Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-10-14
VISITS sTRATFoRD ON rHr AVON
General Rogers Tells of Birthplace Of the
Great English Play Writer


The ride from Oxford to Warwick is
through beautiful and well cultivated
country. The meadows are not as clean
or the pastures as free from undesire-
able growth of plants as is noticeable
on the continent, where women and
children are often seen raking meadows
and removing all foreign growth. In
England women are not seen in the
fields, yet 81, 900 good looking, red
checked maidens are registered as bar
maids. After an enjoyable morning
ride on fast train we pulled into the
station at Lexington, beautiful city
with elm shaded streets, fine homes and
pleasing gardens: health resort where
water is freeiy drank for many kinds
of ailmer.s that affiict the human race.
Lemington is the home of many Eng
lsh military and naval retired officers
These veterans in their declining years.
dramatically and otherwise afflicted,
assemble in the clubroom and live over
the days gone by at Sebastipol. India,
China, up the Nile and on the high seas,
defending the greatest naval power on
the globe, and talk of the glory of
Wellington, Gordon and Nelson, and
others great in the stirring events of
English history.
A short electric ride and we stop in
the old city of Warwick. 1t is noted
for the Warwick castle and tower, built
in the XIV century, and now the resi-
dence of the Earl of Warwick. Awalk
along the paths in the forest was inter-
esting; walk through the castle, noted
for its splendor and elegance, contain
ing many valuable pictures and many
pieces of armour long ago hung on the
walls, was interesting, and to see how
chivalry went to war in defense of the
king. There is much of antiquity in
Warwick. Many important events have
transpired within and without the old
wall that surrounds the city. Warwick
supported Cromwell, therefore escaped
the demolition that befell many cities
and castles that stood in the Protectors
way when he was giving England les
sons in religious economy and the Puri-
tan the way of salvation. The old cas-
tie was owned by Henry ~; Elizabeth
fell heir to it and presented it to the
Earl of Leicester, and it is now owned
by the Earl of Clarendon. The old ruins,
where nobility and royalty We're enter
tanned cheek by jowl, when chivalry
was in flower, is now well preserved
ruin.
Across country from Warwick to
Stratford on the Avon, one and a half
hours ride, is recorded as one of the
most pleasing drive ways in England.
A splendid highway, well shaded with
old wide spreading trees, fine fields,
good pasture, well fed sheep resting in
the shade, cattle grazing, neat farm
houses-a rural scene that is delightful
and invigorating. The absence of the
slovenly weed breeding roadside. so of
ten visible in the west, is noticeable.
Charmed with the country drive, we
ride into Stratford, and found good
lodging in an old time inn that has much
of the antiquity and little of the new.
We visit the old grammar school where
William was only a fair scholar, and
spent many days preparing himself for
the highest place in English literature.
In the same street, across the block, is
the birthplace of the great dramatist.
A small fee is charged and we enter
and write Our names on the American
register We were informed that 45,-
600 visitors passed the threshold last
year, and that "a, 900 were from the
United States. For many years there
was no register and people were per-
mitted TO write their names on the
walls. Some cut their names with dia-
monds on the window panes, which still
remain, where we see Walter Scott
and Edward Gibbons. The dirty,
scratched walls were washed many
years ago, and registers introduced;
Americans in one register, all other
countries in another, where sixty-two
nationalities came to register at the
place of the birth of tne great play
writer last year. We see many things
in the old home still we'll preserved,
and notwithstanding Shakespeare has
long been mouldering iu the old church,
great interest is shown by visitors to
his birth place, and as time goes on,
greater interest is shown than in past
years. Under a glass is the manuscript
of "As You Like 1t" which the keep
er said was presented before Queen
Elizabeth, who was SO delightfully."- inn
pressed with it that she requested
William TO add another act. He went
to his study ard in four days wrote and
played before the queen, "The Merry
Wives of Winsor," the home of Eliza
beth. We visited the old home, walked
through kitchen, sitting room, bedroom
and garret and through the gardens,
and enjoyed a few hours in looking at
the old time collections.
Walking down street we stop be-
fore monument hulk by the Philadel
phia philantropist, Mr.. Childs, editor
of the Public Ledger. We wander into
many old curiosity shops, where are
displayed much of the antique, showing
the way of LIFE in centuries past, of
people with few exceptions forgotten.
We go to the old church yard, many
times filed with the dead, as many
times disinterred and taken to the
charnel house in order to refill the
graves. The small city of the dead is
we'll shaded with yew and elm trees
that have stood sentinel for two cen
turies. We walk to the Avon, flowing
through beautiful vale to
Severn. Stopping at a stone seat on
the bank of the Avon, we are told it
was Longfellow's favorite place to sit,
and sitting there enchanted by the sur
and inspired by the genius of
wrote "The Flowing of
the Avon.
Flow on sweet river, like his verse
Who lies beneath this sculptured hsarse"
the old church, we knock on the ''sanc-
tuary knocker," and are admitted to
the church with beautiful stained win
lows. In the nave is the old parish
register, in which are the entries of
William Shakespeare's birth and burial
Baptism: In the yere 1854, Guliel-
name Filius Johannes Shakspere.
buried 1916, April 25th, Will Shaks-