The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-31
Profitable Ruins.

Stonehenge. Englands Oldest and ,nnst
impressive relic, has been making ga
much trouble lately that everybody win
oe Glad IL the present prospect OF selling
IL 10 the nation is rea aliged
NO DOUBT N was generally sunnosed
mat the famous and mysterious rnonu-
inent was the property of the world az
large-so TO speak. like Westminster An
pey' But tho site on which the supposed
te!npie OF the Druids stands is the prop-
erty OF rich and slightly obstinate haro.
net. Sir Edward Antrobus. who IN ne were
20 disposed, could tear the whole thing
Gown without interference fran the lau
Just as the ewner Of the house IN which
Pope lived at Tvickenhsfn RACED the Mace
out Of spite because her neiEhbors Oh
)ected stsroneiy 10 Some alterations she
proposed To make.
Sir Edward has been t,,iybtiv stir,.1 ,,,.
about this wonderful property for more
than year. He offered Ia sell a. but n,,s
a price on IL that was prohibitive for anv
one except the traditional Americas mill
lion2ire.' who was fancied 70 be about
to STEP Ia and carry stonehenge bodily 10
the United States and run it as n dime
museum.
The rich American failing Go material
Jze. Sir Edward himself made short step
In the dime museur direction on the
last day of last year two ef the largest
STONES forming the ancient temple OF the
sun blew down. One OF them was the
great block which has been known for
centuries as the leaning stone" the 9th
er was the pillar stone
soon afterward Sir Edward took eati,.
sci with three learned societies of anti
duarians. who advised him to have the
stones replaced in their positions, and IN
the meantime 20 surround the ancient
monument with "a barbed wire fence. on
the ground that the constant trampinr OF
tourists and sishtSeers around the ereun
Of powders had almost ss bad am effect
on them as the marches Of Joshua's army
had on the walls OF Jericho. This Sir Ed
ward did At once, but found the job sn
extremely costly ene. and with. a. he
says. the idea OF reeouping himself. the
landlord ef Stenehengc FOR some time
has been charging visitors y shilling each
for admission into the inelopu-e.
The most important expression or popu-
lar disapprovsl aroused by this action OF
the bsronet has bees petition 70 the
Wiltshire county council. the local adj
body. which Is signed bv sew.
oral prominent antduarinns and societies
OF high standing. protesting vigorously
against both fee and fence. botk Of which
measures have been. they say. taken by
Sir Edward IA violation OF the rights
Of The public enjoyed since time inme.
mortal
other critics ef Sir EDWARD ssprecsle
not o-iv his extremely unromantic harhod
wire fence. hut tho equally unnoetic t.ll.
vate Through which the visitor 10 the
ter~~le ~ the sun now enters. to saw
nothing ~ the a-ious ursirhgiv icis.s
and sur0orts which still are rrotired
about the two piece- OF stone witch hsve
been rcrlsced. They add that the whole
place is slso a rnn.s ~ Sicns--chinsv
cone~rrins the uos-ihiiitv ~ obtaining
refreshments near hv-which clash vio-
lentlv with what iil0a rc-nains OF tho
historic atnosphere of TIE niace.
sir Edward resnonds that before the
eNistence % his force the near reishtor-
hood 90 ihe stone riiA was crowded al All
ti~nes WITH csyrvsiis hrakes a~d nhot0e.
rpuh~re wnroHs wh~r-ss now the vie-
itor's nrst view 81 'he ulacs across the
iao~r is urohsfruefed tho fence befnr ~.
vi.iNis az q N''le distance
The work ~ rs~iaoirg fhs fAiiav 4forss
certs'rlv hes h..r dors v.f'h -reat care.
p - the irciF-~t.l rCs''1fs hay.e i,eel erac.
ticallv inf~resfi~s The work has hssp
under th- direction of reiehvateA arrhi. !
isct ~hre th- excavations we've ~,adc |
prf-- ths surervisior 90 n CovvtA-d |
..re 81 science ~h~ "Tssuins stone 4
vNioh r. fhs iar-eg' -i~~ie r-qss 80 ~aek I
In F~~'a~a wi'h th- s~rertio-, of cleo. 1
apt~s'e N~.Si. fhs oNaff-f ~ ths Ths~,rr /
.rNNa~b-rs~f w-s rsis.7 ~ fneers 80 a 4
hurs rsdd-A er.s'. sra w-s su~-o1-ged 4
NJ its hnso ~ great rnar-rr ~ concyete