New-York tribune., 1907-11-26
A Curious Book About the Founder
of HdrU0rd.

,ozTI HARVARD AND HIS IIM1s Rv ttorr,
&C Shelley. Illustrated from photographs SVo
pp. xiv, sSl. Boston; Little. Brown & Co.
so far back as 1872" says Mr.. Shelley IN b,s
rreface James Savage offered the seducti,,a
reward Of $500 for five lines Of inforr,a+,o,,
about John Harvard in any capacity. pubIic or
private. But no one could claim it," Upon find
ing some three hundred pages devoted, in 1907.
70 an account Of the life and times OF tbis eor,
individual, the readers first comment Is that
modern research must have brought p wondrous
deal 10 light The final comment is di4sare,+
Emerging from a very maze Of "probablys.. ard
''possibys," and lin all likelihoods". drapcboa
with collateral history, sociology, parish lore
end whatnot one can scarcely be blamed for
inQuiring whether the five lines of indisputabIA
information about John Harvard have even ,,o+
been brought forth. There is SO little If .Jobp
Harvard. much Of his times; as if an ireac+
on The wing-and therefore nearly invisible
should be painted against wide. diversified
unsubdued landscape.
The first chapter offers q general account of
tie growth Of Puritanism in England in the
years following the death Of Queen Elizabeth
John Harvard was born in 16O7) What was
the real aim Of the Puritans? A citation of
three pages from a certain Rev Thomas Warm,
stry Of about this time" makes II know, 70
Us. What was the daily life of "a Puritan
Eaoesman in London, such as we know John
Harvards father to have BEEN? BY the han
pest Of fortunes possess the dfarv Of one
Nehemiah Wellington. contemporary Of our
hero. turner, whose birthplace was about
the same distance from the north side Of tba
river as Harvard's was from its south side -
More notable still. the father OF each was a
churchwarden! From WaIIIngton's diary. with
its description of his godIy mother its reports
OF
drowning, and its evidence Of his interest in
reading, we may get an insight-perhaps-into
the ,ife OF that other home
What did Wellington read? SAYS the author.
"As his own particular chapman no dovbtr-
the italics are ours-"soon got to know the taste
Of this good customer, we mdy be sure that he
always took care TO have a copious supply of
the very latest productions in the shane of
Puritan literature" OF only two volumes is anv
mention made, the Divine Tragedy" OF Mr.
Prynne. and a pamphlet of Rev Henry Burton
books which probably also found place in
John Harvard's home" We may well be CRATE
ful for Wallington's precious legacy!
OF recreations we read:
pleasures Of the theatre, of which TsicI the most
notable IN London. the Globe. was within easy
cut off for the same reason from the besy
batting gardens and all kindred arnlisements OF
did for recreation. Wellington supplies us with
some scrt of an answer TO that question. The
Thames was within stones throw from his door
as IT was from the home Of John Harvard [oh
fortunate parallelil, and occasional row on its
waters was not deemed too worldly amusement
Here endeth the first lesson. Close upon its
heels we find the engaging theory developed that
John HarVard's father, Robert, and his mother
nee Katherine Rogers, Of Stratford- on Avon
may reasonably be supposed 10 have been in
troouced 10 each other by no less a person than
the great dramattst himself Allies pour WdyHn1
toni We must now reconstruct a new set Of
connections.
In the absence Of any evidence to the con-
trary we are at liberty, II seems. to believe