The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-11-04
IN THE RERKSHIRES.
The Residence of oliver wendell Holiness
Nnntinl Ceremonles nj Len0x.

Nuntial ceremonies ut i4thNNs
Plttsheld, Nov, ., 1S95,--One fine Oc-
tober afternoon we drove out to the
Berkshire residence Of the phiosophlc
poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes. "Holmes-
dale" as it is called, is situated upon
an extensive stretch of undulating
meadow land, two miles or more south
from Pittsfeld. Pomerby avenue, lead
ting from the center of the city, ter
inmates near the entrance gateway,
whence a winding roadway leads, which
traverses a gentle depression of lawn,
then, turning, terminates IN broad cir
Gle before the door of a two stored
villa, of wood, situated upon an oval
knoll, embellished with evergreen trees.
A fine view of the surrounding land
scape, bordered with wooded heights,
is obtained from the ample veranda,
looking south, Here he doubtless con-
templated the beatty of the varied col
ored woods, not far distant, and the
scented fields, with verdure clad"
through which the Housatonic led its
winding way. At the west the highway
10 Lenox lies in front, while at the rear
the Housatonic river, with it's gently
flowing waters, describes a graceful en-
bracing curve, in the broad meadows.
What a grateful retreat from the con-
finement of his duties at Cambridge
this must have afforded to his genial
poetic temperament; where the fanciful
side of his mind had full scope. One
can easily imagine the scholar enjoying
one of these beautiful October days,
watching from his windows or grounds,
while the soft south winds prevailed,
the feecy clouds float over the liquid
blue empyrean, in the bright sunlight
until they Joined their rcseate hued
neighbors, banked along the northern
horizon. Here, beginning in 1S4S he
passed seven summers, upon ancestral
acres; the place being a part of the
Jacob Wendell estate, once owned by
the maternal ancestor and has added
to its adornment seven hundred trees,
planted, as he himself said, for some
body to sit under the shade of. Tradi-
tion holds that the aborigines had upon
the estate a favorite place of landing
their canoes Certain it is that arrow
heads and broken implements of stone
have been found here frequently. 1t
was here that he wrote to his friend,
Governor Swain, at Boston, as follows:
''Dear Governor, if my skiff might brave
The winds that lift the ocean wave,
The mountain stream that loops and
sWerves
Through my broad meadows channelled
curves
Should watt me on from bound to bound
To where the river weds the sound,
The sound should give me to the sea,
That to the bay, the bay to thee"
The '1oose blossom" the poet flung to
the lordly Hudson is additional proof
of his love of nature and her flowing
streams.
1t is interesting to note that while the
extensive tracts of lands in this region
Were years ago sold to commissioners to
aid the Boston colony school fund, the
literary genius of Boston in recent years
has shed luminous rays of fame upon
the pages of it's history, by making it
for longer or shorter period place of
abode and weaving it's beauties into
song, and i'm one instance-that Of
Longfellow-one of the fair daughters
of it's inhabitants was chosen in we'd
lock.
The Stokes-Hoyt wedding which oc-
Cured at Lenox on Thursday last was
a notable event. Miss Ethel second
daughter of Mr. Arson Phelps Stokes,
was united in marriage to Mr.. John
Sherman Hoyt of New York by Rev. w.
M. Grosvenor, in Trinity Episcopal
church. AS the nuptial ceremonies pro-
ceeded the RESPONSES of the parties were
audible throughout the edifce lending
confirmation to the statement that this
was a love match. The church decora-
tions by Thorley Of New York were ar
ranged in charming simplicity and ele-
gance. Palms in variety, ferns and
sprays of autumnal foliage, with white
chrysanthemums in abundance, decked
the salient points of the audience room.
Clusters of flowers bound with white
ribbons were affixed at the pew en-
frances and twined about the lamp
standards, while the window stills were
banked with sprigs of green and white
flowers. An immense floral bell of chrys-
anthemums was suspended over the
chancel, and two shapely camellia trees
stood on either side just within the rail,
while festoons of laurels and other
evergreens were overhead, and choice
flowers peeked from evergreen hedges
on all sides.
Shortly before noon a long array of
carriages lined up in front of the Curtis
hotel to convey the guests from the
forty rooms occupied by them to the
church a few rods away. The guests
occupied the body of the church, the
transept and gallery being open to the
public. A few minutes before 70 O'Clock
the coach Of Mr.. Stokes containing that
gentleman, his wife and young son and
the bride, drove to the church door, and
the party alighted to join the company
within the edifice.
To describe the beautiful costumes
would require connoiseur, but they
were elegant specimens of the dress
makers art. The BRIDE attired in white
satin en- train, tulle veil fastened with a