San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-07-08

of English constitutional liberty. 1t
will be in keeping with the traditions
of independence day to visit the place
made memorable as the spot where the
great English bill of rights was
wrested from King John by the bold
and liberty-loving barons. Before
visiting Runnymede, let us take look
at the neighboring castle of King John
and a 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
turesque outline drawn against the
sky recall youths delightful pictures
of fairyland. There is 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
browning edifice 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-,
BILE, | asked myself if American Fourth of
July orators did notlet their patriotism
run away with them when hurting
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 vista of thou
sand years in the view from Windsor
castle. On the north side, flowing be-
low the castle cliff. is the historic
Thames. On its opposite bank, Eton
and its 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
HaInpden, whose hero detied 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-Stoke Pogis.
The home park of the castle is
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 a circuit of
fifty miles. But | can hardly restrain
my Impotence 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: Bunny
mede!" 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 its very dust
around me. 1t is said that Yankee
views everything with an eye to specu-
lation ! believed | could prepare a
better Fourth of July speech after
standing on the spot where Magma
Charta was wrested by his barons
from the unwilling hands of King
John. Walking three and One-half
miles through park and forest direct
ly away from the river at Windsor, |
struck its banks again and was not
slow to conceive the origin of the
towns name in this great bow of the
winding Thames, or wind shore. |
Joined here, too, the high road, which
soon turned abruptly away from the
river, and to follow the stream |
crossed over a stile in hedge and
was at once upon the soil of Runny-
mede, very level meadow spreading
| back half a mile to the Surrey hills
and extending a couple of miles along
| the river side. Walking half its
| length, stood opposite Magma Charta
| island, so called to mark the eontigu-
GUS spot on the main land where the
conference took place between John
and his angry barons.
Here the lords and their retainers
| would TenNtLNOuS anu Stbt NOEu over
to the castle that they were ready for
business, and it was business that adj
mitted of no delay, when King John
was sent for that day. in June, Ammo
! Domini, 1915. On the mead around me
were pitched the gay pavilions.
Chargers, richly caparisoned, carrying
mailed knights, were prancing about,
or idly feeding upon the meadow grass,
or fringing the river side at drink,
Here stood the bold leaders in confer.
ence, awaiting their king, their gilt
tering armor telling of earnest pur.
pose; here the fierce debate ran on for
days, and here the trembling monarch
was made to sign the great charter re-
storing the liberties usurped by the
crown, including the independence OF
the church, the Permanence of the
courts of justice, the freedom of com,
merce, the writ of habeas corpus, i'm a
word, the supremacy of English law
over the English throne. ] looked
about me for relic, bat not for long
Taking up handf Il of earth. why
! said h. myself, this very dust may
nave saaded Magu7 ChartH" u was oil
] least part at Runnym"d" 'ra
rky a rs.fag. a. ~ - Aa5zEr