The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-26

|
throne, as his elder brothers infant
son survived him. Alfred, against his
own desires, was urged to accept the
crown, in order to save the kingdom
from division and possible disruption
A Thrilling Ire Story.
From first to last King Afred's life
story is interesting, romantic and
thrilling. The Danes, whose ravaging
/ invasions continually threatened the
| Saxons, at length won a victory over
them at the battle of Wilton, in Wilt
shire, but upon being paid large
| amount of money, turned aside from
| WesseX, to continue their depredations
| elsewhere. Alfred was at Chippenham
| on the Avon, when a Danish soldier
named Guthrum invaded the town,
and the king was forced to flee for his
| life.
| He wandered through the country In
| the bleak winter for some days, dis
| guised as a peasant. Ancient chron-
| iclers tell us that at length Alfred
| sought shelter in the hut of a Saxon
swineherd. The busy housewife asked
| the stranger guest to watch some cakes
she was baking in the embers, and left
the great King to his novel and lowly
| task. With his mind upon his harrass-
ed kingdom, and on plans for its relief.
| it is little wonder that, for once, AL
fred neglected his duty. Upon her re-
| turn, his humble hostess scolded him
roundly for his neglect, saying scorn-
fully Glad enough you'll be to eat
| the cakes, but you are too lazy to turn
| them"
The stories concerning Alfred the
| Great are familiar to us all, but are
so full of charm one does not tire Of
hearing them. 5c
How tho IN n,
For many months the Kings, hid
| ing place was upon little marshy is
| land now called Athelney. Here his
| faithful followers and mobiles visited
him, and together they laid careful
| plot to overthrow their enemies, the
4 Danes.
| Upon one occasion Alfred, in the dis
| guise of strolhng Harper. slipped
away from his hiding place and fear
| lessly visited the camp of his old enc
my GuthFum. The Danish soldiers were
! pleased with their visitors droll
I speeches and enchanted by the sweet
| melodies he played upon the harp, and
| it was by their urgent requests that
| Alfred spent some days in their midst.
During that memorable visit the in
| trepid King was rewarded for his pains
| by overhearing a discssion of their pro-
posed scheme for attacking the Sax,
ons. Finding some means of leaving
| the Danish camp without arousing
suspicion, Alfred babe farewell and
! hastened to join his impatient mobiles,
| who were. assembled in Selwood For
est.
| In the battle which quickly followed
! the Saxons won a complete victory.
| This was in the year S78 A. d. From
] Ethandune, where this battle was
| fought, Alfred led his men to attack
I, 4e faI1r Aerui In no
| Saxons were victorious. Guthrum, with
| thirty of his chiefs, was baptized. He
| took the name of Athelstane, and AL
| fred the Great was his sponsor.
1 A tract of land between the Tweed
and the Thames was allotted to the
| conquered Danes. Danelagh, the home
| of the Danes in England, is recognized
to-day by it's geographical names ter.
minating in by" which is the Danish
for town.
In the year 800 once again the war,
| like Danes with fleet of $3.50 ships ar
4 rived off the shores of Kent. They
were led by the brave, intrepid Hast
ing, whose great generalship came
near vanquishing Saxon England. For
| three years the war-like invaders
troubled the South of England. and
| even ventured within a few miles of
| London itself.
King Alfred against proved himself
! great" Seeing the river dotted thick
| ly with the enemy's ships he ordered
! his men to dig deep channels from the
| River Lea to the River Thames; the
| course of the former river was chang
| ed the ships of the Danes ran
aground. and Hastings and his men
were put to flight.
Great in Pence.
In the peaceful years which followed
| Alfred was untiring in his schemes for
the benefit of his country. He built
| mighty fortresses and great castles in
/ order the better to Withstand any fu-.
| ture attacks of their enemies. He
strengthened his armed forces and re-
| constructed the navy. He introduced
and encouraged manufactures of all
kinds; he rewarded inventors liberal
| ly; be ameliorated the condition of the
| "theows" or serfs, and he invited in
dustrious people from foreign lands
to repeople his country after the DESC
lating wars.
Alfred was untiring in his zeal to
| educate and uplift his subjects. He
sent scholarly men to Jerusalem. Rus
! STA and far-off India to obtain the in
| formation he desired to know and to
! impart to others. Learned and famous
men of that day focked to Alfred's
court. A wise law, making the educa-
ton of noblemen's children compulso-
|
knowledge which the King priced so
| highly; while by his personal example,
! by word and by pen he urged the peo-
| pie to higher attainments.
| 1t is said that the clearest idea of
| Germany in the ninth century was CIV
en- to the world by the pen OF Alfred
the Great.
According to several historians Of re-
| pute Alfred the Great was the
| founder OF the University of oxford,
which is said to date from $50 A. D.,
but on the other hand other historians
| declare this a mere fabrication of
fancy, fatty denying its truth.
An interchangeable Worker.
I Notwithstanding the fact that King
| Alfred was a lifetime sufferer from
| some incurable malady, he was 'the
hero Of more than fifty battles by sea
and land" a mighty King In war, a
mightler in peace. An indefatigable
| worker whatever the undertaking
might be, II is said that In order not
10 waste valuable time or neglect his
duties this remarkable King measured
tirne By candles. The candles were
made in exact proportions, so az to
! consume Just an inch every twenty
minutes. IAN expedient," says Hume,
.,s,iited 20 that rude age, when the ge-
ometry Of dialing and the mechanism