St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-01-04

which made it famous, is very beautiful
The Bank OF Ireland occupies most i'm
posing building, former House of Par
. lament.
l could never screw my courage to try
ing jaunting-car.
wish l might see Ireland when the
hawthorn hedges are in bloom. Though
l missed that beautiful sight, shall al
ways think OF it as the land of beauty.
long and tiresome journey brought
us to London, the cityo wonder and sur.
prises. l realized one OF my youthful
dreams and lived in London. For five
happy weeks was close to the British
Museum, and reserved that wonderful
place for rainy days and Sunday after.
Moons After l thought that had visit.
ed every room | remembered that I had
not seen the Portland vase When l
found it, also found a succession of
rooms filled to OVERLOOKING with rare, in.
teresting and valuable things, which l
had not previously seen. A Bostonian
once proudly remarked that you could
start from Boston and go anywhere
This is equally true of London. recall
no one day in which | found more pleas
ure than the one in which l made days
| pilgrimage to the Dickens country.
| Every body knows OF Conducted excur.
sons, and nearly everybody has sooner
or later ridiculed them. l thought my
self especially fortunate when | found
that was the only member of the party
on that day. The guide was most gentle
manly, and of course thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with all points of interest. The day
was beautiful, the long carriage drives
over matchless English roads with broad
views of matchless English lawns remain
as vision of beauty. At Chalk we
stopped to inspect the grotesque figure
OF a monk over the church porch, to
which Charles Dickens called attention.
Gadshill House, from which emanated so
much light and cheer for the whole world
and from which so much light went out
forever in June of 1870, appeals to the
heart of every reader.
In Rochester we saw the house for the
Seven Poor Travellers, which Christmas
Household words" of ghteen ffty-four
immortalized. Here provision is made
that every night seven men may stay, be
well fed, have an open fire in each room
1.-THE rule of the fire is disregarded, and
one warm cheerful sitting room provided
After breakfast each man is given six
pence. The old Norman castle is ina
jestic, though in ruins" could not help
recalling Mr.. Jingle's "fne pile-fro wning
walls, tottering arches, dark hooks,
crumbing staircases." In the castles
battles were fought to the bitter end.
Over the walls went the defeated ones
who were poor to meet mercifully
speedy death, while in the little cold
rooms, hardly high enough for a person
to stand, were imprisoned the rich ones
waiting for the ransom money to come. |
OF the 80 cathedrals in little England,
Rochester boasts of one. Here again
Mr.. Jingle's voice seemed to be saying,
"Old cathedral too-earthy smell-pil-
grim's feet wore away the old steps
little Saxon doors-contessionals, like
money takers boxes at the theatre
queer customers those monks" A |
memorial of Charles Dickens here is
worthy of his name and of old England,
OF course we dined at the famous Bull
Hotel Good house-queer figures on
the stairs" The walls of the dining |
room are covered with valuable auto. |
graph letters and pictures illustrating |
Mr.. Dickens books. We stopped for
luncheon at the Leather Bottle in Cob. |
ham. The collection of Dickens relics in
the well known parlor holds great
interest for visitors.
1t would be presumptuous to imagine
that one could tell of Oxford in a single
letter. A book might be given to each
one OF its twenty-one colleges. One looks
through tears at the door from which
the aged Cranmer came out to meet a
martyrs death. No one can resist a
smile when close by the elaborate monu. |
ment, erected to the martyrs, a sign NAV
be read, 1.-THE Martyrs Barber's Shop"
Everybody goes to Stratford, and
every American body looks with admira.
ton upon the magnificent window placed
there by "the American admirers of VIII.
liam Shakespeare" but speedily bushes
with modification to read that there is
still debt of five hundred dollars upon
that same window.
My visit to the Isle of Wight rem aims
as a pleasant dream. l recall the
matched cottages, the beautiful hills.
the wonderful grass, and the sea view, as
one recalls a beautiful picture. com.
mend the Grab and Lobster" Hotel at
Ventnor in unmeasured terms.
Life in London can only be compared
with life in London. Every other city
seems small beside it. l was exceedingly
fortunate in being able to visit the Art
Gallery in company with Miss Both
Hendrlksen, the art critic. was there.
fore sure of seeing only fine pictures