New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-17
ALONG THE THAMES.
CANOE JOURNEY FROM OXFORD TO WIND
SOR.
London, July 80.

In these days of express trains we hurry gen.
.aly from one great city to another, and see much
the same kind of life in all lands, but in the small
towns and hamets which we get only glimpse
n from the car windows is TO be found the true
lie OF the people and many historic place or
ouaint custom. Therefore we decided to take TO
the river from Oxford southwark; also to avoid
the steamboat, which makes regular trips, and
10 70 by the primitive convey ance of the row.
boat This would make us masters of the situa-
ton, so that we could pause or land as the humor
should take us. We spent the preceding Sunday
in quiet in the scholastic and somewhat gloomy
shades of oxford. We went to church at ST.
Mary the Virgins, which TO me was the most
interesting spot in town. John WicIliif preached
there, long before the Reformation, and in his
forciblc manner pointed out the evils that dis
graccd the Church. In the reign of Bloody Mary.
Ridley and Latimer held there one of those famous
discussions with the college doctors, in which
they fiurg TO the winds all considerations of per-
sonal safety, and. with the sounds of the crack
ling of fagots in their ears testified to what they
believed to lie truth There Archbishop Gram
mer made his recantation of his rccantation, and
devoted the hand that had signed the former TO
he first burned. There Amy RObsart is buried.
who was the victim to her love for Leicester and
of Elizabcths cOquctry, and whose history Scott
has so thrillingly written in "Kenilworth.
| must confess that did not hear word of
the sermon. If I looked at the preacher he be-
came changed into Wicklf and kept saying to
myself, Think of it. these stones have echoed
10 his mighty tones If ] turned 10 the OPP
posite side 10 regain my thoughts there was
the platform :" over against the pulpit" and Gran
mer there saying those earnest words, which
thrill us none the less because he had previously
hat ebrin a.,
healthy nature feels wonder if there is any
like timber in the English episcopate to-day TO
teach the people how to suffer for Christ? What
power a bishop would be who dared to dis
regard palace and pOmp, and live humbly with.
out either do not see why such fuss should
be made about Selwyn and Lghtfoot But l was
drifting away from the sermon again. So l
thought that would fix my eyes on the floor and
keep them there but unfortunately they fell
on the spot where poor Amy was buried, and
] could see her lying there in her STROUD, her
sweet face in peace at last, after all her love
and Therefore / had to give the sermon
up. | imagine that il was dull. and that lost
little The heaviness of the hampton Lectures,
which are delivered from that pulpit. seemed TO
overlap it, Perhaps | got as much from my
wanderings At any rate / came away feeling
that we ought to stand in the truth If we died
for it, and that there was one kind of love that
brought no storms and woe. but only peace.
Who would have believed Tat the stately col
hre town could take on such light-hearted
and medieval gaycty as Oxford did that Sun
day afternoon, 1t was Hospital Day, and all
the benevolent associations of the city make il
the occasion of parade to the cathedral, where
q service is held. Soon after noon the streets
began TO resound with the music of bands head
ing Odd Fellows lodges, temperance associations
and benevolent clubs of tradcsmen 10 their places
in the line. The music was neither Old Hun
dred' nor Dundee" but was suspicously SINH
lar 10 Johnny's come home from the war OK
cept that an occasional hold, made where the
tune threatened TO become too Jolly, gave it
proper Sunday effect When the march Of the
whole line began an incident took place which
convinced me that John Bull is fully our equal
in methods for raising money. Young men were
posted all along the street and actually took mp
o collection from the spectators on both SIDEWALKS
for hospital work. Yet that was not the best of
it; for while was congratulating myself that
was in the second-story window and should there
fore escape bag on the end of a long pole was
pushed up at u.s. There nothing for it but
10 give or run TO the cellar What pity We did
not think of this on the centenary OF Washing
toms Inauguration to provide for our Memorial
Arch. But still We Yankees like to separate
hurrahing and paying; and it is well enough if
all that hurrah also pay. John Bull thinks 1t
surest TO do both together
Sunday over, we started on voyage. had
previously secured good rOOmy Canadian canoe,
with waterproof sheets. and an old waterman
with such benevolent face that Bouguerean must
have seen him before he painted his Helping
Hand" We pushed OIL at 10 o'clock. ! was
disappointed at first to find the Thames narrcw,
but its charm in its whole course is not grandeur
but caressing loneliness. mile and half
and We came to Inley Lock. | recognized immc-
diatey the old mill which is slletched by every
artistic Tnglishman Us a part Of his education
We landed and went up 20 the church, while tie
boat passed the lock. Some laborrs were eat
ing dinner. IL consisted Of bread and lard.
They generally get potatoes once in tie day, ana
bacon on Sundays. Beef IS reserved for the
great NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and the Queens Birth
day. Their wages iifty-siX cents per day
As we reached the church the congregation were
coming out from daily prayer-iTSt, the clergy
man, in surpHce; secondly lady, probably his
wife, thirdly and lastly, another lady. Under
such circumstances | should be High Churchman
to save conscience hold some theory which
gives value 10 official services without congrcga-
ton; else give that time 10 East London. i
wonder if men and women pray less than formerly
or whether it is that they mnglc prayer with
work more than formerly? But in dreaming ]
walked straight through the tOll-9ate, and the
woman in charge ran after me for the half
pennies. We were soon adrift again. What
beautiful villas these are, with the grccnsward
sIopng with grace down to the water! Evidently
these are places 10 live wherein, and spend money,
not make it. These are pleasure grounds not
farms. One realizes here what stream Of wealth
Is pouring in from foreign lands to be spent here
III England Egyptian Fcliahs and liinIocStaneeG,
ana ~a'hoesles and Irish peasants are toiling for
IT, besides those little children whom | saw in
inc spinning mill, half naked, hurrying from one
pace 10 another to take off the full spools al the