The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-12-22

capacity for good in the drama, and
what gloved hand to lead us down
to destruction. | do not condemn
the drama; it is the right arm of lit
erature. 1t has its glorious uses aud
abuses. Even in the evil there is
some good, if we only had the virtue
to distill it. Speaking of love songs,
he said, there are three in the Eng
fish language that are touchingly
beautiful, Burns ITO Mary in Heav-
en- Marlow's Come Live with Me-
and Moore's Come Pray with Me. !"
The last he read with fine effect. He
now came to the two greatest names
in English literature, Shakespeare and
Milton, similari in some respects, and
good illustrations of the subject, that
poetry is the true reflex of an age.
No one has been able to describe
Shakespeare, him who has described
every emotion and passion.
Bacon was man of great brain
power, and George Elliott is woman
of large brain and psychological
mind, but neither can be compared
to Shakespeare in their knowledge OF
human nature.
In Shakespeare we have nature;
man let loose to give vent to his pas
sions and caprices. At this time
there was much theology but little re-
ligion; much craft and superstition
were mixed with the learning of the
time. This, Shakespeare we'll de
scribes. To Shakespeare, life was a
kind of dream; his idea of immortal
ity and future life was underlined. A
passage from Measure for Measure
will illustrate it:
"Aye, but to die, and go we know not
where,
To lie in cold oblivion, and to rot.n &c.
Also passage from The Ten
pest:'
1--WE are such stuff
As dreams are made of, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep"
These writings of Shakespeare were
not to be UNDECIDED.
A change was taking place, which
is best illustrated by John Milton.
Puritanism sprang from the Reforma-
ton, and Paradise Lost sprang from
Puritanism.
In the time of Charles ii, he wrote
and lode to the Nightingale" Go
mus" and al Penseroso. The
change that came over the life Of
England was due to the fanaticism OF
Puritanism. The Puritanical strain
on the people was too great, SO when
the relief came it was too great. Out
Of this grew Buffers "Hudi5ras.'
Millions fancy was next to Shaks-
peare's. Shakspeare's was uncon-
trolled, Millions always controlled
Soon Dryden appeared and the Roch-
ester bards which are true refectors
of the age. There is no more to be
admired object than man obcying
his conscience. John Bunyan was
an example of this, who broke the
fall of the corrupt age if he did not
stay it.
England reads the Pilgrims Pro-
gross next to the Bible Great writ
ers appear unexpectedly, we can pre-
dict the approach of the comet but
not the genius. But Sheridan, my
countrymen, bids me advance. In
the reign of Queen Anne, the Angus
tan age Of literature, there is galaxy
Of great writer's. There was the good
Addison who sent for his stepson,
the Earl of Warwick, that he might
see christian die.
There was Dick Steele and DR.
johnson and Boswell, ready to chron-
icle his last grunt, and Goldsmith and
Burke, who was the only man that
DIR. johnson feared in conversation.
There was "dear old Dr. Watts" who
took up the long silent harp of David
and returned it. / must not forget
Bishop Berkeley, who wrote, "West-
ward the star of empire takes its way
and Walter Scott, whose magic mind
first taught fiction to tell the truth.
Some of the poets of the time Of Queen
Anne came into the nineteenth cent
ury. First among them are Byron,
Moore and Burns. He read Byron's
beautiful Farewell to Moore" OF
which l give the last two verses:
"Were it the last drop IN the well,
AS gasped upon the brink,
Ere my fainting spirit tell
IT'S to thee l would drink.
with that water as this wine,
The libation would pour,
Would he peace to thine and mine
And health to thee, Tom Moore"
After speaking of some of the more