The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-03-12
4 SIfSH At SHIN SPE1FE.

Mr.. George Wilkes has begun III his
paper, the Spirit Of tire Times, 4 serial
entitled "Slmkcspeare from III American
Point Of View, with the BacCnin Theory
Considered" The first installmemt oc-
c1lpies Il page and ii half, and tn" author
announces that the work viii run twelve
or fifteen weeks. Nh. Wilkes proposes
to find out from the sentiment of his
plays and his revealed history what man
nee OF man Shakespeare was. The open
ing chapters condemn Shakcspeare'sa ris-
torratic tastes. Mr.. Wilkes says on this
point
dickens, who wrote MAINLY for the
lowly ; Byron, who, though a noble,
fought for liberty ; Cervantcs, Junlus,
Eugene Sue, lie Sage, De Foe, Walter
Scott, Victor Hugo, Oliver Goldsmith and
ScllehereZeradc-the ncvcr-t0-bc-fOrgUt-
ten chvherczcradc, who talk"dto Prince
for & Thousand and one nights i'll such
sentiments as have made the literature of
Arabia a hymn-ncycr forgot the hopes
and Joys and distrcsscs of the Door.
Shakespeare alone of these elevated souls
prefers to be the tOady Of the rich and
noble, and seldom, if ever, permits the
humble to escape linn without a derisive
lest or snppr. < j Shakes
Deare commenced life as Il decr-stcaler
and Il drunkard had Il child born to
him in less than six months after mar
riage, and lived III London during his
Theatrical career without his wife. He
was So mean rs to she II maj for Il debt
of sc. and another for 81 los 10d, when
he had an income of 91,G00 a year to
himself, and died finally at the az" of
tiftv-two, from the effect Of too much
drink mt dinner. What
We have now first upon or hands IS the
singular anomaly presented by the spec
tacle of a gcnius of the life-giving order,
born in poverty and humblcness, never
bctraying one emotion for a loftlrr
sphere, or exhibiting a single sympathy
with the down-trodden classes, whose
d~egradations and miseries must have con-
stantly intruded upon his superior COM
prehension. But the fog vanishes be
fore the light Of facts. We have album
dant evidence that Shakespeare was, III
his personal way of life, = calculating,
monev-making, ~money-saving man, and
the conclusion. from the circumstances
Of his business in London and Stratford,
must he that he suppressed his natural
sentiments to a convenience of assOcla-
ton and Il sense of interest. His first
patron, when he was a theatrical man
ager. was the young Earl of ~Southamp-
ton. a nObleman of enormous wealth,
who. together with the Earls of Essex
and Rutland, were constant visitors ut
his theater.
Let not the rapt worshipers OF Avon's
bard. whose sacred ecstacy is thus rudely
broken i'll upon, suppose that L take
especial pleasure i'll these material statls-
ties. Nothing can reduce Shakespeare
from the supreme elevation which he
holds in the United States as the poet Of
orr race ; but we in America take no IN
terest i'll him as a politician, and scarcely
any as a moralist !; and, surely it is wiser
for us, who are not involved Ill any
tngles of allegiance, to d%isenchant our
selves of the spells woven by loyalty and
doctrine, and treat this mighty mortal as
a man. Perhaps the most curious and
interesting problem which can thus be
brought to our comprehension ls-what
amount of muck may mix with, and be
instrumental in, the production Of a
flaming gem"