Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-26

ship he lived in London, for the keeping
of a manor house is no inexpensive task.
1t was in London he woke up one morning
to find himself famous for king Solo
mons Mines caught the fancy of the Brit
ish reading public almost on the instant,
and brought to its author share of the
riches his imagination had pictured on the
pages of his book. 1t was his success in
writing this story that led the family back
to buckingham House, the old place in
Norfolk which had come to him through
Mrs. Haggard
buckingham House.
buckingham House is surrounded by ain
estate of about 200 acres of beautiful park.
pasture and farming land. The laborers'
cottages are scattered about in picturesque
groups and on their gable ends are found
such dates as 1913. showing that many
generations have lived therein and titled
the acres now under the pillow.
Not far from buckingham House is the
old buckingham church, built upon the
site of a Roman temple, which in it's turn
had displaced Druidical circle. The his
tory of the occupation of this part of Eng
land is lost in prehistoric days. but 1t is
known to extend further back into the CEN
turtles than that of any other spot in Great
Britain. 1t was here the Norsemen landed
and the relics of their adventures are &C.
caSiOnally discovered In the earth or under
the placid waters of the Waveney river
From this beautiful home Mr.. Hagg ard
has wandered into all parts of the world,
generally seeking some ou,-of-the- way
place. difficult of access, but prom sing to
furnish new inspiration for uncanny tales
of strange mankind and unlimited treas
ures. Going to South Africa years ago as
Secretary to governor. he there secured
the material for the stories by which ne is
best known. He penetrated the wilds of
Central America that he might write The
Heart of the World and credited to the
North American continent an early civiliza-
ton, the story of which was founded wholly
upon the suggestive ruins of Chiapas.
After each of these expeditions. however
Rider Haggard found his way back to
buckingham House. bringing with him a
vast quantity of explorers loot. and from
the main hall to the garnet chambers the
old manor house Is filled with brass-bound
chests. shields. spears and other trophies
OF war and chase, telling stories of every
species of adventure, the raids of the
Norsemen the Norman conquest. the daily
life of the Aztecs and the battle Of savage
tribes in Africa
In a great library workshop on the
second floor. with its windows overlooking
the Vale of Waveney, Mr.. Haggard does
his work. The visitor to this room at once
feels the Inspiration not only of the room
itself. with it's beautiful and unique fur
nshngs of by-gone centuries, but of the
tremendous view from the wide windows
which look down upon the silvery thread of
river winding its way from the northern
hill country OF England to the channel
Making Farm Pay.
When Mr.. Haggard took upon himself
the management OF this estate he deter
mined to conduct practical experiment as
to the possibility of making an English
farm pay it's own way. He comes of a fam
lily of land owners and still lives in his
native shire. younger member OF a fam
lily of sons. he received none of the paternal
acres. but each and every one OF the BOYS
OF this old English stock had distinguished
"a al haF for hat
terment or the help of his country. Rider
Haggard chose the task OF putting the
British farmer right with the world.
Herculean this task might seem 10
those who are familiar with the depressed
conditions existing In the British agricuI-
tursl Industry for many years. II did not
discourage the novel writer. He brought
Into play that same imagination which had
run riot with prehistoric suggestions and
balanced II all with a practical application
OF keen intelligence and industry to the
tillage OF his own land. He had travelled
this path but short distance when the
economies OF the industry impressed him
seriously. DESTROYS OF aseertaining whether
the conditions he found In Norfolk were
peculiar TO that locality and to his own
personal problem. he set him forth upon a
pilgrimage the like OF which has not been
seen since the old-time journeys inspired by
religious fervor
Appointing himself a commission of one
he visited twenty-six of the most repre-
sentative farming counties of England He
interviewed successful and unsuccessful
farmers. talked to the land owners and in
TACT In every locality into which ne went
he obtained an accurate estimate of the
conditions under which agriculture was
conducted and formulated his conclus ons
After months OF such work as this he re-
turned to Norfolk and told the story of his
journey in two-volume work. entitled
Rural England"
This was not his first venture into writing
of this kind. for before he made his pill
grimage he wrote book called 's,rhe
Farmers Year" which was a diary of 365
days upon the buckingham House estate
These books reflect the mind of the mar
who wrote them. With an undercurren,
OF seriousness is combined a charming APP
probation OF rural life seldom found in q