New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-20
THE STUDY OF SHAKESPEARE
NEW SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY.

NATIONAL. CHhEAClEh
iYRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF rHE rRIDUsEl
LONDON, Dec. 27.-The now Shakespeare Society.
to which referred in recent letter, Is project VI
Mr. I. j. Furnivals. and ia meant by HIM 10 enron
members from the British Colonies Germany and
the United States. as well rs from England III mas
wide aims. To do honor to Shakespeare, to make
out the succession of his plays. and thereby Ino
growth of his mind and art to promote the inteiii
GENT study of him. and 20 print Texts illustrating
his works and his times. some of those AIMS MI
Furpiyall is good man to start such society his
name "a known wherever Early English Litera-
ture il studied. OF enthusiasm and energy
he has a surplus which seems ineXhauShoie'
He pronounces it disgrace TO England that ""iio
Germany can boast OF Shakespeare society ihci"o
ing all her best scholars, mono such now eAis'' III
this country He complains still more strongly u,
the narrowness of former Shakespearean study anu
criticism, which. however good of then kind' nave
been 80 exclusively devoted TO the mere 'eA' anu ITO
illustration. and to studies of single plays that 10
book by an Englishman has dealt in any worthy
manner with Shakespeare a. whole. lhere Is,
according to Mr.. Furniyall. but one sound method
Of studying him, the chronological one chiesS "
writer's works are studied in the order in which he
wrote them you cannot understand his mind or fol-
low the growth of it. suppose Mr. Furnvall does not
setting the order Of ShakeSpeare's plays but he
speaks as if the whole remained to do. and he pro-
mounds a theory for it, ono about which he seems To
hermit no cayil or question Shakespeare himself.
he tells u.s. has left us the most satisfactory oNi
dencc in Che change of his vorscation from the spar
ing use of he unstopped line-the line WIN which
the clause phrase does not end but runs on 10 ne
nextto the frequent use of it. From this he would
pass to the application of higher tests such as CON
ception characterization, knowledge of life. ami so
on and by such helps i'll addition to merely mcchan-
cal ones fix once for all the order OF all the plays
Having settled that he would next mark out the great
Periods of the dramatists work. and then put toIth
"a Students Handbook to Shakespeare linen Only
would he touch tho text where he THINKS there
will not be mich to do, an opinion in which |
believe few Shakespeare scholars would agree
any more than they would in the exploded
notion that the Folio text must be the
basis of the text of every play. Then would come
discussions of the pronunciation OF ShakespeareS
time and the spelling that ought to DO adopted III
a scholars edition of his plays, for MI. turnIvail
thinks the use of nineteenth century spelling III
sixteenth and seventeenth century plays patent
ab,urdty. All this preliminary work accomplished.
a committee would be appointed to edit the works
and write new Life.
This large as the scope Of the plan seems, Is 10 be
but one though the main part of the Society ) work
The second will be the publication OF series oil
Texts illustrating Shakespeares Works, his Times.
and the History of the Drama. Mr. Furnlvall pro-
poses 10 issue l. The originals and analogous OF the
PLAYS including extracts from North's, Plutarch,
Holinshed and other books used by Shakespeare
. A chronological series of English MYSTERIES.
Miracle PLAYS Intcrludes, Masks, Comedies &c, up
to Shakespeares time; g. selection from the
contemporary drama; 4. Works on ShakespeaIeS
England; s. Mscellanies. including, at Mr.. Ten
nyson's very practical suggestion, some fac-siiie'
of Ehzabethan and Jacobite handwriting to show
what letters would be most easily mistaken by
nrinters: and at Mr. G.. II. Lewess suggestion,
reprints of last century criticisms on Shakespeare
which could hardly have mnch other value than 10
show Mr.. Lewes wishes, the curious variations III
the history of opinion about him. Few people III
these DAYS will care for more Of Pope, Hammer,
Capell. WarbnrtOn, and Johnson's notions about
Shakespeare than can be found in the Nariorum OF
1871 Johnson's Preface, however can hardly he too
often reprinted or read
That is pretty full summary of Mr.. Furnivalls
views of what new Shakespeare Society should be
and do His views about the organization of 1t are
very comprchensive There is to be first Patroness,
(which take leave to thinks bad word and he will
offer this post TO the Crown Princess of Germany,
ENGLAND, Mr. Furnvall regards rs the living SYM
bol of the strong ties between Germany and En-
GLAND Next a Patron. The word takes M back to
the servile DAYS Of Literature when an author looked
for bounty from the patron to whom he published
bascly hattering dedication and MIR. Funlvall
would do well TO find a substitute for IT. Tie
Patron is to be. if he will have the place, none
other than the President Of the United states OF
America the representative of our great daughter
LAND where Shakespeare is honored too The PreSi-
dcucv of the Society will be offered to Mr. IennySon
as the greatest living poet i'll England. Then comes
a considerable list OF Vice-Presidents, who
have as | infer from the absence vi any
inflammation 10 the contrary. already accepted
their Offices. Among them are Prince Lueien
Bonaparte the Dukes Of Devonshire and Manches
fer the Ears of Derby and Eesmere 1.-THE latter has
one of the finest first foos in existence), Archbishop
Trench. Bishop Thirlwal Mr. William Black, Prof
HUXLEY. Prof Ulrici of Berlin. Mr. Ruskin, and from
America Prof Child Mr.. Furness. Mr.. James Russell
Iowell and Mr. Richard Grant White. In addition
IN these tbere is a Committee of Workers, and the
usual array of executive functionares The first d.
rector will be Nh Furnval, the founder OF the Soci
ety. So far as | can make out Mr. furnlyal has
both founded and organized 1T by himself, ana VIII
for the pre- sent do what he likes with II; the duties
If the President and Vice-Presidents being
honorary, or at most, advisory. Doubtless there
will be business meeting in due time. Mr.. Furni-
vail hopes the first meeting for work may be held IN
March or April, and opened by a Paper affirming
that 1.-THE Mechanical Tests which make Loves
Labor Lost Sbakespeare's first genuine play are
70 be trusted though It's nearest successors show
less mental power" The main work OF the Society
is TO be done by meetings, papers and discussions
the papers short, the discussions much fuller than
Sinh at n (aDOut n
year NAV be paid to the Honorary Secretary, Arthur
= c..,.xra.a aon Innhnn Hnsnital London Z