The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-08-20
HOME ONCE MORE
Harry Parker Visits Again the
Scenes of His Youth
In DEAR OLD OXFORD
Has Pleasant Voyage and Meets His
Brother Whom lie Had Not
Seen for Fifty Years

Harry Parker, the well known
Sauk Centre citizen and Grand Army
veteran, who started not long ago
on visit to his brother in England
whom he had not seen since he left
there about half century ago, has
written the Herald an entertaining let
ter for publication. This epistle is
dated at Oxford, England, Aug. 4, and
is as follows:
after bidding adicu to home and
all friends at Sauk Centre, left
the city at 10:30 a. m on Tuesday,
July 20, for Quebec, arriving there on
Thursday evening, the journey occupy
ing three days and two nights. AS
| that city was full of visitors to the
tercentenary celebration, it was i'm
possible to obtain a bed there, so ]
made for the steamship Empress of
Ireland, which was to carry me across
the pond, and succeeded in getting
ON board
'We started on our voyage at p.
m. Friday, the oath of July, and pass
ed through the straits of Belle Isle
and along the coast of Labrador,
where snow and ice were visible.
The passage across the Atlantic was
favorable, but the air was chilly in
these latitudes. But we had no rain
or storm to disturb the pleasure of
the voyage or to give us feeling of
NAL de mer. The service on the boat
was excellent, as good if not better
than that of first class hotel-it
was all that one could wish for. I'm
der these favorable conditions we ar
rived at Liverpool at noon on Friday,
July 81. Taking the first train &c
Oxford, l arrived here at 7:15 p. M,
the whole journey having taken elev-
en- days.
Upon arriving at Oxford l found
my brother and his wife awaiting me
as 1 had sent them a telegram from
Liverpool to tell when to expect me.
Notwithstanding the long period which
elapsed since last we parted we had
no difficulty in recognizing each 9TH
er. and l was pleased to find them
looking so fit and well. You may be
sure that the meeting Yas most hear
ty, loving and affecting. I, too, was
feeling in excellent form, being bene-
fitted by the sea voyage.
'T am now comfortably settled down
with my brother and sister in their
home, and am daily visiting some of
the scenes of my early youth, and
| l find that dear old Oxford, my
birthplace, the classic city of spires,
and the worldwide known seat of
learning, has grown very considerably
since l left it. Only the central parts
of the city remain as they existed
in my memory-the memorable col
llege buildings, black with age, are
here located, as we'll as part of the
old wall which surrounded the city
in early times, the same which re-
sisted the efforts of the soldiers
the roundheads) under Cromwell
Two or three new colleges have been
built, viz, Keble, Mansfield and Man.
chester since left home in 1855.
There are also colleges and halls for
ladies, which were never thought OF
ir the old days, and there are facili-
ties for educating what are called
unattached students, that is, for
students not belonging to any col
lege or hall.
During the last sixty years the
population of Oxford has gone from
10000 to $4,000. The suburbs are now
occupied with good residences and
these are extending in all directions.
The youth of Oxford, have fine op-
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