The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-21
First Of Six Performances Affords
an American Visitor De-
lightful Glimpse Of the
Days Of Old.
Days Of Old.

3 Z 4 I Z
Mary Cray Morrison. writing in the
Boston Evening Transcript OF the his
torical pageant at Oxford. says:
It was the first of the six perform
, ances. The setting was splendid. Tier
above tier our seats rose, and a multi
against the sky Jumped with black
clouds, sat buzzins. cxpectant. The
blood Quckened just to see the stage
below even before one of the three
thousand actors had come upon it,
The little SCherwell river flowed to tie
tight OF US, made sudden bend and
Jay level with US, a broad bridge cross
Ing II midway, and then it swept away
to the left, out Of sight. Within tho
bend of the stream Just before us was
a plain OF grass. and across the bridge
was slopinS eapanse at stretching
away to belt of trees, all green as
s only England can grow grass and trees.
We could see a bit Of battlemented
gateway here and there within the
grove to the left OF the bridge beyond
the river, and gray castellated towers,
+ too. not cbtrusive, just suggestive Of
old days and picturesque 1t takes an
artistic self-restraint in civic body
to conceal a goodly part of the plaster
ruins that have cost so much and 80
Z successfully look old; but oxford did
1t. and saved her landscape. In the
same way she saved her pageant from
being private theatrcals by opulence,
where that was needed. and so put y
into the region Of art. which is not
life. but like life" Ten centuries, one
ty one, rushed across that broad bridge
+ over the Cherwell yesterday afternoon
and of none of them did we say in our
hearts, Alas! poor ghost" What tri-
umph for management that&means
+ And what credit to Mr.. Frank Las.
relles perched high on the roof of this
Y grandstand. manoeuyring his masses
oftmen and women strategetcallS,t tact
fully. Everything was quiet and II
order when we arrived. The aaudienc,
was seated early, for VIC had beef
warned that no one would he allowed
to come In later than fifteen minutes
e before the performance began. Hawk
ers OF postcards went about among u
in velvet caps and sleeves and witt
lace frllls about their necks. The MAJ
who was TO photograph for a cine
motograph Wore q Benedictine robe
IS Hard by. unseen, in the tower OF Mas
quarters of the htai. In the crowd O
strangers fitting resemblance t
some friend across the seas here an
there helped the lonely American 4
X feel at home. *
The Spirit Of Oxford.
Something In the air subtly affecte
the mood of all of us. No stage mar
-aSec cOuld produce II, Inns, MS lNFi5'
'l bile aid yesterday, and no accident {
the moment. had there been any sucl
5 could have takenit away. ! fancy
was the spirit of Oxford itself, TIL
Old World and4our own are ons thel
as nowhere else In the world, 70
feel this even in the town's gray thol
oughfares. I forget Who 1t was sa1
that beside London every other capit'
city on earth was provincial--excep
perhaps, Cxford-77which was once II
capitals Of England for about fo'
years, Matthew+fArnold, in one of h
characteristics remarks. declared tn
Oxfcrd had never given itself over
the Philistines., Perhaps 1t has Ike
itself pure In the Arnold sense. but
must BIO admitted that compared wi
certain humilatlng episodes In whit
it groveiad before kings In Its EARL
Al days. the yielding to plain paganis
In any form would seem to some Of 4
Y more manly form&ot surrender,
& 81 Its age tho university Ia beautifl
mellDwed and tolerant 1t learned
g good While ago 10 laugh across di
der tables with pc oplel Of all shadesF
bpinion and belief. TO meet cordla