Evening star., 1909-05-21
SHAkESPEARE'S STRATFORD
MEMORIES THAT COME TO ONE
IN THE POETS TOWN.
Sixpence Charged for Entrance to
House Where Great Man Was Born
and to Church Where He Sleeps.

From the London News.
1t is a fortunate thing for the world
that Shakespeare's father moved out Of
Snitterfield into Stratford about the
middle of the sixteenth century. People
laugh at you if you take names seriously
in these days, as Mr.. George Moore takes
them, but nevertheless I do not believe
1t is humanity possible for q great poet
to be born in a place called Snitterfield.
1 will not discuss here the question
whether Stratford is the most beautiful
Of all names for a poets birthplace. You
can take no objection to it, however, on
the score of indignity.
Stratford - Shakespeares Stratford =
Stratford that draws men and women
with their strange voices and their
guide-bOoks from all corners of the earth
lis now little more than a name. Or,
| rather. it is a spirit, surviving in spite OF
all the grocers. and the haberdashers OF
the place who do reverence to common
sense and the commonplace from behind
their modern shop windows. Here and
there the spirit Of StratfOrd expresses
itself in beauty. or, If not in beauty, at
least in a delightful quaintness. At the
corner of a street stands an ancient
cross-timbered house, put together with
something Of a child's clumsiness and
pleasure in It's work, or a featureless old
chapel. of whose beauty the devaStat-
ing wind and rain. and not the men who
built it. are the architects. The Chapel
of the Guild, indeed, is the beginning of
the single piece Of continuous Old-world
loveliness of which Stratford can boast.
long old almshouses with their project
ing upper stories. their little loaded
windows and their modest doors. Walk
ing past the antique-though. l suppose.
''restored"-fronts of these houses, one
does really breathe Shakespeare. The
people who hobble in and out Of the door
ways are Shakespeares people-Verges
and Hugh Oatcake and George SeacOle,
and the rest They are so real. indeed.
that at first I felt sure they must be got
ten up for the occasion. and be employed
by some Shakespeare Society to show
their withered faces at the doors in order
to give an atmosphere to the town.
An Oldtimer.
/ spoke to one Of the old men-a tooth
less old fellow, with red-rimmed, watery
eyes that had dwindled with AEGEAN old
man garrulous, wearing a collar OF a
pre- -Gladstonian fashion and clothes to
match-and he took me into his inner
room and discoursed to me in piping
voice. "Oh, be an old man. he qua
vered, shaking his wisp of face at yacan-
cy; II be an old man, I be. though
bain't more than thirty Or forty to look
at. 1 be eighty-six years old. It's as
true as Gods in heaven, If was never
to stir hand or foot again."
I told him he did not look It; which
was true enough, for he looked at least
ninety.
YES" he went on, Il were born in 1923
bain't no scholard, sir, and don't know
whether I've reckoned it up right but
perhaps you be a scholard. and can reckon
it up for me-
him he was in his eighty-sixth year MY
eye!' he said; Il have done bit Of kick
in about, have" And thereupon he
proceeded to unfold to me a story of HIM
self and flood and boat and an escape
from death by drowning, about which
things, he said. he often thought when
he was lying in his bed at night
listened to the ins and outs of his story
for about quarter of an hour, trying to
disentangle the sense of 1t. At last
had to cut short tediousness that was
worse than Dogberry's.
AS I was going l asked him what he
thought Of all this Shakespeare business.
''Eh?" he grunted, with q vacant look,
as he leaned, shaking, on his stafr.
repeated my question. His face broke
into q tremble of deaf mans intelligence
Yes he nodded. as though heartily
agreeing with me; II have seen some
q sinful man."
0plI4I Ol I0u6kSSpcaTS.
I sought the spirit of Shakespeare's
Stratford, however, not only in the old
men Of the almshouse, but in the common
sights of the town. I visited the house
In which Shakespeare was born and paid
sixpence for it. I visited the room in
which he went to school, and paid six
pence for it. l visited the church in
which he was buried, and paid sixpence
for it. / went out to Shottery to see the
cottage in which he made love to Anne
Hathaway, and ought to have paid six
self at least one unbought mood in STRAIT
ford. SO l remained outside the door.
/ suppose all this sixpenny business is
necessary. 1t is very discouraging, how
ever to the magination that wishes to
forget itself in bygone centuries Even
as l approached the substantial dwelling
house in which Shakespeare was born a
little well-dressed, golden-haired boy ran
toward me, the light Of commerce in his
eyes.
"Show you around. sir?" he offered.
thanked him and said NO"
Repeat the fourth act OF The Mer-
chant Of Venice. sir?'' he asked me.
| again thanked him and said NO"
'Tell you all about Shakespeare, sir?"
he pleaded. making third attempt at my.
pocket. Being weak of will, 1 hesitated
What do you know about Shake
speare?' asked him.
A1C iIliiiCu1dlCiS DcSdH TtC1llHS. w nat
Is Antonio here ready SO please your
grace l am sorry for thee thou art come
to answer" and SO on for about hun
dred lines of The Merchant of Venice"
never even pausing for breath or to put
IN a stop or to end a line He appeared
! not at all to enjoy giving this entertain
ment publicly in the street, and looked
particularly. nervous when another small
boy came UP and stood beside him and
grinned at him. At last l put an end to
his pains with q Stratford sixpence AS
slipped off the other small boy ran after
me.
Like posy. sir?' he asked; "If you
come over the road, I'll give you one for
| a halfpenny." He was wearing a beauti-
full white linen collar. too. the little Shy
lock-
Henley Street House.
Shakespeares house In Henley street.
with its shattered floors, its restored win
dows and it's bescribbled walls, is, Of
| course the living center Of the Stratford
| that one goes to visit. 1t has q floating
population of Americans and Germans
and automobilists. who come and gaze
and go away. content becaus, they are
able to say that they have visited Shake
speares birthplace. Each of the rooms
has q constant population of one. some