retracting what he had said, as well as publishing
an apology for the attack. Here we have an example of the British idea
of the sacredness of private character. This politician while in America
was almost daily accused by the newspapers of every crime in the
calendar and never thought it worth while to enter a denial. No sooner
is he fairly established in England than he brings suit against a
magazine whose charges appear to have been of the mildest character. One
seldom sees in English newspapers the violent attacks on individuals and
the severe denunciations of public men so common in American journals.
If the editor forgets himself, as in the case cited, suit for libel is
sure to be brought and often proves a serious thing. While this to some
extent may obstruct the freedom of the press, it is nevertheless a
relief to miss the disgraceful and unwarranted attacks on public men
that continually fill the columns of many American newspapers.

The road from Oxford to Wantage is a splendid one, running through a
beautiful country and bordered much of the way with ancient trees.
Wantage is a quiet town, lying at the foot of the hills, and is chiefly
noted as the birthplace of the great Saxon king. A granite statute of
Alfred stands in the market square, representing the king with the
charter of English liberties in one hand and a battle-ax in the other.
As he was born more than a thousand years ago, there are no buildings
now standing that were connected with his history. The church is
probably the oldest building--a fine example of early English
architecture. Near it is buried the wife of Whittington, "Lord Mayor of
Londontown." Dr. Butler, the theologian and author of "The Analogy," was
born in the town and this house is still to be seen.

Leaving Wantage, the road to Reading runs along the crest of the hills,
and on either side from the breezy uplands, the green fields, dashed
with the gold of the ripening harvest, stretched away for many miles.
This was one of the few spots in England where the view was unobstructed
by fences of any kind, and while the average English hedge-row is not
unpleasing, the beauty of the landscape in this instance certainly did
not suffer by its absence. From Kingston-on-Thames, the perfectly kept
road closely follows the river. Reading has a population of about one
hundred and twenty thousand and is a place of considerable business
activity. Though the city has a history stretching back to a