The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1893-06-29
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made memors BILE as the spot where the
great English bill of rights was
wrested from King John by the bold
visiting Runnymede, let us take a look |
at the neighboring castle OF King John |
and glimpse of the surrounding coun-
try.
The valley of the Thames boasts of
but one tall, overhanging cliff, and
rising from this lofty plateau twenty
three miles west of London) the noble
gray walls, pinnacles, battlements and
towers of Windsor make up the most
slightly object in the whole landscape
of England. The castle rises from the
wooded cliff, like vision of enchant-
ment. It's immense range and pic
turesuue outline drawn against the
sky recall youths delightful pictures
of fairyland. There is a mile of castel-
lated wall between the old black cur
few tower at our right and the palace
at our left constituting the state
apartments.
Standing on the roof of the great
central round tower of the old gray
Keep of Edward Plantagenet, the
crowning edifce of the castle, and
with the scenes around us where poor,
mad George Ill, deserted by his chill
dren, wandered aimlessly about with
wild eyes and long white beard, be-
wildered and crazed, and knowing moth
ing except that he was utterly misera-
bic, asked myselfif American Fourth of
July orators did not let their patriotism
run away with them when hurling
fiercest invectives against the King
Lear of the eighteenth century.
In this country, however, command
ing the prospect, we see little but
Landscapes; in Europe we see history
One looked through n VISTA OF thou
sand wears in the view from Windsor
castle. On the north side, flowing be-
low the castle cliff, is the historic
Thames. On its opposite bank, Elton
and it's famous schools. Yonder is
Slough, where, with field glass, you
may see the home of the elder Hershel.
There is the many-gabled roof of
Halnpden, whose hero deied king and
precipitated the English revolution.
Yonder distant spire and grove mark
the scenes of the sweetest elegiac poem
in the language and the grave Of the
poet--StolSe Pogis.
The home park Of the castle is a
sylvan pleasure ground of five hundred
acres, ornamented before the queens
apartments with fountains, parterres
of flowers and statuary. The great
park beyond is fourteen miles in cir
conference, and continuous to that is
Windsor forest, having circuit of
fifty miles. But / can hardly restrain
my impatience to be off, as the gov
ernor of the tower directs my gaze to
distant spot seen over the edge of
the forest and whispers; ''Runny-
medel' l walked through Windsor
forest to Runnymede. / scanned the
famous meadows with my glass from
the tower, but / wanted TO stand upon
, the ground and kick up it's very dust
around me. 1t is said that Yankee
views everything with an eye to specu
lation. / believed / could prepare Q
better Fourth of July speech after
standing on the spot where Maghs
Charta was wrested by his baroni
from the unwilling hands of King
John. Walking three and onc-hal
miles through park and forest direct
ly away from the river at Windsor,
struck its banks again and was no
slow to conceive the origin of thu
towns name in this great bow of thu
winding Thames, or wind shore.
Joined here, too, the high road. whicl
soon turned abruptly away from th'
: river, and to follow the stream
crossed over a stile in hedge ant
I was at once upon the soil of Runny
r 1nede, very level meadow spreading
t back half mile to the Surrey hill
and extending couple of miles alonI
> the river side. Walking half it
length, I stood opposite Magma Chart
island. so called to mark the contigu
GUS spot on the main land where tn
{ conference took place between Johl
= and his angry barons.
o Here the lords and their retainer
would rendezvous and send word owe
e to the castle that they were ready TO
y business, and it was business that ad
: mitted of no delay when King job
p was sent for that day in June, Ann
u Domini, 1915. On the mead around m
D. were pitched the gay pavilions
l, Chargers, richly caparisoned, carryin
u mailed knights, were prancing about
l. or idly feeding upon the meadow grass
?, or fringing the river side at drinl
q Here stood the bold leaders in confer
II ence, awaiting their king, their gil
le tering armor telling of earnest pui
pose; here the fierce debate ran on fo
rs DAYS. and here the trembling monarc
N was made to sign the great charter r.
ID storing the liberties usurped by tn
ID crown, including the independence {
is the church, the permanence of tt
ne courts of justice, the freedom of con
merce, the writ of habeas corpus, in
,p word, the supremacy of English la
It over the English throne. l locke
in about me for relic, but not for lon
to Taking up handful of earth, "Why
n l said to myself, "this very dust ma
!" have sanded Magma Charta" 1t was
lie least part of Runnynede, and
drought it away.