The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-07-30

Ills AMERICAN W lie, " no " Us $osi-
sueio Wander b;it-Frcm Oxford to
London
THE GOLD LEAF has pleasure this week il
publishing another letter from Miss Lila
Tucker, who is travelling III England. As
stated heretofore these letters We're not writ
ten for publication, but through the KIND
ness OF her brother, DR.. John Hill Tucker,
are permitted to give our readers the
benefit of them.
LEAMINTGTON. June 81. 1903.
We have Just come in and had tea from
day at Shakespeare native heath,
Stratford- on-Ayon. We went by train as
our time was limited, and it is a drive OF
more than 16 miles On reaching STRAIT
ford we walked for a mile over green
fields to Anne Hathaway's cottage
There we We're shown around by a de-
scendant of Shakespeare wife, a beau
tiful young girl. 1t was a simple thatch
rooted cottage so quaint and old. We
sat on the old worn wooden bench where
Shakespeare sat when he courted Anne
(maybe in language that gave to all flu
ture lovers the immortal ROmeO.) and
in the Elizabethan straight high back
chairs which are certainly uncOmfOrta-
bic
After being shown through the cottage
and writing our names in the register,
we walked again through the fields to
HOLY Trinity church. the memorial to
Shakespeare which is beautiful and in
sDirinG with most the most magnificent
memorial windows of stained glass One
presented by Americans to the Bard of
Avon. Shakespeare's grave with the
note inscription,
Good friend, for Jesus sake forbpar
TIE dig the dust enclosed here.
Blest be the man that spares these stones
: And curst be he that moves my bones,
is in the chancel with those of his wife
and daughter We walked on the banks
OF the Avon after leaving the church to
the handsome theatre also a memorial
to his great genius, then to his birth
place which is not full of interesting rel
les OF his personality as Anne Hatha-
way $ cottage is 1t was bought by the
Government bare and although efforts
have been made to restore them few of
the original furnishings have been re-
tured
One thing that interested me greatly
in the room where Shakespeare was born
the wall is black with autographs The
guide told us before 1900 the wall was
used as register Sir Walter Scott s
signature is on the window pane Car
lyle's, Browning's and other great wri-
ters, thinkers and poets are Oh the wall
The children in Stratford are like their
parents all after the pennies from visi-
tors, and they pursue you with flowers,
daisies chains, &c. One enterprising
young gentleman of about nine followed
us squares begging to be allowed to re-
cite some poetry what Shakespeare
wrote for a ha'penny.
Dame Quickley's Inn was very attract
i've where the maids dress in the style of
| that old lady's day. The Avon is a beau
tiful stream flowing through green mead
ows for miles. and near it's quiet but con-
slant ripple sleeps the worlds greatest
genius.
OXFORD, July 1st
Think OF being in q town with twenty
| one colleges, cathedral, the river
| Thames full of pleasure boats and tram
cars with their fascinating sky parlors,
and only three days to do it all We
came over yesterday from bennington
| on the London express. which simply
sails, and doesn't stop only drops a few
carriages here, calling them the steps,
and we are also using tourists Today
ticket from Liverpool to London which
| is much cheaper than the ordinary one
and which is out of date and these easy
| going. polite station masters have ex-
| tended for us. Their goodness is only ex-
celled by their beauty of language. Their
| soft. low voices and broad a $ are to me
| peculiarly fascinating.
Well, | am writing i'll an Oxford~fstt1
dents private sitting room furnished
! with all the ifeeaafaphernalia of college
boy, college pillows. books galore, photo
covered walls, piano, dining table, side
board desks, palms, easy chairs. etc
The owners being away now. our land
lady gave it to us for our sitting room
and where our meals are served too. We
have lovely bed rooms up stairs, and ou1
meals are all served by an English butler
beautifully. Perhaps you think we are
in too expensive quarters, and will be
surprised to know our rooms and board
cost us only shillings day-less than
$1.OO. \ great many college men room
here and from the corner of my eye in
passing | catch glimpses of cosy rooms
like the one I'm in now, and one hears
their pianos going at all hours Some o.
| them are very attractive looking
Later-Ne dnesday.-We have had q
| loliS tramp
First we went to Magdelen College (pro
nOunced Mawdlin) and of all beautiful
places this is the grandest From the
outside all these colleges look like old
ruins, the stones Wondering and black.
but once within their clustered quadran
giles where there is the greenest grass. the
loveliest flowers and the cosiest looking
rooms from the peeps we could get, yor
are Just taken Off your feet with wonder
and admiration. We walked in the ia
nous Addison S walk, beautiful spot
and sat on the campus and watched the
deer, and then started for another col
lege as 81 are here to be seen. We went
to Merton, built in the 18th century. and
the chapel there is glorious Then to Si1
Walter Raleigh's, Oriel, then to Corpus
| Christi; then we went in the dining hal
and enjoyed the lovely painting of it's
alumni of ilustriOus men. And across
the street we went to the largest, and
most fashionable of all. Christ's Church
| College. The dining hall there is exQuis
lte-full OF paintings OF its noted gradu
| ates, among them Gladstone. The Ca.
thedral is part of this college. and is the
most glorious piece of architecture we've
yet seen. The painted windows by the
noted artist Burne-Jones are exquisite
I've seen so much today my mind is in a
perfect whirl. The winter terms are over
and now there are only few students
here taking summer course.
Thursday, july 2nd.-More colleges
today and each one we think more beau
tiful than the last, each chapel more
grand. | am simply wild over the win.
dows in New College chapel by Sir Josh
ua Reynolds. Why that college is called
New" | don't know for it was founded
in the 18th century odd Tom the
cathedral bell called after Wolsey who
built the toxer) is pealing its usual l O4
strokes at five minutes past nine This
custom has been kept up for centuries
and first was started TO show the orig
inal number of pnpils. Now that col
lege has hunreds but ''Old Tom" ALWAYS
peals the first number
My vocabulary has given out l can't
express the beauty and grandeur OF this
old college town, and am glad l am not
| Erplish ynuTh To hov tD oh ~