Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1921-05-27
INTERESTING LETTER
(By r. W. +. MARTINI


ford ON Avon in 1905 and built
a house, which is still standing
in good preservation and one of
the most interesting houses in
Stratford. John Harvard was
baptised at st. Saviours, now
Southwark Cathedral, London,
November 9th, 1907. In 1927
he went to Emanuel College,
Cambridge. The entry in the col
lege register is John Harvard
Mdlsex, December 10Th, 1927, 0.
10. 0, the later being the acknow-
Judgement Of his fee of los for
admission. He took his B. A. de-
gree 1851, M. A. 1885, married in
1857 and then went to live in
New England. A year previous
to his arrival, New England col
onists started a, project Cor the
establishment of college for the
education of English and Indian
both in knowledge and Godli-
ness.
When Harvard heard of this
it called forth his warmest SYM
pathy, and he bequeathed half of
his fortune amounting to nearly
ID 800, which amounted to much
more in those days than now.
He also gave his library of 800
volumns in recognition of which
bencfcence it was resolved to
call the seminary Harvard Col
lege."
When Mr.. Joseph Choate, Amer
lean Ambassador to England him
self being graduate of Harvard
offered beautiful stained glass
window to the dean of South
wark Cathedral, the same was
accepted with grateful thanks
and placed in the chapel of st.
Johns Divine Gin the cathedraD
which was afterwards to be
known as "The Harvard Memoir
ial Chapel" This noble memoir
ial window was unveiled by Mr..
Choate May 1905, being about
300 years after John Harvard
was baptised in the venerable
church, which by the by is over
900 years old and contains many
old and interesting monuments.
It's very interesting to see the
list of names Of visitors TO the
chapel. Every state of the Union
seems represented. There is one
memorial in the cathedral that
| should mention and this to
William Emerson of whom Ralph
Waldo Emerson was a defendant.
st. Margarets church Westmin-
lister, has memorial window to
Sir Walter Raleigh who was
buried here, donated by Amer
lean citizens in 1882. 1t has the
following words inscribed:
1.-The new worlds Son from Eng
lands breast we drew,
Such milks as bids remember
whence we came;
Proud of her past from which
her present grew,
This window we inscribe with
Raleigh s name.
Many who helped to shape the
country's destinies and its ideals
were linked by home and kim
dred with Great Britain. Wash
ington, Franklin, Penn and many
others who were associated with
the founding of the Republic and
many Others who helped in its
building, all We're of British
stock and of the best blood of
that stock, which, whatever else
may be said of it, is possessed
OF nation making strain, as no
other race we know of, has
shown, and it's curious that
many of these men came from
Mid England, while two of the
strongest and most famous of
Americas notables-Washington
and Franklin-had their root
stock in the very center of Eng
land.
Great Brington, Washington's
home; Ecton, but eight miles
distance being the home of Ben
Jamln Franklin. Washington's
family goes back to Laurence
Washington, who was twice
mayor of Brington, 1889 the first
time he made a large fortune in
the wool business and bought or
rather acquired Sulgrave Manor
in the reign of Henry the VIII
for 1921 IA l 0and consisted
of many acres.
The old manor house or what
now remains Of it, is charming
ly situated and affords a good
specimen Of the 10th century
house.