The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-16
THE CIT OFJOHN BUNYAN
INTERESTING INFORMATION CON-
CERNING BEDFcRD. ENGLAND.
Its Nodern Prosperity, Set Against
Picturesque Historic background,
Is a Pleasing Picture.

-e that the metropolitan Bedford boasts
Of & hoary antiquity. II Is. perhaps. q
mere figure of speech 10 apply the term
metropolis in it's Greek significance 70
the town in. the old country. since she is
not SO literally a mother city TO her
narnasakes over the seas as Tyre was 10
Carriage and Athens to her numerous
coloLists on the shores OF the Mediter-
ranean. There is no doubt that Bedford
ear Boston received its name from the
Pax. Peter Buckley. ancestor of Ralpn
Woldo Emerson. who the said Peter
went out from Bedfordshire. in England.
and indirectly. as Miss Nicholas indicates,
Bedford. i'm Indiana. must in some way
have derived its name. though not Its In
habitants. from the town originally so
denominated. 1t may be interesting TO
know that there is a small town near
Manchester called Bedford Leigh, and In
Ireland a village of that name near Ira
lee. County Kerry. In Cape Colony there
is also a fourishing township. the center
of an agricultural district and enlight-
ened by two newspapers; this Is also
Bedford.
The capital town of Bedfordshire seems
TO have slept lazily on the banks OF the
wnIowy Ouse ever since the world began
The earliest written records take Its ex-
istence for Granted and give no hint that
II ever had a beginning. True. the book
of job does not mention IL. and the same
remark might be made as to Homer.
Herodotus, the Egyptian hieroglyphics
and Caesars Commentaries. out all that
Is purely negative evidence. The River
Ouse is probably the most ancient insti-
tuition in the district. but IL is only a
vestige of its former self. 1t lies at the
bottom of n broad and smiling valley
which in the glacial epoch was an arm OF
the sea. when fits tumultuous waters were
crowded with ~jostling icebergs which
foated from the northern glaciers. and I'm
melting deposited layers OF clay ana
powders which now cover the slopes and
cap the lower eminences. As the land
surface was slowly elevated above sea
level the long land-locked ford became a
roaring torrent with waters from the
melting SHOWS and fields of ice of greater
attitudes. and the present valley OF the
Ouse was carved out. Ii was then that
paleolithic man began to roam abroad and
hunt the mammoth, the elk, the hyena,
the wolf. the bear and the primeval buff
faIo whose remains. together with the flint
implements OF prehistoric man.. are still
found i'm the river gravels. II was then.
of course, that Bedford became "A local
hahitation. Long before a bridge was
built the ancient Britons and Saxons
travelled the high road which passes
through the length of the town and
crossed the river by a ford. The town was
one Of inns and hospitals for pilgrims,
and hence IL became known TO the Saxons
as the hating place with beds by or near
the ford. The river is sleepy. and slug
gish enough to-day; il is a broad and
clear stream, fringed with reed mace.
scented flag and purple lovestrife. flowing
through fresh. green and typically Eng
fish meadows. through Huntingdon and
Cambridgeshire to Kings Lynn and the
Wash. The Danes had camps In the coun-
try and made sundry unsuccessful attacks
upon Bedford. but our gallant ancestors re.
pulsed them with loss. The whitening boncs
and the rusted weapons of the invaders
are still turned up in the recreation field
which the Duke of Bedford has just pre-
sented to the town. Many a CORY ARRAY
took place at the numerous castles of the
county. but little more remains than the
keeps of those st-ongholds. Bedford cas-
tie guarded tie river and stood a few
sieges in the time of the Normans and Of
King John and his rebellious barons.
EARLY CHURCH HISTORY.
AS i'm the rest Of the country, the churches
and monastic Institutions OF Bedford ac-
knowledged allegiance to the Church OF
Rome for many centuries. but that Is a
sore point here with the ecclesiastical fra.
ternity. since IL has lately become the
fashion of a section I'm the Church OF
England to pretend that that institution
has existed separately and exercised Its
own autonomy and been the master OF
religion since the dawn OF Christendom.
Howev that may be. we have. or did
have "A CanldUQ1l priorv N<unh,-
Priory. st. Leonard's and st. Johns Hos
pitfalls and a Greyfriars Priory Church II
still standing. The names OF those relig-
ious houses are handed down I'm the nomen-
clature of the Older streets and quarters OF
the borough.
In the sixteenth century a townsman
who went up to London 10 make his fors
tune and I'm due time became lord mayor
and a knight CHS name, Sir William Har-
pus). had the goodness to bequeath q few
acres OF meadow land in London to his
native town, the increase therefrom to be
used forever TO provide a grammar school
and free education for the poor children
of Bedford. Temporal mutnntur. The land
is now in the heart of London. and the
revenue waxed so mighty that for gen.
e~rations Bedford people hardly knew what
TO do with the money. From time 10 time
VARIOUS scncHles anu acts by IdfflameEC
were devised. Thirty years ago there
were two or three good secondary schools
I'm which the education was free-at any
rate to the Bedford born. In fact. IL was
a pretty good thing to be born I'm Bedford,
for the maidens received substantial mar
iage portions and the lads were provided
with apprenticeship fees. while the de-
cayed tradesmen found shelter In aims
houses of two or three grades, and tho
really INDECENT went 10 the workhouse.
Somehow IL did not work well, and the
town ~stagnated. People who felt tlrt
their future was fairly well provided for
became thriftless and careless. and there
was a good deal of pauperism. Young
folks got married on the dowery OF $50.
which in their times only bought a few
sticks OF furniture and were in Queen
street in a few months. Adventures
haze been known TO marry the maidens.
and. having pocketed the marriage por-
ton. to disappear on the wedding day.
We have changed all that. A scheme was
carried through I'm ls7l-of course. In the
face of tremendous opposition-which did
away with marriage portions and appren-
ticcship premiums and curtailed the aims
houses. An income OF about Eis.ooo q
year was divided into eleven parts. OF
which four so TO the gramma school for
-. - hf~h .ohool To- ~f-f.. S~.- -