The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-04-06
A Little Pleasant Talk about Shak-
speare.

III winch we commented upon some OF the
oracular utterances of the Bangor Wing.
we alluded to the incongruity of Mr.
Blaine offering a Congressman bitters in
chalice. as the Wings remarkable figure
makes him do. This calls out the Cap
tain in defence Of that terribly stilted pen
of his, as follows
1t will be seen that our accomplished con
temporary has no mercy upon literary delin-
quencies, but that he holds us up TO scorn and
cruelty demonstrates our shocking treatment Of
the English language. With relentless purpose
he parades the yictimized sentence. and with
the easy familiarity of one saturated with elias
sic and modern literature, he proceeds TO de
mollsh our ''stranSe ideas with Il heavy chunk
of his knowledge. Alas We could have
borne our personal share OF the exposure, but
it reaches beyond us and whelms in its ridicule
many names which have hitherto claimed hon.
age in the world of letters. How many men of
fair esteem as writers have labOreu under the
impression that the use of the word "chalice'
is not confined to one of its specific definitions,
and have therefore employed precisely the same
phrase above quoted from US, we should hardly
dare to estimate but dead and living they are
numerous, and the destruction Of their pres
tige will cause IA sad lament. We will call
forth but one to share in our discontinue, with
lesser tumble may be overlooked; and as we
quote, how tearfully will the worldwide con-
stituency of Shakespeare regret that William of
Belfast did not stand at the elbow or William of
Avon, to warn him against the expression Of
such ''strange ideas as in this familiar solo-
guy of Macbeth:
'But in these cases,
We still have judgment here; that e but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught return
To plague the inventor this even handed Justice
COlnmpnls ingredients q Olr M half
To our own lips"
But we have bestowed too much space and at
tention upon Il party whose inflated egotisn
has betrayed him into such a conspicuous dis
play OF ignorance as should prove >alutary
punishment. The men who have nothing bet
ter to do than to scan the hurriedly prepared
columns of daily paper for a typographical err
ror or fault Of rhetoric, are but contemptibly
employed, and when they essay public and of
fensive criticism, they should beware of max
ing themselves ridiculous. For a person who
delivers oraions on journalism and who is to
represent Maine in the Centennial Commission,
the Belfast man seems TO have very restricted
notions of the English language and its litera-
ture. 1t he Is TO appear Tor the State at Phia-
delphia, we hope that the Commission will at
least supply him with an edition of Shakespeare !;
and a few other standard works. including It
treatise on good manners, would not be alniSs.
We rather like this invitation of our
contemporary to walk in the tlowery paths
of literature, and to indulge in the kindly
and appropriate pastime of discussing the
poetical beauties and hidden meanings of
the great poet But first we will quote
from the New American Cyclopedia, the
article Chalice and all Of it, to show what
that acknowle dyed authority considers the
vessel to be
CHALICE (Lat. cutie, a cupl the vessel contain
ing the consecrated wine in the sacrament of the
eucharist. In honor Of its sacred purpose if has
usually been made of as costly a substance as the
circumstances of a church permitted = of glass,
crystal silver or god-and often cmbeshed with
sculptures and precious stones. St Ambrose re-
ates that in periods of distress the early Christians
sold their Chalices TO aid the poof.
Unless this high authority be wrong,
the chalice is used for sacramento pul-
poses only.
There is u singular appropriateness in
the selection of the character OF Macbeth
for illustration by our neighbor. The
reader of Shakespeare Will pe reminded
that Macbeth was person fall Of inordi-
nate ambition and Importance, like our
neighbor of the Wing Macbeth had been
assured by those bent ou his destruction
that he was not in his proper sphere-that
he should be a high nobleman in Scot
land, and even king. The poor fool be
lieved it, while the natterers laughed at
him in secret. Curious parallel, again
The king coming to rest under his root.
he resolved to murder him The ''chaiice''
quotation is a part OF his soliloquv, while
contemplating the dee,l-a man resolved
on murder, talking about it to himself
But it is the illustration that the Wing se-
lects. The context shows that the king
is an old man and a good man, that he Is
Macbeth's guest, his kinsman and his soy
ereign. All the principles of Christianity
that the sacrament administered IN the
chalice represents would be perverted by
such sin - it would become Il poisoned
chalice, Of the ingredients Of which even
handed Justice would compel him to drink.
Observe the context
"But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
Wed jump the life TO come. But III these cases
We still have Judgment here"
What is Judgment here" ii not the
interposition of Providence to punish the
wicked in this life And isn't it rather a
different state of things from Nh Blaine
and his bitter chalice9 1t is well known
that the Wing is accustomed to rate Blaine
pretty high but to place him alongside Of
the dispenser of Providential judgments,
is something new. SO, it will be seen
that the quotation SO trium pnantly made
by our short-sghted ncighbor, is really
conclusive against him, and he becomes
but one more Illustration of the saying
that "a little knowledge is u dangerous
thing"
But to pursue the story Of Macbeth, 80
appropriately introduced by the Wing.
He was urged on by his hatterers to kill
the king, until by constantly dwelling on
the murder, he saw visions of the nstru-
ment of death constantly before his eyes
until the deed was done. In those days Il
dagger was the usual instrument of as
sassination - consequently Macbeth saw
one in the air continually, and raved about
it. If Macbeth had lived in modern times,
and instead OF stabbing a king had crush
ed a poor negro sailors skull with Il be-
laying pin, his soliloquy would be some
thing like this
Is this a DELAYING PIN, which see before me-
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch
have thee not and yet see thee still. thee
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling, as to sight? art thou but
A DELAYING PIN of the mind; Il false creation
Proceeding from the heat oppressed Brain
see thee yet, in form palpable
AS this which now l draw.
Thou marshal'st me the way that was goinl:
And such an instrument was to use.
Mine eyes made the fools o. the other senses
Or else worth all the rest | see thee still;
And on thy blade, and dudgeon gouts Of blood
Which was not so before.-Theres such thing
1t is the bloody business, which informs
Thus to mine eyes.
Really, Shakespeare was great writer,
wonderful writer, and drew all man