The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-25

: 49,
Uhi-a ~ ~ hus1 GPsis fas ssaI. ~ llTV ~
Even In the eass Of the amusing De
bauehee, Sit Iohn Tllsiad, an aVebEini
Sem-lis poinA out " him hos bis dissO
Lutte eaferF has robbed him Of the honon
aud i0ftune dns to bis large ability and ~
tive intellect. WhFn this speaker Of nSny
Eiitieisms, In the hour Uhen be hopes tol
some lAEge reward - payment Tor ID,
amusement be has given his prince, Il me-
With this reproarh from bis iorniet bOou
companion, nus King HsnTy ":
= hess he a., - ma; lall l. IhI lrIy'n,
what witty answer can he msks7 None
There u no more left for the once CAV
FeTelleF bot 70 end his wasted life. louul,
and disappointed. in that teTy tnn, the
Bears Head, In EaSteheap, the seene Of y
many jolly festivities, but where his lAst
scene l. most solemnly diamAl. and where
his last friend Is the poor woman, h.
has b'aely cheated, but whose simple
kind heart Is much moved by WomGnl,
eompasion It lIis lass hours, and who tell,
the story Of his dying in illileFuie, but
touching, language, thus:
Hes in AFthuF'S bnsom, II ever man
went 70 AFthuT'S bosom. A made hnei
end, and went away, an il had bren any
chTistom child; . parted eY'n Just be-
tween twelve aud one, eY'n a. the turning
o the tide; for after | saw him tumble
with the sheets, and play with flowers.
and smile upon his fingers end, knew
there Was but one way; for his nose wa,
sharp a. pen, and q babbled Of green
fields. How now, Sir John? qu0lh |
what, man! be Of good cheer. So = cried
out-iOd, God, God! three or four timea
Now |, To comfort him, bid him q should
not think OF God. hoped there was no
need to trouble himself with any such
thoughts yet 80 q babe me lay mOrp
clothes on his feet; put my hand into
the bed, and felt them, and they we're q
cold ~ any stone; then felt to his knees,
and 30 upward, and upward, and all Wa
~ cold As any stone"
80 while we examine, much enjoying
these dramas, We are constantly learning
lessons Of philosophy, Of morality. The
stories, the events on which they are built,
are OF no importance; the characters even
though often W largely drawn Is 70 rise be-
yOnd our Limits OF measure, aTe thing, see
Ondary interest; but the bright inaginings,
the large conceptions, the great moral and
philosophical truths, that reveal the broad
aud brilliant mind Of Shakespeare-thest
open to US fields Of thought and fancy, ~
vast and beautiful, that we may wander
there delighted, meeting constant agteea.
bic surprises, and finding always neW
pleasures.
Comparison Of Shakespeare with other
authors always brings into conspicuous
notice, the power Of our great poet in the
use Of language.
Bright images Of fancy, original concep.
tons OF beauty and oitTuth, must not only
exist in the mind Of a poet, but find in his
language such expression that their pic
turing will stand out in vivid distinctnerS,
and with such marked outlines, as TO fx
attention, and compel remembrance.
II has been often said that We are all, 10
ourselves, poets; tkRt is we have times
when the beautiful in nature, or in ideal
appeals 10 Us with q mingling oil soul
and sense, and fills our admirinR minds
with graceful shapes an1 harmonious
thoughts 1t is as Il an inspiration filed
US from the original source Of truth and
beauty. This We are conscious OF; hut II
other minds, the figures and the thoughts
defy our power to fix them into permanent
characters, or set them down in words,
unless the gift Of expression belongs 10 US.
The capacity to comprehend poetry, to
feel the inspiration and visiting Of poetic
images, is almost universal; but ability To
give exact form and characteristic expires
sion in words, or in artistic representa-
ton, to such pictures, is rare. Perhaps the
largest conceptions OF beauty by the hu.
man mind have been lost to the world by
lack OF power Of expression to fully show
them. They have delighted the single
mind. which they filled with their grace
or their grandeur, but beyond which they
could not pass In their perfection. The
Jupiter OF Phidias, the Virgin Of Raphael,
the Hamlet Of Shakespeare, though each
masterpiece, appeared doubtless, to either
artist, an imperfect delineation otthe ideal,
which each sought to portray.
Language Is a means by which the mind
strives to exhibit itself, but it is means
never perfect; with the most skilltul it falls
far short OF absolute accuracy, aud when
the skill is little, the exhibition is very i'm.
perfect.
Whom the world calls poets, are those
that can portray what the many are con.
scious Of, see, feel and think, but cannot
express; and these poets are greater or
less, according to their skill to make them.
selves the expOnents OF the minds OF men,
and picture more or less accurately the
thoughts, the visions, tho imAginingS, that
come alike 10 all.
II is because We recognize, in poetic
images, something that has existence in
ourselves, that poetry appeals so univer-
sally 70 the minds OF men. That poet
whose thoughts or ianCies arc 70 very
abstruse or original, as TO belong only to
himself, will have no power to affect or
interest his fellow men.
have said poetry Is common to man
kind; tho lowest intellects are often capa.
bic Of being more moved by it, than
higher organizations, simply because the
poet, for the moment, shows them, By the
magic sympathy Of mind with mind, pic
lures that pertain to an intellectually
above their own, By the which enlarging
Of their mental horizon they are filled
with rapture,
This faculty OF expression,-showing
the greatness and the splender OF the
DOWGTB Htlu pUSSlDllltlea Alldb CAl9b alLitOSt
unconsc!ously within us, for in the poets
pictures we recognize familiar features
constitutes one great element Of the genius
Iof a poet. In Shakespeare this power
seems equally matched with the concep-
tions whose graceful forms, force and bril-
lance it exhibits.
To illustrate would be snperfuous; for
the afllusnCe, power, sweetness and truth
Of his language appeal at once TO every
mind capable OF receiving such impress
sions. To such, II such there be, who
cannot perceive the force and grace Of
expression that belong to him, no labored
efforts TO exhibit these would avail any.
thing, for to them language is a thing OF
words only.
In considering the genius Of a dramatist,
we should not neglect to examine the cir.
cumstances attending the construction oil
his plays, or the purpose for which they
were written.
Whother his intent was 10 give to the