The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-19
REV. JOHN DAVIS LETTER
Correspondence of The Tribune.

Correspondence of The Tribune.
Tollard Royal, England. July ST. have
been strolling around today. In the neigh
bOrhoOd Of my English home. and in my
perambulations l have visited an ancient
relic. q mound or bulwark thrown up In
the time OF Julius Caesar when the Ro-
mans invaded this lovely isle. 1t was an
Enclosure OF about six acres with the iand
all around II. and inside also as level rs
Wyoming avenue. 1t was In the form OF
a circle with ditch on the outside and
the earth from the ditch thrown up form
ing an embankment from twenty-five to
thirty feet in height and evidently the
work of human labor as q fertilization
against the invading foe. About three
miles from these trenches. and there are
several of them, there was once large
| cemetery. but no one within the recoliec-
| ton OF the t-great-grandfathers had
| ever heard that there was q village or a
| town near by.
The dumb Inhabitants Of this mound are
supposed to be the victims Of those early
wars and many skeletons were once found
| in all sorts Of positions, some lying on
| their backs, some with face downward.
some on their side and some almost stand
| ing on their heads, supposed to be thrown
/
Ten feet deep. There were also pots and
pans, and kettles. and jugs, and pitchers.
| and various kinds OF cooking utensils
and chalk weights and other things too
| numerous to mention. Since whiting the
| above / have seen all those articles, and
also the skeletons that have been ex-
humed. some Of them as perfect as though
they wers buried but yesterday. The
lord of the manor has established a
museum only about two miles from where
our people live. In which all those ar
tcles are to be seen and thousands more
especially agricultural Instruments that
were used by the Egyptians, Greeks and
Romans five hundred years ago. with a
host Of relies of the dark ages, man traps
and spring guns and tread mills, and in
struments Of torture from the inquisition
and idol gods from idolatrous nations
showing forth the folly Of the human race
upon religious questions. l also saw gold
and silver coins that were made In the
| reign Of Tiberius, the Caesars, Nero and
| Constantine. The Romans came over to
| England about fifty-five years before the
advent of Christ, fought the native Brit
ons, and their pr;estly druids conquered
| the nation, but when the northern hordes
were swarming down upon Rome they
left the British Isle prey to the Sax
ons, with some Christian churches and
thousands of their dead behind. / suppose
the Romans erected u multitude OF those
grand cathedrals which for ages have been
used for church purposes.
| On Thursday of this week celebrated
the Fourth Of July, our Independence Day
in America. by taking ssven-mile ride on
a picnic excursion with Sunday school
children. We visited the ruins Of an old
castle that was built In the thirteenth GEN.
tury with walls Of solid masonry five feet
thick. Cromwell, the great, when regula-
tor Of the affairs Of the nation besieged II
with one of his armies and the building
was so mpregnable that a woman, the
wife of Lord Arundel. with her household
servants defended it for weeks until their
provisions and ammunition gave out: and
we saw some Of the cannon shots that
were found in the castle after the sur
render
We have heard and seen little about
the glory and the shame Of England since
we came over, about the meaningless snob-
berry and titles of English landlords, such
as lords and dukes and viscOunts. Our
neighbor owns 81. 600 acres of land in this
and the adjoining county, and poor men
are working in the hay and harvest fields
for IL shillings a week-about 50, and
boarding themselves. While admire the
rural scenery Of my native isle, 1 detest
the long stride or distance placed be-
tween capital and labor, and must say Of
America, my adopted home:
my country. it's Of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
OF thee / sing.
Long may thy rocks and hills,
Long may thy brooks and rills
With freedom ring:
And all acknowledge Thee,
Great God, our King"
Respectfully, John Davy.