The Dolores star., 1920-07-02

Ing from Greenwich by water,v In
"Bnrges freshly furnished with Ran.
ners and Streamers of Silke, recheIy
behton and bagges OF their Crafts"
At these times the barges Of the Ora.
pers company were decked with cloth
OF blue or red, and their trumpeters
were resplendent In crimson hats,
while their floating banners were
adorned with silken fringe .'beaten with
gold"
or their land professions. probably
the grnndest was that in honor of their
mayor, Sir Robert Clayton, in 1879.
which included moving stage. and
was "disnitied with divers delightful
varieties of Presenters. with speeches.
songs and actions, properly and pune.
tually described. all set forth mt the
proper cost and charges of the wor.
shipful Company of Drapers."
Catastrophe Of 1866.
The ancient hall of the drapers was
in st. Swthins Lane. but in 1541 the
company ended its negotiations with
Henry VIII for Cromwell House." the
site OF the present hall. which had
come to the crown through the at.
taindcr of Cromwell earl of Essex.
The great fire of 1866 stopped Its
northward fury at Drapers' hall, hut
great damage was done to the build
ings, and the unfortunate clerk of
those days, whose house had been
demolished. had to take refuge in the
Garden house. which, until the fire,
had been the house of Mr.. Miners, the
beadle.
AS 1t remains today, the Drapcrs'
hall displays all the tempered rich
ness of an English country house; and
the magnificent suites of rooles, two of
which are adorned with perfectly pre-.
served pieces OF Gobelin tapestry. and
whose walls are hung with splendid
pictures. betoken the hospitality of this
ancient company. But the feature
which fingers most in memory is the
quiet and ancient garden, with Its
shimmcring trees. including aged mul.
berries-from one OF which dish OF
tHH sun 't p'h'hNa ~ '''S''
hued flower beds, and its leaden tanks
filed with flowers And though in the
very midst of the city's greatest tur'
mol, II still looks so reposeful that II
is easy to remember those other days
when my Lord Ambassador from
France" walked the plaisaunce In the
September Of 1862. or when one Rob'
crt Rntford, the gardener, complained
to the court that by drying of napcrye
clothes In the Drapers garden. the
knoIIs and borders of erbys therein are
DESTROYED" which resulted In prompt
measures being taken to suppress the
practice.
Benevolences.
Today the Drapers company Is
actively engaged in administering lis
trusts. md in promoting education and
charitable work in many different
ways. by mems of its corporate funds
Among the various benefactions may
be mentioned its annual scholarships
and exhibitions of students In the hve
chief branches of the textile trade, IN
nual grant Of f1,OO0 toward the
chair of agriculture at the university
OF Cambridge. But the most interest
ing of its activities is the East Lon
don college, with which It is most init
mnteIy associated. and which Is uni.
versIty college, giving full course IN
natural science, engineering. or art
for the small sum Of f1o los.
The students. both men and women
are mainly drawn from the working
classes. The company has expended
fully f25O.OOO upon this college ana
contributes large sum annuniiy
toward its maintenance. Its WORK III
connection with both the college an"
the "People's palace" Is marked py
most enthusiastic and personal inter,
est, and the drapers are justly PROUD
that this college is the only one IN the
British isles where an aeronau''c"'