St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-11
WHERE ENGLisHMEN GO NOT.
Shakespeare's Home at stratford
Not on Their List Of Familiars.

Not on Their List OF FamlllarS.
New York Tribune.
81 suppose said an English woman
to two American travellers on the deck
of one of the big transatlantic steamers,
'sthat you intend to visit Shakespeare's
birthplace"
ooh, yes" was the answer, 1--WE shall
go to Stratford by all means. You have
been there, of course?"
mo, | never have been. Very few
i English people go there, but it is great
resort for Americans"
"Why is it that English people take
so little interest, comparatively, i'll the
town which produced so great gen
ius?"
"WelI, | cannot account for it, ex-
cept, possibly, OH the theory that one is
neyer so likely to visit what is always in
ones reach as are those who go to a
strange country with the special object
of sightseeing Why, Oh this very
steamer | have met an American who
told me that, although his home is close
to New York, he has never visited your
Metropolitan Museum of Art in Central
park except once, while he has been a
number of times to the British museum.
and repeatedly to the Louvre. Now, l
fancy if he lived few hundred miles
from New York, and occasionally went
there TO see the sights he woHld have
much more intimate knowledge OF the
museum than he has now, when it is
within his reach every day, or at least
every week."
Ten days later two Americans were
on their way to StratfOrd-upon- Avon on
pleasant Saturday afternoon. Id the
same compartment with them for the
last few miles were two young English
men, with whom they fell in CONVERSE
ton, and who afforded singular proof of
their fellow-passenger's assertion that
English people do not visit Shake
speares birthplace in large numbers.
One of them left the train at
the station next to Stratford,
and then the other informed
the Americans that he himself had
lived in Stratford all his life and had
never seen the inside of the house Ill
which the great poet was born until last
year, when he had gone there with
friend who CHANGED to be visiting him,
and who expressed desire to see spot
of such interest, and he further said
that his friend, who had just left the
train, had always lived within three or
four miles of Stratford and had never
visited Shakespeare's birthplace in his
life.
The small boy Of StratfOrd may not
have accurate knowledge OF the person
ality and work OF the mighty dramatlst,
but he is much in earnest In his desire
10 show strangers about the place. In
his ability to pick out foreign traveller
intent OH seeing all that is worth seeing
in Stratford, he suggests the marvel
OF
and in persistence he is fully his equal,
but his demands are voiced in quiet
tone that does not jar upon the ear ike
the raSplng voice of the average street
urchin in the American metropolis.
At first he asks siXpence for
pointing out the birthplace, the
church, the theater and other objects of
interest. but when told that his Serv-
ices are not required he will calmly re-
duce the price thereof to threepence. OF
in the last resort to a penny. He does
not incline to anger If his final prOffer
is repulsed, but appears TO be hurt by
the fact thai his offer is not duly appre-
ciated. In this reSpect-but in no other
-Stratford suggests an American town,
since nowhere else on the main lines OF
travel in England are services of one
sort and another so perSlStently forced
on the newcomers.
The Stratford small boy is, however,
an interesting specimen of his kind, and
the two travellers whose experiences are
here recorded halfzregretted afterwards
that they had not spent a few pence in
securing the attention of the mild-eyed
youngster who walked by their side for
several rods, although Informed by
them more than once that they were
fully capable OF taking care of them
selves. 1t would probably have proved
a well-paying Investment and afforded
the opportunity for some new impress
sions regarding certain phase OF Eng
lish life not elsewhere on exhibition.