Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-07-24


is being introduced but slowly. The
house itself looks like one Of the Ok
ford colleges built as it IS around a
beautiful court with The Controllers
handsome and comfortable residence
In one corner. Doubtless books are
printed in more languages at the Ok
ford Press than In any other publish
ing house. The Imprint OF the Oxford
Press carries with IL guarantee OF ex-
cellence Of workmanship and charac-
ter. A number Of text books by Amer
lean professors are being printed by
the Press Just now, more than ever be-
fore in It's hundreds Of years history
FROM OXFORD 10 sIRArFoRD-oN-
AVON.
No more beautiful country exists
than rural England. It's reads and
meadows, It's woods and streams, its
fine old homes, unite 70 form most
delightful picture Of comfort and al
t~ractiyeness Certainly there al be
found nowhere a more charming conn
try road than that which runs from
bennington through Warwick to
Standardization. We left the rail-
way at bennington and took to the
woods and the road, bennington
has some reputation for its mineral
waters and baths, Three miles away
is Warwick, a small and medieval
town, with narrow streets and a great
castle where the earliest Warwick, the
King Maker, resided. These old cas-
ties are picturesque places for a short
visit but comfort is out Of the ques-
tion for those who dwell within their
prison-like enclosures. In the castle
are shown some ancient relics, Crom-
wells helmet, Warwick's sword and
other suggestion Of the days Of chiyal-
ry and Of English commonwealth.
AT sHAKEsPEAREs HOME.
Each year $4,000 visitors pay six
pence each for admission to Shake
speare's home in the pleasant town Of
Stratf0rd-on-Avon. OF this great
number nearly 10000 are Americans.
There is a magnificent memorial foun-
tain in the Stratford public square
erected by an American, George W.
Childs OF the Philadelphia Ledger,and
two fine stained glass windows have
been placed by American contribution
in the church where Shakespeare lies
buried beneath the aforementioned
and oft-quoted epitaph.
Everything in Stratford points to
Shakespeare. The worlds greatest
dramatist was born here, the son of a
wool merchant, he went to school
here, married here, returned in after
year to reside here, and was buried In
Stratford on the banks Of the Avon.
The town is s%crupulously clean, with
wide and pleasant streets and numer-
Gus half-timbered houses OF medieval
days.
The Shakespeare house is Of course
the first attraction. 1t contains the
tiny upstairs room in which the inn
mortal poet was born. Upon the walls
and windows are scratched the names
OF visitors In the old days, Thackery,
Tennyson, Scott and Browning among
them. There are basement rooms url
altered since the poets boyhood and
the house Itself lisa good example OF
the English village : house Of the six
tenth century. Adjoining the house
is a garden planted with the old-fash-
Toned flowers which Shakespeare men
tons in hrs plays. The ground floors
Of the house contains a Shakespeare
museum lifted up with pictures, books,
manuscripts and and other reminders
Of the immortal William. "And
this, said the buxom English woman,
who was showing to two young Ameri-
can women the museum, sis a picture
OF Shakespeare's eldest daughter, Ju-
The American girls looked
curious eyes at the portrait and
one said: "Is she dead?"
Not far away from the Shakespeare
house is the residence where was born
the mother OF John Harvard, who
founded Harvard University. Some
distance away is New Place, site Of
the house in which Shakespeare lived
when he returned to Stratford and
he died. Nothing is left here
but the foundations Of the house. In
The middle Of the last century the
house which was built in 1890, came
INTO the possession Of the Rev. Francis
iastrell, who razed it 10 the ground in
1853, owing 20 a quarrel about the tax.
.ates, having already cut down the
POETS mulberry tree in 1855 to escape
he opportunities Of visitors,
The church Of the Holy Trinity, sit
lated on the banks Of the Avon, con-
the tombs Of Shakespeare and
many Of his relatives aud contempo-
aries, including John Combe, from
whom he borrowed money. The font
u which be was baptized, the register
Il his funeral and an old chained
Bible are shown in the church
The Red Horse Inn is one OF STRAIT
sights. Itisaquaint old tavern
'here Washington Irving resided for
ONE weeks. The room In which he
Vrote his paper upon stratford is
hown and the chair be sat in and the |
oker with which he meditatlvely
'oked the fire are still shown as
Godfrey Crayon's Thorne and scep-
We doubt whether any one can {
write charming sketchessaye he !
as an open IRE for inspiration and
election. We despair Of English
Iterature when furnaces shall finally J
lcceed iireplaces everywhere. !
Even more than In Stratford with !
IS constant reminders OF "the bard Of !
won" we found pleasure in strolling
Ut 70 the little village Of Shottery, a 2
lille or more away. Here Anne :
hathaway lived and the cottage where c
came counting the fair Anne '
preserved as national property, sur E
By gardens filed with rare I