The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-08-12

that his eye was upon them, for the meeting
was very tame and dull We learn from our
report, which we suppressed out of respect
for the modesty of the Mayor, that his man
ner during this trying time was heroic, and
when the danger passed and he slowly
paced his way home under the midnight
stars and the shooting meteors it was with
the proud thought that, but for his fore
sight, his genius and his courage, New York
might be now mass of Commune ruins.
Dion Boucicauit's Duty to America.
The remarkable resemblance of Shake
speore to Boucicault, intellectually and 9TH
erwise. does honor to both parties, and some
people are at loss to say where most the
honor lilies. A new example of this mental
resemblance has been strangely overlooked
Shakespeare makes Hamlet exclaim, ''The
plays the thing wherein I'll catch the con-
science of the King" and it is to be observed
that the conscience of the King is caught
and that the ghosts word. which was worth
thousand pounds, was not as convincing
to Hamlet as the play. Now, from whom
Shakespeare stole this idea we do NOT know,
but that he stole it from somebody there is
no doubt, for there is nothing original in the
drama. Solomon says there is nothing new
under the sun, and Boucicault, who resem-
bles Solomon almost as much as he does
Shakespeare, agrees with him.
Mr.. Boucicault's ''Mousetrap," in which
he caught tho conscience of the British gov
eminent, is very like the plan of Hamlet to
catch the King. But this does not prove
that he consciously stole the idea from
Shakespeare but only that his mind, being
like Shakespeare's, proceeded in the same
woy. He used his fine drama of "The
Shaughraun" to entrap Disraeli with as
much skill as Hamlet used the mimic play
to fright the King into confession. He wrote
the Prime Minister a letter about this play
which Disraeli was afraid to answer. He
compelled Disraeli to listen to Smyth. He
forced him to accept vote on the Fenian
amnesty question, and he encouraged the
Fenian prisoners to take heart and escape
These political victories were won by the
success Of ''The Shaughraun" and show, as
Hamlet remarks, how guilty premiers sit
Mr.. Boucicault's scenes, been struck so to
the soul that they have presently released
their indicators
Now, why should not Boucicault repeat
in America what he hos done so we'll in
England? There is broader field for re-
form. There are three candidates for the
Presidency, and he might benefit the con-
sciences of each. He might rewrte "Sweet-
hearts and Wives" and "NIaids as They
Were and Wives as They Are" for the in
struction of Uncle Sammy, who is said to be
very ignorant on the subject. The only ring
that Uncle Sammy ever wore is Canal Ring,
by which he was welded to reform. For
General Hayes he could adapt "Henry w."
and inspire him to the ardor Of commander
in the campaign instead of the inactivity of
a modest candidate. For Grandfather Peter
Cooper he might recreate Sir Peter Teazle
beginning with the soliloquy, 'When IN old
man marries n young party" and showing
how his Lady Teazle will firt with Joseph,
and how the Sir Benjamin Backbite and the
Mrs. Candor and Lady Sneerwell of the in
fationists will play 'The School for Scan
DIAL" in his canvass. For Sunset Cox he
might write a new 'Box and Cox" and Mr.
Proctor Knott might be presented with 'The
Jibbenainosay, or the New Nick of the
Woods" ''Lurline" might be adapted to
Babcock with the title of 'Sylph," and the
''Octoroon" would supply Mr.. Pinchback
with an appropriate character. "Spartacus"
would suit John Morrissey, and the romantic
spiritual drama of ''Dear Lady Mary" would
their favorite roles. But we need not multi
ply examples. We have furnished enough
to show Mr.. Boucicault that he must not be
satisfied with his achievements abroad, but
that he has ample room to use his dramatic
genius as an agent of reform at home.
..The German vote"-Nationality in
Politics.
General Sigel, in the course Of IN inter-
esting interview with one of our reporters,
explaining the reasons for his support of
Tilden, refers to the Importance of the Ger
man vote in this country. There are six
hundred thousand German voters in all, he
thinks, and he believes large majority of
them will vote for Tilden. Considering that
according to General Schurz ''large major
ity" will vote for Hayes We may safely as
sumo that neither of these gallant gentlemen
know but very little about it. The German
newspapers and German writer's show more
energy in the canvass than the Americans.
This is natural and as it should be. There
is no class more intelligent and impartial
than the Germans. They adapt themselves
with singular facility to our American life,