The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-03-26
TIE BRILLIANT STORY TELLER RE-
LATEs THE INCIDENTS OF A
DAY AT RUGBY.
He Talks Enchantinely About the guam
Old Town, Made Famous by rom
Browns school Days
RUGBY. ENG, March 5, 1891.

stands the fine old town OF Rugby.
Boche- berie from roche rock or stone
quarry, and berie, court or hablta-
ton of note, you will see it called in
King Williams Domesday Book; but
in the Dictonaire Celtique it's authog-
raphy became Rokeby, from rue,
river, and bye, town, that is, river
town, or town near or by stream,
which name prevailed for many cen,
turtles.
Its environment is historically re-
ma kable. 1t stands at what was once
the edge of the great and historic for
est of Arden, which lay between the
banks of the Avon, Trent and Severn.
In the 18th century the first great bat
tie between the kings and the parla-
mentary forces was fought at Elge
Hill. twenty five miles to the south, t"
which the lads of the Rugby school Of
ten make excursions; and distant from
Edge Hill but six miles is Banbury, OF
the cherished nursery rhyme memory,
and to whose toothsome cheese ohaks
peare, likened Falstat1. 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 as near is Waiting street, the
most stupendous Of the old Ro.
man works in Britain, and an eighty
mile tramp will take you over II, III
the very track OF the ancient legions,
into London. Not far away in the adj.
Joining shire of Northampton, is
FotheriDghay, notably connected with
the lives and fates of princes, and fa
nous and II famous as the place of ex
ecutiOn OF Mary Queen of Scots. The
grand old ruin of Kenilworth, with its
memories of jousts, tournaments and
revelIies of Elizabeth, is but a dozen
miles to the west. Coventry, with its
legends OF pilgrimages and the deed
OF Godiva which brought freedom to
the city, is nearer still. Warwickshire
possesses no less than sixty-four great
seats with their castles and halls, from
Allesley Park to WroXall House. be-
sides many fine cathedrals, and superb
| monastery and castle ruins. While
| but summer days walk Gown the
gently flowing Avon, is Stratford,
tomb and shrine of the worlds imInor-
| tai bard.
Rugby was never widely noted-for
it had founded no abbeys, built no
cathedrals. originated no pilgrimages.
and cut off the head ofno great prince
until one big-hearted, big Drained
Englishman, Tom Hughes, told OF his
boyish experiences in Tom Browns
School Days at Rugby" in such win.
some way, that he drew the hart of
every boy, young and old, so tenderly
to the brick quadrangle here, that. in
reminescence and affection il has be-
come genuine shrine for any manly
sort OF a fellow that ever had any
school days of his own, throughout all
christendom.
Outside of the fortuitous fame given
Rugby town aud school by "Tom
Browns School Days" the present
great Importance of the school as AL
educational factor in England had its
origin in almost an accident, and it,
grandest development in an equal,
fortunate incident. Its founder was a,
fanatical an old pudge as ever lived il
England. His name was Laurence
Sheriff. He was born of lowlN
parentage at Rugby and became
an ordinary nimble-istpd green
don, frequenting the Rose Tavern and
exciting religious brawls while in hi
cups On one of these occasions al
equally Anticipated haberdashe
whom Sheriff had inceused with hi
maudIin harangues about himself tn,
Lord, and good ,ayde EIzabeth-alter
wards Queen BesS-had the audac,t,
to call Princess Elizabeth "a JILL Or
this monstrous otfense being given
Sheriff ran away as fast as his dump,
legs could carry him; had an "infOr
nation" laid against the haberdashe
before the Bishop of London, TO
which the witlrss purveyor of ancien
furbelows got flap with a fox tail,
and Sheriff got his luminous name il
FoXs Book Of Martyrs.
Thls valiant grtc.r died in Lon
uoh III 1867, bequeathing init,
OF property in and near Rugby, and
originally, $50 in money, the value O
the total bequest at that tim
not exceeding e4C0-for the pur
pose of building 'fayre and con
venient school house" in the then vii
lage OF Rugby. The master was, eff
conveniently might be, to be ever
Master OF Arts" There was also to b
lodging for four almSmen Out of thi
lnunificent hequest the trustees wer
ehahIed,abon one hundred wears later
III NOS to solemnly decree a paymnu
10 me schoo,master Of salary of thre
louhdS per quarter, aud to the aims
men gilt OF seven shil ings and sevel
, pence per quarter. According to tn
green grocer Laurence Sherif's wi
and intent" Rugby school would hav
remained to this day precisely thi
manner of ha'peuny charity As tn
last moment the way old miser re
p'nTed of wasting 80 much money o.
= grammar scholars ana almsmeu, anC
] by cod eli. substii uted in lien of m
grant OF $50, one-third of twenty
Tour then valueless acres of land be-
longing To him in Middle>ex. The fell