The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-08-07
Coalville, Leicestershire. England
July 16 1905

July 16, 1905
Dear SIR
| ! must tell you little of my hur.
ried visit to the great University town
of oxford The University is compos.
ed of thirty colleges, each n magni.
ficent structure in itself. Think of
a day in such a place! A month would
be insufficient to give one even a
fair knowledge of it. Such beautiful
gardens and walks and streams. One
beautiful shady grove was where the
great writer Addison was accustomed
TO stroll, beside the Cherwell stream
when he was a student at Magdalen
College. l never wished so heartily
in my life as / did there that all
Caledonia people might be present to
enjoy its beauty. Here l saw the
Martyrs Memorial erected TO Cramer,
Riedley and Satimer who were burn
ed to death in this city for protest
ing against the iniquities of the
church of their day.
Hheer was the famous Bodleian
library where thousands of books are
stored and where you can see many
Famous ancient manuscripts. / could
only walk through it and sigh for
lack of time.
l also paid q visit to Ashmolean
Museum where one can see the finest
specimens of ancient Roman and
Greek Art as well as the most an
clent specimens of prehistoric art.
/ longed for few weeks to examine
THESE efforts of our savage and bar
Darlc ancestors found in Ireland Eng
land and Wales, some of them dug
from great depths. The most valuable
relic Is King Alfred's jewel discover
ed in A. ID. 1898 near his retreat at
Atheluey. Many Egyptian monu-
ments and mummies are here. One
colossal monument is that of King
Warmer experimenting irrigation
works, and carries us back beyond
the first historic dynasty B. C. 5000,
The beginnings of Hieroglypllc writ
ing can be traced here.
At one of these colleges (Christ
church, three modern Premiers
were educated, VIM Gladstone Lord
Salisbury and Lord Roseburg as well
as John and Charles Wesley. In the
ante-chapel of Lincoln College Is the
pulpit from which John Wesley
preached while here.
So attractive did | find Oxford that
i walked all day without dinner. thai
/ might see as much as possible of IT.
Thoroughly tired in body, but invigor-
ated in mind l reluctantly left for
Wales.
| visited my Brother Herbert at
Newport and through his advice /
took a train for Cardiff. one OF tho
the great shipping points for Welsh
COAL which Is highly priced for steam
NFfg5fN.
Ihe old one Is in ruins. | permitted
me sate-keeper TO shut me in an old
dungeon where 1t Is said the Duke
OF normandy was detained a prison.
or Tor 20 years. 1t was horrible
hole' only a little light enters from
small hole in the wall near the
ceiling How man could live in
such place month l cannot i'm
agine.
AT Newport stood on the top of
a NIL at eight o'clock in the evening
and had fine view over Bristol |
channel and five Welsh counties. ri
could see to read easily at nine o. |
clock. IL was not dark until 9:3O. I |
mad entirely forgotten the extended |
English twilight / returned home TO |
a ten O'Clock supper; for in all Eng
land the working classes eat four
times day the extra meal being
= O'Clock tea, on this particular day
ny brother insisted that have a Gun
OF tea with him at a famous tea |
house. 1t was full of visitors seated
around little tables holding pots of
tea, and delicate slices OF bread ana
butter.
am now in the coal region Of
England with Brother Harry whom
mad never seen before. He will take
me to Sherwood Forest, made fa-
nous by Robin Hood. I shall also
visit an English coal mine.
Yours Truly,
JAMES GRAY,