The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-16

guage. and the sciences. taught BY highly
qualified university men. and the scholars
are very successful in the highest exam
nations Many earn university scholar
ships. and Bedford turns out any number
of doctors and lawyers. professors. civil
servants and officers in her Majesty's army.
The schools are thrown open to the
world. but since they are day schools, and
the scholars must live with their parents
or legally constituted guardians. hundreds
Of families have found 1t convenient TO
settle in the town. The consequence has
been an extraordinary stimulus to the
building trade, and the town has practi-
cally doubled in size during the last quar-
ter of a century. While building estates
are still being developed in all directions.
most of the new streets are made up of
handsome villas surrounded by gardens
and lawns, and with its wide roads, per-
feet sanitation. extensive public park and
recreation grounds equipped with pavilions.
cricket fields. tennis lawns and prone
nades. with large play fields for the
schools. public gardens and espianades by
the river, which is further ornamented with
stone. iron. suspension and rustic bridges
and views. the town of Bedford is adj
mitted to be one of the ~prettiest and best
ordered in England. Owing to the large
nuHofI u young ptOptc, there II a great
deal OF life about the place. Music and
the arts are sedulously cultivated. Scores of
dances and concerts and art exhibitions
take piace in the course of the year. Boat
ing on tae river and cycling on the we'll
made roads are popular pursuits in the
summer. and football is all the rage i'm the
winter: bit each school has its own clubs
and s~ocirtles for all sorts of purposes.
Most o< ne people who come to Bedford
for a cheap and good education possess
moderate means without being wealthy.
and they dress better than in most towns,
especially the manufacturing centers.
There are few manufactures I'm Bedford,
Apd the most notable is that Of j. and +.
Howard. agricultural implement makers,
whose pIows are well known i'm America.
GEOLOGICAL FORMATION.
We can boast of no great quarries like
those OF Bedford in Indiana. but there is a
singular coincidence i'm one respect-that
both Bedfords stand on the oolitic forma-
ton. IL your Bedford stone synchronizes
in age with our Portland. then the Eng
lish Bedford stands on a rather older part
of the ooli.e than yours: but if-as
should judge from the description of your
Bedford stone-it is equivalent to our
Bath free stone. then the geological age
of the bedrocks of the two Bedfords is
practically identical.
Our Bedford is noted for its river. its
schools. its monuments to John Bunyan
and John Howard. and for Its pretty girls.
Our young women have fresh. clear and
durable complexions; they possess accom-
plishments linguistic and artistic; they go
in for boating. bathing and cycling. and
they dress neatly. without luxuriance. AS
for John Bunyan who has not read
Pilgrims Progress" his Manhood and
his Grace Abounding?' The immortal
dreamer was born within two miles of
Bedford bridge; he spent his youth in the
neighboring village Of Elston; he was i'm
prisoned in an old Jail whose site is at pres
ent a market place: and he joined a small
community of whose church he became pas
tor. and which is now the leading Noncon-
formist church in Bedford The present
pastor is the Rev. DIR. Brown. author of
"Bunyan and His Times and of The
History of the Pilgrim Fathers" DR..
Brown Is well known in Massachusetts,
especially. and in the States generally.
John Howard, the famous prison philan-
thropist, was also a Nonconformist; he
lived at Cardington. about two miles from
Bedford; but he used to attend the Bunyan
meeting. until he seeded on some doc
trinal difference. and with others formed
the present Howard church. which is now
Congregational. The Episcopalians have
nine or ten churches I'm the town. and that
of st. Paul is a stately and ancient edi-
flee. but st. Peters is the oldest. some
part OF it being Saxon. The Wesleyan
Methodists are strong. and one of them is
Mr.. Frederick Howard. the first citizen of
Bedford. There are also Baptists of two
: denominations. Primitive Methodists.
Roman Catholics and the ubiquitous Sal
walton Army.
Bedford is governed by a mayor and
corporation who feebly initiate American
ways. TIL present party that tyrannizes
over the town shall be nameless: il makes
all the appointments. even to the filling
of a vacant almshouse. by selecting only
candidates of its own kidney. and at the
municipal election the voters are regu-
larly bamboozled by an appeal to their
party prejudices. regardless of any real
questions at stake. The party in power
is by no means responsible for the rapid
Developments and improvements, but they
may be given credit for fairly well con-
tinJing them-at a lavish expenditure.
However. the people cheerfully bear their
burdens. and the rates are not expensive.
Ithallks TO various windfalls through the
sale, Of public property
In conclusion. / may remark that numer-
<ous. Americans visit Bedford. and only a
<fey weeks ago we were honored by the
presence of descendants OF the Pilgrim
Fathers- I spent the day with them.
lunched with them. and had the pleasure
of showing a party of them the sights of
/ the town. and even introduced them TO an
English assize court.
In Bedford we reciprocate your friendly
Esentiments: we admire our American cous-
ins: we welcome them when they call; we
sometimes return their visits: and we now
send across the broad atlantic heartiest
greetings TO our namesake in Indiana.
JOHN HARRISON.
. Assistant Editor Bedfordshire Times and
independent.
I'm Greater Detail.
Bedford in England is the capital of