who spitefully
whitewashed the walls to oblierate the writings
on them, when she was removed from her ofcei
and this is now in the possession of her grand-
daughter, Mrs. Smith, resident in the High Street
of Stanford; but many valuable names have been
stolen from it-among Others that Of Byron, who
visited Stratford about 1914 His visit is said 70
have been made in August, 1916, but that is i'm
possible, since he left England in the spring Of
1915, and left it never to retuT-tll he was
brought back corpse. The mania for acquiring
ra1ice ~ Stro tford n NON von T. very oreat Only