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

wheeling Shakespeare Club
Delivered at the ArLure Hous, banquet Of the Club,
WsdusSdAy evening. April 7Sd.
The scanty facts, which the careless
world has left on record, concerning the
biography of the greatest Of English poets,
have already been the subject Of an ami
versary address before our club.
At our last annual festival, au admira.
BILE Grafton upon shakespeare'S genius
was given US, and the poet reviewed in
the light Of the opinion Of the worlds
thinkers during the past three hundred
years.
In the brief space, to which this address
can be allowed to extend, l shall endeavor
to intimate how may be attempted some
analysis Of that genius to which the world
pays tribute, and which We have met
tonight to commemorate.
In the midst Of his enjoyment Of Shakes
peare, the thoughtful student will some
times stop to examine his pleasure, and
seek to learn the method by which the
great master built 80 high his art. In
order to do this he must, in Imagination,
enter tho workshop Of the poet, and in
quire how he probably set about the
manufacture Of play. There is not time
tonight. to examine details; let me then
proceed 10 results. His stories, and often
his characters, he did not invent. He
found some popular, or obscure, tale OF
history, that suited his purpose, and fol-
lowed its events often with scrupulous ex'
aCtness.
liz took down from their inches, the
dead figures Of history or fable, and babe
them live again, speak again, break the
deep silence OF death, and walk upon his
magic stage, instinct with life and thought
and glowing with every thrill OF their
original passions. No dim or shadOwy
forms are these; but actual realities, clean
cut figures, vigorous, passionate mortals
wearing mans glories and his errors, but
all radiant with their creators poetic
imaginiRgs
Can we then deny to Shakespeare the
name OF q creator? He wakes 70 lie
the dead. From tho wild struggle Of the
elements Of human passion, unsiRhtly per
haps in bare wickedness, or sluggish virtue
he builds thing Of glorious life. Ills
work il like the act OF the tabled god
Prometheus, who breathed into the in
stincts OF humanity the fire Of Heaven, the
conceptions and imagiuatiOns OF ferven
intellect.
In all the creations OF Shakespeare, VT
see the mind OF their creator; as every
creature must bearthsimpress Of the powe
that formed its being,
It is not that nature Is drawn true Il
life, though it is so drawn; this might ex
cite admiration OF the skill OF the limner
but would scarcely give US so much de
light; it is that life is made beautiful ant
graceful with all the noblest and hiGhes
attributes OF humanity. Even the darI
phases Of human passion are made grandl!
magnificent by the poets power Of intellec
and light oil fancy, revealing, by thel
grandeur the greatness Of the powers, thu
perverted TO evil.
As Milton's fallen angel shines with
lurid glory, the dying embers Of torme
divine, radiance, majestic and grand, thougl
representative spirit Of i'll; so Shakes
peare's Gloster and Iago are magniicen
In their iniQuity; crowned with powers Q
intellect, their wicked natures rise out Q
the level Of common men, proudly con
spicuous, rs the bold peak OF some fire
vomiting mountain lifts itself above tn
fruitful tields aud fertile valleys that SUI
! round 1t.
Nor, while thus putting acrown on vice
does the poet fail to teach lessons Q
! morality, for he ever surrounds sue
crowned evil, with grim terror
natural or pernatural-terrors arisin
from violated conscience within, @
wronged humanity without. He so e.
hiblts the destruction Of every hope res
ing on a dishonest or wicked foundation
that each play, each several character ever
Is asermon teaching the doctrine that n
power OF intellect, however great, ca
conduct an evil course to prosperou
end-that, high over all the affairs OF tner
Sits enthroned an 'even.handed justice
which cannot be cheated or evaded, dea
ing out Ct punishment to crime In spite {
every device OF cunning evil.
This lesson OF morality Is taught nc
|, only by the tragic ending Of Gloster
: career on Bosworth field, but by the SUI
I picion that hGunts his lie, making paint
= his golden crown. and pointing TO q
Z avenIer in every seeming friend by u
e lonely desOlation Of his heart, promPdr
to. such sad utterance as this:
TThere Is 90 creature loves me-
Aud Il die, 10 soul shall ply mel
and by tho ghosly dreams that come
threaten and 10 torture, making his slet
, no rest, but agony beyond all physic
The murderer, Macbeth, finds likewi
4, q more dreadful retribution in the pen
cutlons OF conscience, and in the haur
= Ing speCtFsol THE od.bOlier'd Ranquo
than in the sharp edge Of Stacdufi's aVeu
ing sword. His guilty ambition has
him on a throne, from which, gilded &C