The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-17
THE SEASON IN BOSTON.
BOsTON, Jdnnaru 3. 1876

THE SEASON IN BOSTON
BosroN, January 3, 1856.
To the Editor o the National Era:
Our Carnival is nearly over. For week.
Boston has been inundated with a flood of &C.
NAL, jovial life. True, our streets we're not
Italian-full of quaint, grotesque, and mirth-
provoking oddities; and no mild summers sun
poured down its ordinations. But though our
hard earth cracked with the frost, and the par
tial sun only winked out sidelong glances be-
tween the falling sleet and snow, yet were not
our winter festivals less festive, or our North
ern hearts less warm and hearty. But the
"wake," with which we honor the dead year s
memory, ends when the new years work begins.
To-day we build yesterdays monument.
Our Legislature assembled yesterday, at noon.
Both branches presented an appearance worthy
Of the State they represent. And though the
Senate is intensely American" and the House
by a small majority, l do not fear to predict
that the ultra-proscriptive measures which were
conceived and enacted by the last Legislature,
IN the bewilderment of its unexampled triumph,
will be set aside with scorn by the present body.
Think of the State and home of the Pilgrims
bending its great energies to the humiliation of
religious sect, and the disfranchisement of
peculiar peoples! We had au election sermon
ct the Old South, in the afternoon. 1t was
commonplace enough, to be sure; but when the
reverend gentleman, speaking of the qualifca.
| tons of good rulers, mentioned those of truth
fitness and generosity, / could not help but
! think of the Governors story about the 4" four
teen years standings" and of the more recent
and extraordinary statement, made in his own
pecuculiar style, and endorsed by the hearty
applause of his partisans, that had he recev.
ed the Worcester nomination, he would have
availed himself of the earliest opportunity to
send it back! And so the Convention-sum-
moned at his own suggestion-packed by his
own friends-watched, through all its stormy
session, with uuwearying solcitude - would
have performed fruitess task by naming him
first, who was going to decline And rulers
should be generous, said the minister Amen
was our hearts utterance. Yet, to-day, Mas
sachusetts represents no generous, no manly
sentiment. Forgetting the appliances which
have been used to make the State represent
alive of the Native American sentiment, we
still seem to hear the piping voice of selfish.
ness and bigotry, sounding above the instinct
i've utterances of generous hearts, "There is
no brotherhood of races-we are the Lords
anointedl" And while the land grows richer
with every sun that shines on it, we still seem
to say to the weary workers Of old and over
wrought countries-however great or however
lowly they are" Live and die where you will
America is for Americana !" This is not gen
erous-ls not republican. We can conceive
how such spirit should find devotees among
tribes and clans. Are Christian nations no
better than they?
Some of our poet scholars more genial
theme-are coming to the defence of Shake
speare, against Miss Della Bacon's bold effort
to class him with the myths. The poor play
actor-the old man of the Globe Theatre-the
automaton whom history never saw but once,
and then stealing deers from Sir Thomas Lucys
psrk-he, with only hint from Plutarch, or a
meager plot from HOlinshed's Chronicles, scrib-
bling "Coriolanus," Hamlet" Macbeth"
LEAR" for his own amusement! Preposter-
Gus says the complainant. But, say the coun-
sci for the Defence this is not an argument, but
begging OF the question. We recognise in
the genius of Shakespeare pure genius.
Granting this, the authorship Of these immor.
tai works Is not an impossbility, but natural
sequence. We may regret the loss of his man.
uscripts, but how can we infer thence that they
were not his? Genius is not conscious of ITSELF
We may grant, without casting a shadow upon
his immortal fame, that he was unconscious of
the wealth he was bequeathing to all time.
When the maiden queen laughed over the
Plate of Errors" and the Merrie Wives of
Windsor" or wept over the grand tragedies
which first saw the light in her presence, she
did not dream that history would regard them
as the monument Of her reign. And had any
other tho,1 Sha Eaqnaara 4bap, boJ H.
vain and aspiring Lord Bacon, or the brilliant
Sir Walter Raleigh, brought them forward, af.
ter years Of patient research and study, | doubt
whether she would have thought so any more
And suppose-for the whole question, what
there Is OF 1t, turns on hypotheses-one of those
master spirits, or both of them, had produced
the Shakesperian drama, is it probable that they
would thrust the glory on one who wrote dog.
gerel and played old men at the theatre? Their
appreciative minds, "touched to fine issues
would have understood and priced their worth
too highly for that. A later Junius made poor
Woodfalls shoulders bear the burden of his
bitterness to the world; but neither Bacon nor
Raleigh had the motive or desire of Junius for
concealment Look at their hves-see how the
former descended from glory to shame, and his
bright mind wandered in search of power and
a name; and how the latter went grumbling TO
his grave, because the world sighted his genius
1t was not for such minds as theirs to disown
the glory which belonged to them. But Shake
speare is not dethroned yet and though we re-
gard neither him nor his claims as infallible. |
yet the attempts-however learned or however
enthusastic-to divert his honors, will prove
as futile as an attempt to rob Cheops of the
honor Of the pyramid, or Cervantes of his Don
Quixote and Sancho Panza.
The Shakespeare dispute lalled long enough
for US to hear an eloquent lecture last evening,
on the life and fortunes of Joan of Arc, by Z,
P. Whipple ESQ. / will not sketch It. 1t was
one of the many admirable addresses which our
literary, lecture-loying Boston enjoys. Our
winter evenings are rich with them. We for
get, during these genial and pleasant hours, the
strife and the storm.
There are many matters of local interest I
had meant to allude to, had not gone too fsr
already: We sympathize, conservative as we
are, with the good men and tue who stand in
Congress so firmly By Cur Northern sentiment.
The Post and the Courier, the only represent.
atives Of straight Hunkerism left IN New En-.
land, OF course overflow with compliments for
the factious few who keep us without Govern.
ment' But they do not represent US, and God
grant they never may! Ounu