The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-26
20Oth Anniversary
 of Thomas Gray

Thomas Gray, the immortal author of "An Elergy Wrote in a Country Churchyard, was born in Cornhill, London, 200 years ago today, and the bicentenary will be widely celebrated in both England and America. Gray wrote many other verses, but it is his "Elegy" which has made his name known and honored throughout the English-speaking world. The original manuscript of his masterpiece is still in existence, although it has had a checkered existence and has. several times been sold at auction. It is writ ten in a neat legible hand, with a crow-quill, on four sides of doubled half sheet of foolscap, now yellowed by age. A number of differences ex- ist between the manuscript and the first printed copy, numerous altera- tions having been made, and as many as six of the original verses omitted.
 Thomas Gray's father, Philip was the son of a wealthy merchant of Lon- don, but he squandered his inheritance biograpners, Philip was an indolent, selfish and unprincipled man, and an unworthy husband and father. The
 
 dren who survived infancy, as the poet set forth in his epitaph for his moth CTS grave: "The careful tender moth- CT of many children, one of whom alone had the misfortune to survive her.
 Gray was educated at Eton and at Peter House College, Cambridge. Deserted by her husband, the poets mother set up millintry shop, and thus provided for the expenses of her son at the university. Gray had a great fear of fire, and at college he fixed an iron bar to his window, to which he attached rope, to serve as a fire-escape in case of need. One night he was awakened from his slumbers by great cry of Fire and without stopping to- dress. descended the rope to find himself in the midst of scoffing, jeering crowd of stu lidents. The incident was so shocking to the lads delicate sensibilities that he deserted's Peters College for Pem- broke. z
 In 173S Gray removed from Cam bridge to London, intending to study law, but was invited by his friend. Horace Walpole, to travel on the con- tinent. They visited many cities in France and Italy and Gray spent about a year in Florence, where he wrote al Latin poem. After a quarrel with Walpo1e he went to. Venice, and wrote several Latin odes He return ed to England in 1741, and his father died soon afterwards. His mother then gave up her shop and retired to Stoke Poges, in Buckinghamshire. where she lived with widowed sister. Gray frequently visited her. and it is said that it was in the beautiful graveyard at Stoke Poges. near Eton that he conceived the de- sign of his "Elecy." Other church. yards have claimed the honor Gray then settled at Cambridge, where he was known as quiet, thoughtful, re- l served man, often melancholy and de- pressed in mind, and with g. strong aversion to society. He wrote many poems ranging from his Latin "'De Principiis,' in which he designed to teach Locke's metaphysics in hexa- meters, to an ode on the Death of MT. Walpole's Cat.' He commenced his Elegy'' in 1742. but did not com- plete it until 1749 He showed the manuscript to many friends, but had no design of printing 1t until a copy fell into the hands of the editor of ''The Magazine of Magazines' in | which it first appeared. A few days late, at the poets request, ,tke poem was published in pamphlet form, price sixpence, with a title page adorned with skull and crossbones. The ''Elegy' was immediately poput | lar, four editions being called for l within year. Later in life he was offered tho laureateship, but declined, and he also refused degree from Aberdeen. He died in 1771, and was buried at Stoke Poges in the same tomb with his mother and an aunt