Dorchester in the Spring Sunshine; and Dickens’ words on Americans,

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Hello and a very good afternoon. This is Gretel speaking from Dorchester. I'm in the centre of the town and I've come here on a very sunny day. It's only about a half an hour drive from where I live and it's beautiful to come here. It is quite a run-down town centre in the sense that it's got it's got kind of poor shops and so on, but it's always very bustling and it's not run down in the sense that I don't know it's not populated. Everyone seems to enjoy coming here. There's a lovely bustle this morning, so I thought I would take some pictures, get some of the old buildings in the sunshine and take some pictures. But I wonder what you're up to this Saturday and whether you're okay and what stresses and strains you're facing, and whether you're coping alright or not, and and how relentless your grief is if you're grieving, or your your pain is if you're in pain, and but maybe you're free from all of it, and you're you're having an unclouded, sunshiney sort of day where you feel free of all worries and woes. So what whatever you're feeling today, I send you my love and best wishes. And as I speak, I'm breathing in the smoke of someone sitting beside me. But actually, I don't mind. I used to have the old cigarette, and I don't really mind it, but uh I'm now gonna walk off and go and take some pictures, and I'll probably record from inside the museum. Bye for now. There's a girl singing one of my favourite songs, Yellow, by Coldplay, and I haven't got any money, but I've got to record a little bit, so I'm trying to get some money out for her. She's quite good. She's about I'd say sixteen. But it's it's sort of moving to look at it because I think of the poor daughter and I think of the poor mare. And I think there's nothing better in books when people are betrayed with their faults and you you're allowed to love them. Like in Barnaby Rudge at the moment, who are the characters you love? It's not necessarily the sort of uh I've got to sort of say sort of, it's not necessarily the the girls who don't have much character but are perfect, seem perfect. It it's perhaps the uh lovely John Willett landlord at the Maple who is so um besieged and overwhelmed by what's happened to him, and he's also lost his son, but he's got this little posse of people around him, little friends, and he's got his land around him in the sense that he owns all that he surveys, and I feel for him so much. Um and what about Mrs. Var, who obviously does enjoy drinking but keeps it quiet and pretends to be the perfect Protestant but has suddenly found herself ashamed of her support for the for the for George Gordon. Um she's another interesting figure. I'm gonna read the sign that's by the mayor of Casterbridge's house. Hardee's Dorchester. Harde spent most of his life in or near to Dorchester, and he knew it intimately and made much use of it in his novels and poems. On being made an honorary freeman of the town in 1910, he said, The freedom of the borough of Dorchester did seem to me at first something that I possessed a long while. For when I consider the liberties I have taken with its ancient walls, streets, and precincts through the medium of the printing press, I feel that I've treated its external features with the hand of freedom indeed. Casterbridge is his name for Dorchester, and the Mayor of Casterbridge, written in 1886, is set in the Dorchester of the 1840s. Among other places, it features this building, which is imagined as the Mayor's House, the King's Arms Hotel, Mornbury Rings, St. Peter's Church, Greysbridge, and the River Froone. The Dorchester Prison, Old Workhouse, and Corn Exchange appear in Far from the Madden Crowd, written in 1874. In this street that we're in at number 39, he trained as an architect from 1856 to 1862, and he frequently visited William Barnes, who had a school next door, to talk about poetry. Stone plaques commemorate these two buildings opposite the Hardy Arcade. Hardy was fascinated by the history of the town, as we can see from this passage in the Mayor of Castobridge. Quote, to birds of the more soaring kind, Casterbridge must have appeared on this fine evening as a mosaic work of subdued reds, browns, greys, and crystals held together by a rectangular frame of deep green. To the level eye of humanity, it stood as an indistinct mass behind a dense stockade of limes and chestnuts, set in the midst of miles of rotund down and concave fields. Casterbridge announced old Rome in every street, alley, and precinct. It looked Roman, bespoke the art of Rome, concealed dead men of Rome. It was impossible to dig more than a foot or two deep about the town fields and gardens without coming upon some tall soldier or other of the Empire who had lain there in his silent, unobtrusive rest for a space of 1500 years. And basically there's a protest going on.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

There's a protest going on about the war in Iran.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

And there's about I'd say 80 people.

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And to try and get the council to um digress and arms companies.

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People have signs saying stop arming Israel. Stop bombing Iran.

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We've got four countries.

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And I'm now leaving that behind, and it's not that I don't think it's important I do, it's just that that's not what my MR podcast is about. So I'm now taking you to the front of St. Peter's Church, which is the church that Thomas Hardy knew so well. And it's I think it's 15th century, and it's got a tower, it's got crenellation, it's got pinnacles, it's got the whole works, really, gothic windows. Oh, the windows of the church have opened perpendicular, and the road we're on is called the Bow. And outside the church there's a statue of William Barnes, the poet, and right by them is a Dorset Museum and art gallery. And I thought I would take you into that if you're interested. So let's go and do that now. So I'm now in the cafe of the Dorset Museum. I decided to have a drink here first, and everyone, all the staff, everywhere I've gone here in Dorchester this morning, have been so lovely and kind, and it makes the place so welcoming and wonderful when you go around to cafes or museums, and everyone working there feels happy to be doing so. It's typical me. I haven't actually gone into the museum. It I've come into St. Peter's because I've I think I've only the energy to do one visit, and immediately I love going into a church where you can light candles. So I've just paid some money and I can now just drop that taper. I'm gonna now light a couple of candles and okay, so and I've paid enough money to cover all this in case you're wondering. Oh the tapers are so funny. It's difficult to light them, but okay, so this first one is for all of you who all of you who are struggling at all. All who are suffering. The whole world including bad people. So let's just stand here for a minute. We're in St. Peter's Church, we're your old church, George. And I'm just gonna let you enjoy the silence that I can do. Welcome to St. Peter's Church. There has been a church on this site since Norman times, and the current building dates back to 1454. That's earlier than I thought. Well, no, I think I said 15th century, but it's it's not particularly uh attractive. It's a good church, but it's not it doesn't captivate one's heart, I don't think. The building is open to all for historic interest and a place of calm in a busy county town. So it existed as a Norman church, and it says uh it has a decorated arch reset over the south porch, which shows that substantial rebuilding took place in the late 12th century, and that would have come from a previous church, or nearby Abbey, perhaps, and was remodeled to its current pointed shape as Norman Archism only round, it says in 1420. Robert Greenleaf left twenty marks to the fabric of the construction of the body of the church. So much of the present building dates from around his time. So most of the church dates from 1420. It's a fine example of the perpendicular style built of grey Portland stone, trimmed with a golden handheld stone. The weathers to a dark brown colour. The scale of the 15th century stonemasons can be seen in the girls and corners, and the splendid bosses in the ceiling are from this time but were restored in the 1990s. They date from the 14th century, otherwise nothing is known about them. This looks like it's um a challenge for a local historian, doesn't it? So 14th century. We just need to look at what local nobility might have been what might have had tombs in here in the uh in the 1300s. I might have a little squirrel about to see what I can find. Bells have started to ring. I'm just gonna take you in the sunshine so you can enjoy the sound of Dorset bells ringing in the sunshine here in deepest Wessex. Really, aren't they? We're just constantly surrounded by the noise of cows. Beautiful sound, the bells, aren't they? Right, let's go in the church. So I'm going under the porch, and yes, as you look up, you can see that the the lovely old Norman carving has been bodged together. Um, and I've taken some pictures, so you should be able to see those on my social media. I'm now in the main body of the church, and it's a substantial height, I'd say 80 feet, and the Chancellor Arch is huge and pointed beautifully, and there are two aisles, north and south, and each aisle has four great arches, and all of them pointed with grey Portland stone, not as attractive as our local North Dorset stone, but it's still pretty beautiful. And I'm walking towards the choir area, and there are lovely wooden choir pews carved beautifully, but looking very Victorian, but that's okay. And I'm now walking to the altar, so I'm just gonna be quiet while I take you to the altar. And the the display in front of the altar is the Last Supper, and it's a beautiful carving with Jesus at the centre looking down and to his right and looking thoughtful, and it looks like it's an exact replica of the famous Last Supper carve painting by was it this is my ignorance, was it Leonardo? Or was it Michelangelo? Oh goodness, or was it Raphael? Come on, Gretel. I'm afraid I don't know my stuff as much as I ought to. And I've now come into a little side porch, the south porch, and there's the medieval knight, and we don't know anything about him, so that could be a fun challenge for me, because I bet some people have tried to take on the challenge to see who it might be. So the beautiful church bells are ringing to in praise of you, listening to this podcast on a sunny day, and I've just come to a plan on the wall. It says St. Peter's Church, Dorchester, and it says a plan of the church drawn by Thomas Hardy at the age of 16 in 1856. So that would be his writing there. Actually, it says this is a copy of the original plan, which is now kept in the Dorset Record Office. And at the big bottom it says Thomas Hardy for John Hicks, architect. So he was obviously working for John Hicks, which I would know if I remembered all the details of his life. It says Dorchester, August the 4th, 1856, and it's really beautiful. I mean, he's only 16, and it's absolutely intricately put together and beautifully done. And it says things like uh he lists all the aisles like 11, 12, 13, 14, and then it has a bracket, and then his writing says to hold five persons each, and then on our different one, to hold six persons. Oh no, they're all to hold five persons each, and then organ, vestry, closet, north chancel aisle, desk, uh tower, nave, chancel, organ, vestry. Yeah, it's really beautiful porch. So he would have had an eye for these old churches wherever he went, and and we know that from his poetry and the biographies we read about him. Which is partly, I suppose, why I find him such an endearing and interesting character to understand and read about. All around the church are the cross keys of St. Peter in stained glass and carved on the pews. I'm now standing below the bell tower of St. Peter's, and you can hear the bells ringing out, but under the tower here I can hear the footsteps of the ringers, the bell ringers above, and I can every now and then I can hear sort of them shouting out. I'm just gonna see if you can hear. Astonishing. We do see, we do have very clear skies here, but tonight it's the clearest I've seen in such a long time. And I can see the plough, I can see all of them. It's just beautiful. You you notice I quickly hurried on then because I don't actually know my star constellations very well. I need to learn. There's so much I need to learn. Gaps in my knowledge are American states start the Stars, flags, I'm not very good at flags. I'm not I wouldn't be able to draw you a map of the South American countries very well. Yeah, gaps in my knowledge, it's I want to identify them and fill them because sometimes it's you sort of it's embarrassing when you get onto a subject that you know little about and you think, how how have I gone through life with without knowing this? My son's really, really good on America, and you know he would be able to pretty much draw you all the states and where they sit, so that's very impressive. And I think America's just been much more the consciousness of young people than it was in my day and age. We just thought of America as this wonderful place where everyone just was relaxed and sporty and wealthy, and because we watched all the programmes like Dallas and things like that. Poppy, off my bag. Nope, nope, no, off my bag. But we weren't interested in the continent. But I think now that everything's been going on with its deterioration recently, I think they've been much more interested in its history and why it's got to this stage, and it's it means that people who are interested in the world about them have become much more curious about it. And my son was just saying just then, because we've just come back from oh, we just went to the Rosen Crown in Trent. So as I'm speaking, I'm throwing the pink pig, hello puppy, to the puppy. We're in the garden and you're enjoying yourself. And you just did a wee, didn't you, clever girl? You can't bite my phone. And she's just a lovely thing. I'm really falling in love with her. She's like a little lamb, aren't you? A little lamb running along. Her face is beautiful, and and in a minute I'm gonna go in and do this as a first episode for tomorrow. And or do I actually just publish this with a few things like Samuel Peeps and publish it as a bonus Saturday episode? And that, my dear friends, is what I've decided to do. It's 2150. I'm sitting at my kitchen table. I've got beautiful music in the background, but quiet enough so I don't break the rules, and also I've got the microphone, so you shouldn't be picking up anything but a bit of a gentle murmur. I've got Puppy at my feet in her little bed, and candles are lit, books in front of me. I'm gonna do a couple of readings, publish this, and then prepare for I think quite a mammoth Sunday session, I think. I'd like to think about doing three, possibly four chapters of Barnaby. I also know that I'm a bit behind with saints, and I know some listeners really enjoy hearing what saint it is, and so I mustn't forget those. But I hope you're all well this Saturday evening. I know evenings can be tough for people if you're on your own or finding things difficult. And Saturday evenings I've always found a little bit tough, the same as Sunday evenings. Um I don't know why it is, why is it? Maybe because when you're as a when you're a child the Saturday Saturday evenings are so lovely because you don't have to go to school the next day and you've got that sense of relief, and then in your younger adult years, their Saturday evenings are the fantastic evenings to go out and enjoy yourself, and then there's something melancholy perhaps about being in on a Saturday evening. But I'm perfectly content and feeling really well, and after a tricky week at times with uh my daughter and so on, it's settled down into a restful weekend, as long as I keep away from the news, that is. And now we resume Charles Dickens' American Notes, and we continue from where we were, where we're talking about well he's talking about uh America and his views of it as a whole. These three characteristics, do you remember he talked about the characteristics of America? I can't remember. One of them was suspicion, one of let me go back. Oh yeah, the second one was smart dealing, and remember these were the negatives. He had so many positives to say about America. Just to remind you, he said of Americans they are by nature frank, brave, cordial, hospitable, and affectionate. I completely agree with that. But the third one seems to be trade, which to me I think is linked to smart dealings, so but let's carry on. These three characteristics are strongly presented at every turn, full in the stranger's view. But the foul growth of America foul, foul growth of America has a more tangled root than this, and it strikes its fibers deep in its licentious press. Ah yes, that was the last one, wasn't it, the press. Schools may be erected, east, west, north and south. I'm having my ankles nibbled. Pupils may be taught wanting to sit up here, aren't you? Pupils may be taught, and masters reared by scores upon scores of thousands. Colleges may thrive, churches may be crammed, temperance may be diffused, and advancing knowledge in all other forms forms walk through the land with giant strides. But while the newspaper press of America is in or near its present abject state, high moral improvement in that country is hopeless. Oh dear, remember this is written in the Victorian times. Year by year it must and will go back. Year by year the tone of public feeling must sink lower down. Year by year the Congress and the Senate must become less of less account before all decent men, and year by year the mem out the memory of the great fathers of the revolution must be outraged more and more in the bad life of their degenerate child. I hope you're enjoying this, Americans or not, I suspect Canadians are, huh? Among the herd of journals which are published in the States, there are some, the reader scarcely need be told, of character and credit. From personal intercourse with accomplished gentlemen connected with publications of this class, I have derived both pleasure and profit. But the name of these is few, and of the other legions, of the others Legion, I don't know if you heard that, but that's England playing rugby, and I think we're doing well, that's husband. And the influence of the good is powerless to counteract the moral poison of the bad. Among the gentry of America, among the well informed and moderate, in the learned professions at the bar and on the bench, there is, as there can be, but one opinion in reference to the vicious character of these infamous journals. It is sometimes contended, I will not say strangely, for it is natural to seek excuses for such a disgrace, that their influence is not so great as a visitor would suppose. I must be pardoned for saying that there is no warrant for this plea, and that every fact and circumstance tends directly to the opposite conclusion. When any man of any grade of desert in intellect or character can climb to any public distinction, no matter what in America, without first grovelling down upon the earth and bending the knee before this monster of depravity, when any private excellence is safe from its attacks, when any social confidence is left unbroken by it, or any tie of social decency and honour is held in the least regard, when any man in that free country has freedom of opinion and presumes to think for himself and speak for himself without humble reference to a censorship, which for its rampant ignorance and base dishonesty he utterly loathes and despises in his heart, when those who most acutely feel its infamy and the reproach it casts upon the nation, and who most denounce it to each other dare to set their heels upon and crush it openly in the sight of all men, then I will believe that its influence is lessening, and men are returning to their manly senses. But while that press has its evil eye in every house and its black hand in every appointment in the state, from a president to a postman, while with ribald slander for its only stock in trade, it is the standard literature of an enormous class who must find their reading in a newspaper, or they will not read at all. So long must its odium be upon the country's head, and so long must the evil at work be plainly visible in the Republic. Now I've missed out a paragraph, and then this sentence that comes next I think is brilliant. It would be it would be well, there can be no doubt for the American people as a whole, if they loved the real less and the ideal somewhat more, it would be well if there were greater encouragement to lightness of the heart and gaiety, and a wider cultivation of what is beautiful without being eminently and directly useful. But here I think the general re I'm before actually before I go on, I'm just gonna say go over that again, just that few lines there a few words, I beg your pardon, and a wider cultivation of what is beautiful without being eminently and directly useful. Now that gets to the heart at what I'm trying to achieve here in the podcast, which is about being curious and interested in things that are beautiful and for their own sake, therefore wonderful to have in the world, whether it's art on the wall of a church or a piece of music, or you know, it's to it's it's it's to not think of things in a utilitarian way, but to ponder things in our hearts that make us feel happy and safe and warm and edified and that we find interesting and that we're happy to tuck up and read about when we're in tucked into bed at night, you know. And Stephen Fry said something similar. He talked about the fact that if we if everything has to be useful, then we're not we're we're would strip away everything that's most important to us, because at the end of our lives, I imagine it's the things like walking in the rain or holding our child's hand or swimming in the sea. It's all the things that are actually completely free to us that we would miss and yearn for and think about the most. And it's something I I do try and bear in mind because it's so easy to be swept away with thinking, well, what's useful? And too often I think politicians and the sort of political environment is is set up to discuss and think about things as as if they always have to be of some use. It's well what's the what's the merit? What's the economic merit? Are people worse or better off with those in their lives? And by that they mean are they financially better off or worse off? And and and actually there's something called contentment and happiness, and although those things are based on financial security, they're not entirely based on financial security as we all know, and it's the moving away from that and the moving towards the things that make our hearts sing that I'm trying to do so much with this podcast. So it saves me from doom and gloom within my own head and heart, and enables me to enjoy life on a grander, deeper, warmer, lighter, lovelier scale. So it would be well if there were greater encouragement to lightness of heart and gaiety and a wider cultivation of what is beautiful without being eminently and directly useful. But here I think the general remonstrance we are a new country, which is so often advanced as an excuse for defects, which are quite unjustifiable, as being of right only the slow growth of an old one may be very reasonably urged, and yet I hope to hear of there being some other national amusement in the United States besides new newspaper politics. They are certainly not a humorous people, and their temperant temperament always impressed me as being of a dull, oh dear, and gloomy character. In shrewdness of remark and a certain cast iron quaintness, the Yankees, or people of New England, unquestionably take the lead as they do in most other evidences of intelligence, but in travelling about out of the large cities, as I have remarked in former parts of these volumes, I was quite oppressed by the prevailing seriousness and melancholy air of business, which was so general and unvarying, that at every new town I came to, I seemed to meet the very same people whom I'd left behind me at the last. Such defects as are perceptible in the national manners seemed to me to be referable in a great degree to this cause, which has generated a dull, sullen persistence in coarse usages and rejected the graces of life as undeserving of attention. There is no doubt that Washington, who was always most scrupulous and exact on points of ceremony, perceived the tendency towards this mistake even in his time, and did his utmost to correct it. So folks, what do you think of that? I mean things like this couldn't be written now, which is again why it's good to go back to old books because people are prepared to say things that they would be too scared to say now for fear of being cancelled. And I'm not saying I agree with any of it or anything, but it's interesting and it's just interesting to sit to see what people have thought before. But I think I'm going to leave it at that because it's 37 minutes and I'm going to publish this and then look forward to seeing you tomorrow for our usual Sunday episodes where we focus on Barnaby Rudge. So I wish you adieu and good night and send you love and best wishes. See you tomorrow.