The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-03-21
Qlrf SntflLtaftlter.
Oniooi Nos. rs and ~ FOURTEENTH Street.
VAKHMAN'S TRAVELS.

A Day at Rugby,

-
sunniest OF all its midland shires, closely
surrounded by scenes Of the mos
romantic and historic interest, standl
the fine old town Of Rugby. Roch.berie
from roche a rock or stone.quarry, and
berie, court or habitation OF note, you
will see II called in King William'G
Domesday Book but in the Dictionaire
Celtique ils photography became Rokeby,
from rue, river, and bye. a town, that is,
q river.town, or town near or by stream,
which name prevailed for many CEN
turtles.
It's environment is historically re-
maIkable. 1t stands at what was once
the edge OF the great and historic forest
Of Arden, which lay between the banks
Of the Avon, Trent and Severn. In the
seventeenth century the first great bat
tie between the kings and parliamentary
forces was fought at Edge Hill, twenty.
Eve miles to the south, to which the
lads OF Rugby School often make excur.
sions; and distant from Edge Hill but
six miles is Banbury, OF the cherished
nuraerY.rhyme memory, and to whose
toothsome cheese Shakespeare ikened
Falstalf, because Of his fat and rich
habit. Not two miles away from Rugby
the Avon is enlarged by the river Swift,
memorable for having borne to ocean
wastes the ashes OF Wickliffe when his
bones were burned by order OF the
council Of Sienna. Quite IS near
Is Waiting street, the most stu.
pendous OF the old Roman works
in Britain, and an eighty-mile
tramp will take you over II, in the
very track Of the ancient legions, into
London. Not far away, in the adjoining
shire OF Northampton, is Fotherlnghay,
notably connected with the lives and
iates Of princes, and famous and infa
nous az the place Of execution Of Mary
Queen OF Scots. The grand old ruin OF
Kenilworth, with its memories Of jous'F,
tournaments and Tevelries of-EliEAbeth,
is but dozen miles to the west. Coven.
try, with its legends OF pigrimages and
the deed OF Godiva which brought free
dom TO the city, is nearer still. War
wIckshire possesses no lees than sixty.
four great seats with their castles and
halls, from Allesley Park to Wroxall
House, beaides many fine cathedrals,
and superb monastery and castle ruinB.
While but a summer days walk down
the gently flowing Avon, ia Stratiord,
tomb aud shrine OF the worlds immortal
bard.
Rugby was never widely noted-tor it
had founded no abbeye, built no cathe'
drals, originated no pilRrimages, and cut
of the head OF no reatprince-until one
big.b.ained, big.hearted Englishman,
Tom Hughes, told Of his boyish exper.
fences in "Tom Browns School Days at
Rugby" in such winsome way, that he
drew The heart Of every boy, young and
old, so tenderly to the brick quadrangle
here, that, in "reminiscences and affection
it has become genuine shrine for any
manly sort OF fellow that ever had any
school.dsys OF his own, throughout all
christendom.
Outside Of the fortuitous fame given
Rugby town and school by TON
Browne School Days." the present great
importance OF the school as an educa'
tional factor in England had it's origin
in almost IN accident, aud its Rrandest
development in an equally fortunate
incident. It's founder was as fanatical
an old pudge as ever lived in England.
His name was Laurence Sheriff. He
was born OF lowly parentage at Rugby,
aud became an ordinary nimble.tsted
green.grocer Of the time in London, tre-
quenting the Rose Tavern and exciting
religious brawlB while in hiS cups. On
one Of these occasions an equally addie:
pated habeTdasher whom Sheriff had
Incensed with his maudlin harapgues
about himself, the Lord, and good layde
Observation-Disclosures Queen Bess-had
the audacity to call Princess Elizabeth
"a JILL" On this monstrous o1ense
being given, Sheriff ran away as fast as
his dumpy legs could carry him; had an
''iniormation" laid against the haber-
dasher before the Bishop Of London; for
which tho witless purveyor OF ancient
turbelows "got flap with fox tail )"
and Sheriff got his luminous name IN
Fox's Book OF Martyrs.
The valiant grocer died in London in
1867. bequeathing mite OF property IN
and near Rugby, and, originally, Gl5O In
money, the value OF the total bequest at
that time not exceeding Gi0O-tor the
purpose OF building 80 fayre and con-
venient school house" in the then vii
lags OF Rugby. The master was, "it 1t
conveniently might be, to be ever a
Master Of Arts," There was also to be
lodging for four almsmen. Out OF this
muniticent hequest the trustees were en-
abled, about one hundred years later, In
1858, TO soIemnIy decree q payment TO
the schoolmaster OF q salary Of three
pounds per quarter, and to the alnsmen
Vift Of seven shillings and seven
\ pence per quarter. Aecording 70
green grocer Laurence Sherit's will
and intent" Rugby school would have
remained to this day precisely this man.
DER OF a ha'peny charity. AT the Inst
moment the wary old miser repented oil
wasting 20 much money on grammar
schola's aud almsmen, and, by codicil
substituted in lieu OF the grant Of G55O
one,tbird Of twenty.four then valuelesH
acres Of land belonging to him in Mid
dlesex. The field was an unsightly
waste in the Conduit Close Of Gray's Ina
Fields. After many years, mighty Lon
don oyerran the spot; Conduit Fieldt
became one OF lie most aristocratic dis
! tricts; the present income from the pro
! perry muBL e&Cteu GEV'USo Pei aunuu!
and this 10 how Rugby school became
one OF the most splendid, and undonbt
edly' the richest non'seCtarian boys
schools in the world.
But better than its accidental wealth
. was RuSby's incidental Transformation
. from the old system of hammering ant
bullying to one guided by intelligence
and humanity. In 1928, along came
demure and kindly faced man, whom tn
world now knows as the famous pr. Al
mold. He became Head Master OF Rug
by. He was quiet, unassuming man
! who, while he happened to enbfac
Christianity and become q great scholar
seemed not to have forgotten that a poi
ton OF his life bad been passed in boy
hood and youthtime, He fought . grea
though silent battle at Rugby with tn
old feudal forms ofsneering dignity, loft
J. exclusiveness and "reminiscences on tn
part OF undermasters, and with the Dc
Y lenders Of the bludgeon generally. II
got together men who would teach Ian
SuaOes and mathematics "in hours, Fan
practice morally outside OF them. d
took the boarding. halls away from venl
wretchers and p1t them In charge OF pr