New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-21

| but admire the curiOus GdmiXture OF righteous
severity and tender charity in the remarks on
| TEE CHARACTER OF SHAKESPEARE.
Is nothing known of Shakespeare charactcrl Re,
| hold IN his poetry his personality tie is but nan
| concealed III every figure IN winch he mpeIoOnal es
another, and he Is openly shown IN every sonnet
| where he peIsonafes himself. More subtle, deep,
and fu-proporioned is the man in his dramas than
in the sonnets that but circle around BIS lndlVld-
atty. like those arrested currents that wear slloo
basins in rocky beds among the mis-. Ihis HoiI ~
of his was not maGO out of nothing, nor me Lrlch
for his building fashioned without straw ana nlc
aud fierce kneading in the, furnace though the
smoke be gone, and not fOul atom let Ho" TIC
| Chimney that burned its own SCOT n
! Who was Shakespeare He not Lord Bacon,
who lacked virtue even more u pos5,o.e' i ,mam
did genius for the task which some pave imputed
as his. Internal evidence is there III al these 3ehig
| nant gospels that their writer was uu'h-IeIeI at
| least and mcOmparably just lie was very IN,
| Rnmish Catholic. one comma OF whose pen couid
| not by the gold of Kingdoms I've Oiibed. bacon -
stropg TO draw along loaded wagons of treasure IN
| his ESSAYS; but whete is the liaht ana lamDent
| fame which in this achemist's laboratory ncRs
into airy beauty every atom OF the WORK. W mere
| i'll tie stately and ponderous SAGE Is tbe melody
which in the bard so swcetens ana ms every VITO
| and interlnding snatch. well as IL the argument
every sober line? We think that as a musical com
poser must have ms notes IN lnagnaton nriore ne
| nuts down his score so Shakcspeare's, Ike Men
dclssohn's, must at first have been songs without
| words"
| by the townsfok with business in London. and him,
| self thriving man. His wares did not indeed
| come out Of u wrsiched garrett His muse w"S not
poverty. nor misery goes the credit or RESPONSE
bhty for what lie brought 10 pass. 1t We're unTra-
! sonable in Anne Hathaway rot 70 be content WIN
| her spouse. Wasaught free and easy III his man
uers He could be no acid blgOt, not lntoieIaht,
uncharitablc self-rghteous or spiritually promo.
| He had humanity, lbcralltV, and forgiveness
! heaven-lke and worldwide. Fanatlclsm may nave
its excellence. and gOOt-na'u'c us uclecl' bul III
! the balance let me shrink from the first and incur
| the last though at the cost of overlooking some
! focs in NY fellows on having some weaknesses 10
IL fg,Ir hat
"tLc hOier than thOu y. What aVal~ pnrity IN one
thar stings Us with his persistent nGuonal rehuke,
and like buzzing insect returns 80 the same spot;
in masCuliuc feminine spy whose lnteIog lions
keen alive the nqulsiiiCn torturGG ana Killing
with inquiry In a human hGcI thlt takes toH "i
the skim or WOOi of every creature that may passI
Shakespeare was and teaches Us 20 be. none such.
The essay on Claiming as a preacher. OF whom
Sc much has been written that little romans 20 he
said presents lrcid exposition of the peculiar
traits which gave the modest Boston minister such
an iliuStIious prcGmncnCc in the field Of pulpit ora
tory but most readers perhaps, Will find livolier
interest in the personal recocctlons which are set
forth with an inimtabe canaor. expressive of the
youthful naIyett characteristic Of the wIter:-
Ii will soon be thirtv-seyen years since the sub
iect Of this essay died. disappeared. But OBJ
serve, alter longer lapaes of time the figures walk
down from their frames IN or parloTs or III taneml
Hall for every crisis of action or thought Inc
picture on walls whose beauty SINKS INTO ana
becomes part of Ms rs a living blessing: how much
more the fresh incarnation of good aud great man!
Nv sketch of Claiming has background in my own
experience far away. ltmuSt be nearly sixty years
since in the town Of Freeport. Maine | heard my
father aud uncle talking with much animation of a
preacher whose voice had been heard somewhere IN
the mel hborhOod, and some printed word also IRON
whom had reached their eyes ana the lift and
tightening Of their faces seemed to the little boy 10
extend to the laDdSC pc and embrace the horizon.
10 men of the present generation 1t were hard 10
conceive of the cloud of a gloomy theology then
brooong over New England. The JOY of my rcla-
al of lQVf aud
was for ne, at years of age. nothing less than
the removal of curse. When, OF a hot sum
MGR afternoon in the ill-vcntllated church women
tainted and were borne ont. my childish thought
was that they had been summoned 10 the dread
full judgment the minister had Just preached. fused
TO walk and wander alone repeating Tor the hun
drcdth time to myself. " God be mercifu 10 me- n
sinner" although of what particular sin had COM
nit ted was not aware, only FCOuld imagine no cs-
cape from the universal dcpraVltY and doom. In
the intermlsson of service, my fathers sister hav
ing been the minister's wife, how closely was kept
at her house or our room! But occasionally beng
allowed of a Sunday afternoon to go to a rocky
height i'll my fathers pasture, and take turns with
HIM looking through a spy-gass after the sails of
lis vessels expected home from sea- had pleasure
which prayer or sermon seldom gave. There was
annually trip from the village ont among the near
est of the 500 islands in the Penobsc9t Bay, which
excursion bound the seasons In a beautiful ring
whose gems were the sparkling waves. But re-
member no delight like that of the new dspensaton
of religion by the prophet whom so lOngcd 10 see
Drawn at length, il may be by that very impulse IN
dine course to the DIVINITY School IN Cambridge the
Federal street Church In Boston became straight
way a magnet listened to the famous Liberal,
went to see him in Newport and in Portsmouth. IL.
L. and on my settlement found but astTeet between
ms residence and my own. For the last five years
of his life visited him or received calls from nm,
walked and talked IN his company discussed with
him all the subjects on which he loved to dwell, ana
now am glad, as i'll some humble way among the
trustees of his reputation, 10 testify OF the traits OF
his disposition and his mind
But his bodily feature and bearing must not be
pas ed by. Claiming was insignificant III figure.
I I I-t,nr fnn HON
a hundred pounds of flesh clothed and served IN him
fine informing soul One introduced to him ex-
claimed amazcment at the slight stature OF the
mighty preacher j thought you were SIX feet
| talLn Certainly in the desk he was OF command
ing height But he had to wrap his weak chest in
| many a covering when lie went out. against the
damn and cold. and very often only able 10 pace
| M ami down the sidewalk before bis dwelling IN
| the sun till his slowly moving form became one OF
| the sights in Boston. But he might have and TO
any one, Napoleon to the marshal WHO reached TO
the EmpcrOra book from IN upper shell remartin@:
:" am higher than yon, sire, Longer, not hlgh-
err His eyes were so communicative that his
friends disputed about the color, which was lost in
! the expression Where was the hiding of the power
of that marvellous voice--One of the three most
| eloquent. says Emerson, he has heard; and surely
like none beside, having mere IN II OF the violin than
the flute. yet with liquid notes such as WIhemj or
! Joiachlm can fetch from the strings, and with
| an habual rising infection, rather than
cadence, at the end OF the sentence, which
seemed TO, raise every hearer to the
skies II melted and resOunded, was clear when II
whispered. and clarion when it rang. lie told me
that with speaking for many years new tones had
been developed IN his voice. Very peculiar in It's
charm was his reading OF the Scriptures and OF the
hy1nuS, Of which Emerson says again: lie read
into them more than | cOuld afterward fluid"
When on an Easter Sunday the line left his lips,
"Angel. roll the stone away"
the stone never, the infinite distance, seemed to
cease TO roll
VAIN are the charms and faint the rays,
The brightest creatures boast,
And all their grandeur and then praise
Are in Thy presence lost"
He threw an nsignicauce the first three lines
in amazing contrast with the majestic close. He
had theory abOut public speaking which be ex-
pounded for my ediiicaton, that it simply
matter OF light aud shade in the sentence But