Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-01-21

of England at that period, and one OF
them the greatest light that ever wa
In England-Shakspeare-were sur
rounded by able men; the time Of
Elizabeth and of James; the time OF
the great concentration OF intellectual
light In England. There never was
such a period in the world. The only
one comparable TO 1t is that of the
Greek age when Pericles was sur
rounded by the great artists, the great
poets, the historians and philosophers
of Greece. These are the two remark
able periods Of intellectual light-the
time OF Elizabeth and of the time Of
Pericles.
No one can speak Of books, however,
without saying to you, what you al
ready know, that of ali books depend
ing purely upon their intrinsic excel
lence, Shakespeare is the one book Of
the world. I leave oHt, OF course, the
religious books, which depend direct
ly upon the reverence OF mankind,
addressed according to the opinion
and sentiment of each, according to
his education of this or that church,
In this u that society. Heaven has
provided each nation with its own re-.
ligious instruction. We have had,
in Asia, the grandest revelation that
has been made In the world. II is
very curious that these Asiatic minds
seem, more than any other portion of
the world, to have had the religious
inspiration; not only in our gospels
ana in our Jewish histories, but the
HindOos have also the most eXtraor-
binary books, which they compare
with certain happiness TO those of our
own, which we also owe to Asia. So
the Chinese have also their books of
Confueius, in which we are very happy
to trace almost identical inspirations
with those which we have received
from Judea. For instance, the great
doctrine, "rhOu shalt do to others as
thou WOuldst have others do to thy
self" is six hundred years before the
coming of Christ, as given us by the
C0niucians. This singular genius the
Asiatics seem to have had for moral
revelation; and it Is given in these
commanding forms to the different
nations there. Ours, which We owe
directly to the Jewish nation, we es-
TEEN the most pure and most com.
mandiDg Of all. But it Is delightful
to me. as a believer in the universally
of religious truth, to find that 1t is
framed in similar and almost in the
anne language in distant nations.
But out of the circle of religious
looks l set Shakespeare as theOns IN
parallel mind. Nc nation has pro-
duced anything like his equal. There
Is no quality in the human mind,
therei is no topics, there is no region Of
thought, in which he has not scared or
descended; and GOne in which he has
not said the commanding word. AL
men are impressed in proportion to
their own advancement in thought,
by the genius of Shakespeare. The
greatest mind values Shakespeare the
most. It is wonderful that it has
taken ages to esteem him. We find
with wonder that he was not appre-
ciated in his own time; that you can
hardly find any cotemporary who did
him any justice. Still his fame and
the influence of his genius have risen
with the progress OF time. As there
has been opportunity to compare him
with other poets and writers, his SUI
periOrity has been feltA and never so
much as this day. In reading Shaks
peare, you will find yourself armed
for the law, for divinity, and for COM
merce with men.
Burke is an author that no young
man, certainly in the law, can live
without. For the nobility of his sen
timent, for the truth, honor, and JUS
tice Of the man; for his great powers,
for his fine perceptions, l should think
1t would be the pride Of all the young
men studying law, that they mad 8
master SO commanding and so beauti-
fal as Burke always before them. His
character was as pure IS his mind.
There is a period in the. education Of
every young man literally educated,
when Burke is his master. Happy is
that young man. Ihave found such
young men always in colleges. They
came to a time when Burke
seemed their only guide. 1t is com.
monty about the tune of leaving col
that they find out that Burke is a
charming writer. They read all his
speeches, They read his letters. You
will find him again in BOsWeil's Lit
OfJOhnson. Tne Rsgieide, Peace, all
the Letters on the French Revolution,
his speeches on the American ques-
ton, all his writings, his letters to the
noble lords, every one OF his papers is
deserving of your readi &, in teaching
you to form your style. The Essay
On the Sublime and Beautiful had
once a certain attraction which it has
not now. 1t is not superior, and l
would not commend it.
Hany of you have a taste In letters
you must take the German, Goethe, |
books are now almost all trans I
sted into English. Since Shakespeare
here has been no mind of equal com
pass to his. There is the wise man,
has the largest range of thought,
he most catholic mind; a person who
las spoken in every science, and has
to the scientific lore OF other
Itudents, and who represents better
han any other Individual, the pro-
,resssive mind Of the present age. He
8 the oracle of all the leading students
a every nation at this time-Goethe,
Who died In 1882. II you want q
pleasant introduction TO him, take the
look OF his Conversation with Ecker
mann. Prot. Eckermann lived in his
louise for a time, and Just as Boswell
wrote out Johnson's conversation, go
tckerm8nn wrote out the conversa-
OF Goethe. That book is a very
inter- aiming and instructive one.
opinions upon every modern question
re there. II you want his 0 Sc
iOus books, l should say "Faust,|
FAUST is the book by which Goethe is
est known. 1t Is one of the most
i%sagreeable books that / can read.
While l consider ShakspeaTe's Ham
1t a great and noble work, Goethe's
aust is to me a very painful work. +,
md yet that stands with society gen.
rally as his leading work. 1t rep.
esents the modern mind, and that is
that he aimed at. But it does not