The record-union., 1892-11-19
Especial Correspondence Of the RECORD
UNION. Copyright, 1921

ETON, England. November 7, 1892
Eton, in many respects the greatest of
the endowed schools Of England has al
ways basked in the sunshine of royalty.
Literally and figuratively the sun has al
ways shown upon it from the direction of
Windsor. Literally and figuratively,
too, the eyes OF the sovereign are always
upon it.
So close is Elton College to Windsor
Castle; so pronounced has always been
the favor of British rulers to the school;
so interviewer with British prowess,
craftsmanship, science, art and literature
have been the historic names cut in the
school-boy days upon its antique wood
work, until the place seems a veritable
memorial roll-call of the past and pres
ent great of the nation, that imperceptl-
bly, It's prestige, renown and perlna-
nency have come to be as much mat
ter of national pride to every English
man as the integrity of the British En-
pire ITSELF
Ii you come by rail from London to
Eton you must Of necessity pass through
the royal borough of Windsor, for at
Windsor is the terminus of the little
branch line over which rolls the stately
coaches of the Queen. Iou will, of course,
visit Windsor Castle. From its towers
and terraces the NEST remarkable object
in all The landscape is Elton College. The
castle is a short distance from the south
bank of the Thames, and the college is
about the same distance from the north
ern bank. Embedded within the vener-
able trees it is quite as interesting an OBJ
Ject, although 1t appears differently to the
imagination, as the somber gray silhou-
cite OF Windsor itself, were you viewing
The latter from the battlements OF Lup-
toms Tower at Elton.
Around Windsor Castle huddles a COM
pact though slovenly old town. Crowd
ing close to Eton College is a lesser
though pleasanter collection of narrow
windowed shops, snug and often pictur-
esque boarding or DANES" houses
where the youngsters OF Elton dwell, de-
cayed hostelries and tiny homes OF those
who in time come to subsist upon the
Ineager though permanent gainings of an
ancient and decorous college town. The
Thames, here a beautiful, pellucid and
almost languorous stream, winds in and
out and on between, separating Bucking-
hamshire and its olden college town from
berkshire and its worlds famous royal
demesne.
The chief thoroughfare of Windsor
winds from east to west around the south
ern walls of the castle; at its southwest
ern angle just beyond the Henry VIII.
gateway merges into High street. and
this, abruptly descending under the IA
nous C5eSar'S Tower, becomes Thames
street. The latter, shadowed by the
castle walls on the east and huddled
shops on the west, leads to a bridge across
the Thames.
When you have idled here for time
among the crowds of gay boatmen
thrOnging the bridge and river banks
above and below and set your face to-
ward the college, you are upon the one
long, Struggling street which Eton pos
sesses. This, now and then entered by
pretty courts and lanes, extends no more
than half mile when it breaks into two
beautiful country roads-the one winding
To the west to Bray, where dwelt the Vi
car of chameleon fame, and the other to
Slough, where Herschell lived, and thence
on to Stoke Poges, where sang and lies
buried the author of the "Elegy."
Just where these roads diverge, beneath
noble elms, where ivy and creepers al
most cover every ancient wall, are clus-
tered the chief buildings, various Offices
and principal masters houses of Eton
College. Divested entirely of its scholas-
tic associations it is as pleasant and rest
ful a spot as one can find in England.
Along both sides of the highway, which
here runs northeasterly toward Slough
and back northwesterly toward Wind
sor, close up to the street line are massed
the quaintest of strange old structures.
From time to time most of these have
been added TO the original college build
iugs, or some building devoted to other
purposes, have been in way transformed
Tor school uses, until the charming and
curious spectacle is presented of towns
chief thorOughtare, retaining many of its
old-time town aspects, forming some
hing like a busy yet reposeful and
shaded way through an idly planned and
Vagariously opposed though always pict-
uresque college retreat.
The original college buildings are all to
the east OF this highway. Opposite are
the score or more which have been built
or acquired. If you should stand imme-
diately in front of the former, by the
worn archway through which for more
than four and a half centuries have
passed in and out stately collegers with
flowing gowns and fiippant Oppidans
without, as far as you could see toward
Windsor and up the gentle turnings of
the diverging highways, every ancient
building has Its use for Elton school, Elton
master or officer, Eton printing. Eton
books. or some other sort OF occupancy
necessary to the conduct of Elton College
affairs. Our own colleges and universi-
ties often far excel these old world seats
of learning in their huge proportions and
lonely vaStness and isolation. But most
of the latter gain immeasurably in the
pleasant feeling of homeiikenes and
winsomeness, and that charm which al
ways comes from community of hud-
died antique structures, where age sub
dues and mellows, and gently adds, as
art can never do, its sottening grays and
greens.
The antiquity of the school is very
great. The pious Henry VI. was It's
founder. Some material token OF his
affection for the Holy Church must be
made. Evidently his idea was to emulate
the example of William Wykeham who
established the first endowed school of
this class at royal Winchester, and New
School at Oxford TO receive its graduates.
So Henry made the preparatory school of
Eton ana the secular Kings College in the
University of Cambridge, to which schol-
ars are elected from Elton. The site was
undoubtedly selected so that the institu-
ton might be under the immediate eve
OF Henry. 1t offered no unusual natural
advantages, and all the beauty of the
pleasant surroundings have been the
growth of care and age. A dreary, low
nat and lonely spot it must have been in
the olden days. The King did not even
own it. 1t was entirely outside the royal
demeSne of Windsor He was compelled
to purchase the perpetual advowson of
the parish church OF EtOn, and many
tracts Of land in the shires of Bucks and
Berks, and some of the estates still held
by Eton College were taken from such an
cient abbeys as Fecomp, Fontenoy, Yvry
and st. stephen ) at Caen.
Though the college was founded in I440
solemn admission was not given to the
provost, fellows, clerks and scholars until
December, I443. The canons and enact
ments TOR Elton were almost a literal tram
script of those at Winchester. Its incor-
porated name was The Kings College of
our Lady of Eton beside Windsor" and
its original foundation provided for pro-
vost, ten fellows. four clerks, six choris-
ters. a schoolmaster, twenty-five poor and