The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-27
LITERATURE.
REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

acquaintance with law, medicine, or philo-
sOphy, except such as he could have picked
up In his professional engagements, could
nave written such works as are attributed to
MIN. has been the wonder OF the thinking
minds of every age since the plays ap-
peared. But the thought Of denying to him
the credit of authorship seems never to have
suggested itself to any one until, in 1866, there
appeared an article in Putnams which gave
the palm to Lord Bacon. Shortly after
wards an extended work on the subject ap-
peared, from the pen of Miss Della Bacon, and
still later Letter to Lord Ellesmere,"
by William Henry Smith. Neither of them
created any enduring impression, as the line
OF argument lay rather in trying to show that
Shakespeare could not, than that Bacon did,
write the plays. We have now before us an
extended work, far more voluminous than
any Of its predecessors, covering some six
hundred pages, which is to prove what Miss
Bacon signally failed to render clear.
We give to Mr.. Holmes much praise for his
evident study of the poet, for his careful com
parison between the works OF Bacon and the
plays of Shakespeare, for his research and
his perspicuous style. We give him praise
Tor the interesting book he has made for us;
and that he has failed to convince us that
Shakespeare was a fool, and Bacon play
writer as well as philosopher, is due to the
tact that he has had to deal with theories,
and not with events. If the production
of ingenious theories constituted the requisite
OF an historian, Mr.. Holmes would far out
rival Macaulay, Gibbon, or Hume. But
alas for the conversion which Mr.. Holmes
hopes to makel 1t is not sufficient to prove
that one man could not have written and
another could, bat he must also show how it
was that all the contemporaries of the one
gave him the credit, and that the other never
laid claim to his own. II Bacon wrote the
plays attributed to Shakespeare, and Shake
speare had nothing about him which would
warrant belief that he could write such
plays, then how were all his near COM
panions deceived? How was Ben Jonson
hoodwinked? and why should Bacon decline
TO claim as his own plays which would
render the writer immortalP All this must
De explained before analogies can be
considered, and before resemblances can be
received as evidence. If he can once show |
us this, then the similarity of expressions
can be taken as proof; but Mr.. Holmes fails |
to show us cause for the deception of all the
friends OF the supposed author, and the
secluslon OF the real writer. Until that is
done, nothing else can be received. To
Shakespeare still belongs the credit; to him
must still be ascribed the titles of "Divine"
and Immortal" 1t is only natural that such
criticisms should appear as the one before us.
1t is a good sign for the literature of our
times; but we think, despite the cavils of |
unbelievers, the palm will remain with the |
Bard of Avon until the last trump shall sound. |
An AMERICAN FAMILY IN GERMANY. By |
J. Ross Brown. New York: Harper & |
Brothers. Philadelphia Agent: J. B Lip
pincott & Co.
Mr.. Brown has been long favorably known |
to our reading public by his travels and maga-
zine articles. Almost all of his works have
appeared as contributions to our periodical |
literature, and the work before us first saw
light in the pages OF Harper's Magazine. 1t |
is pleasant, and we may say an instructive, |
addition to our literature, and one which can 1
be read with advantage by all who contem-
plate visit to Europe-and who, in this fast |
age, does not? II is the narration of what |
the author saw in Germany, and is thickly |
interspersed with illustrations. That portion |
of the work which treats of the home-life OF |
the Teutons is pleasing and jocose, abounding |
IN the description of festivals, games, frolick-
ing, and all that joyousness which is so char |
acteristic of the race. The chapter devoted |
to description of the schools is not as full |
as the Importance of the subject demands, |
and should have received more attention at |
the authors bands. The work is not tale |
of travel; it is a narrative of years of resi- |
dence, and from the character of Mr.. Brown, |
we think that his details may be relied on as
perfectly truthful, In fact, the book bears |
internal evidence of the veracity of its
writer. 1t is neatly bound, in the usual good
taste of the publishers, and we have only
cause to regret that some of the articles had
not been rewritten in the compilation of the
book. The sketches are very racy, and many
of them have more of the nature of carl
cature than of delineation of events.
WITH GENERAL. SHERIDAN IN LEES LAST
CAMPAIGN. By a Staff Officer. j. b.
Lippincott q Co.: Philadelphia.
The part which the cavalry of Sheridan
took in the last act of the Rebellion has never
appeared very clear. That they rendered
good service and were in at the death are
-Tnattars of history but as all the interest of