St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-02-06

one Of the children's dolls from copv Of
shakespeare, and began q disquisition.-
W course, | was interrupted, but h.re at
least, several blocks intervening from teh
feminine protestants, I can play The "m.au
and cowardly tyrant," and 70 ] shall sup
press the treble accompaniment to nv
masculine bass, --,-~., -...-.,..,. .--,~-~,,
"First let us do justice to Shylock. Is
he not, after all, the only genuine and noble
character in the Merchant ot Venice p
Except few sentences Of tho ,nasouera-
ding Portia, does not the world choose to
forget all of the play, except the indignant
and just rebukes Of the Oppressed Jew?
Even when he turns upon the Vepet lin
ru8lers with his terrible retribution. he
seems less to pursue his personal malice
than to avenge hH prosecuted race: You
remember, girls how you sympathized with
Rebccca, the Jewess. in Ivanhoe-how
then can you join in the common preiu-
dice against him who is made to utter
these remarkable words: .r..
"1am Jew. Hath not = Jew eyes hath
W.
affections, passions fed with the 1sane food.
hurt with the same weapons, subject to tho
same diseases, healed by tho same means.
warmed and cooled by tie same winter and
Summer As Christian ID! If you prick us,
do We not bleed if you tickle US, do We not
laugh If you poison us, do We not die and il
You wrong US, shall we not revenge? If We
are like you in the rest, we will resemble 70.
in that: II Jew wrong Christian, what is
his humility revenge If t'hristain wrong
AJew, what should his sufferance be by Chris
tian example why revenge. The villainy you
teaeh ne, Twill execute; and it shs II 60 hard,
but ]. will better the Instruction.
" Terrible logic, isn't it? But how ev-
ident, az you read that the soul of tho
great dralnatist burns in every word. It
was 3Shakespeare's own protest against the
cruelty, and wrong Of his age-a para
phrase Of the first words of our great Dem
ocratic charter, All men are created free
and equal
caNow let me read it again--slowly-
and as read, substitute woman: for
q :"'tJew," recalling the resolute face and fig
ure Of last night. Is it not an epitome Of
the Lecturer would amend the sentence
in the PRESS, and drop Fanny Kemble
out Of the picture. Keep the analogy
closely in view-the Sw;sshelm and the
Shylock. Is not the indictment by the
former, of the laws, customs and prejudi-
ces Of society in regard to woman and her
right to life, liberty, and property, idsnti-
cal ID spirit and almost is expression to
that Of the Hebrew, while denouncing the
oppression of his race!
p "Recall alss, without reading farther
from the play, those sentences Of Shylock
which have passed into proverbs:
-, ".My daughter! o my dueats! o ny
"tYeu take my life, when you d. tax. tn,
means by which / live!'"
"And 10 on. How like sad monotone
in last nights discourse, rang the changes
upon the wrongs Of the law. in refusing
mother the custody of her children (the IA.
vorite and most ondearing term was"daugh-
ter and the murder Of women BY re-
fusing her "wages"- separate and inde-
pendent support-:'the means by which
skeslives.", =. ~<s.:...,.': .. .....r.
cas- I anticipated, my deat,, yon are
thinking Of Shyloek's inhumanity to An
tonic in the celebrated trial scene. Now
mind, I am not making Shylock immacu-
late-he unqqestionably had human nature
on his own eloquent showing, and unreg-
enerate Of course. I am only bound to
show, before the toast gets cold, that you,
as the sympatdiser and admirer' of Mrs.
Swisshclm, ought not to object to COM
parison. with the grand central figure of
Shakspear's tale. And right herein
this trial scene-ths analogy between the
performances in the Venftian court cham
ber' and IDgenoll Hail. strikes me most
forcibly.:: Shylock would cut his pound Of
hit was his own, his right, his re-
venge. Now think of Mrs. swisshelm's s
plea for the justi6able homicide of hus-
bands the suppressed and terrible ener-
gy with--iwhi she reached the climax,
when she "would trans6x her tyraut:''
Now all that L say is, that Judge Palmer
would be puzzled to settle accounts be-
tween the wrongcd Hebrew Of the play,
and the wronged wife Of Mrs Swisshelm's 3
portraiture from real life. .,.:.o ~.
|? .--So much for our table talk, Mr.. Ed.
itor: but suffer me in conclusion to express
my full concurrence in the praise which
you award to the style and manner of this
lecture. Il have left no room for the dis
cussion Of its argument-nor is it necessa-
ry., Bnt as 2 performance Of genius" it
was superior TO any thing which 7 have
ever heard from Abby Kelly, Lucy Stone
Por 2Antoinet,e Brown Mrs. Swisshelm
should. certainly 1oxtend her lecture: tour.
Since she feels impelled to lecture, and is
60 successful, I amf certain that shs will
have NUMEROUS engagements. She will
secure abundant; audience, whatever tho
extent of y concurrence lin her spso.
ial xieWs:od aG1 .2d 44t,a: sa 3ts'ss1%@5 = &s