The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-23

that loudly called for reformation was p!ai
enough; but Shakespeare has made it equa
ly plain that they were, by reason OF thei
Ignorance, incapable Of redressing wrong
Hence, he has no tone OF sympathy 10
their uprising; which was, in fact, a mon
strous barbarism; and heknew that
"HeadSIrGnV liberty is lashed with wo"
Shakespeare has been blamed that h.
put into the mouth OF no one OF his CharaC
tens clear ennunciatiOn OF rcpublicanisu
US We understand it; and it has been claim
ed that he was unconscious OF it, or un
willing to give it uttennce. One explana
ton Of this omission have already given
in the fact Of history supplying no charac
ter TO which such declaration OF REPUBLICAN
principles would have been fitting. There
Is also another reason: All plays writer
III Shakespeare's time had to pass through
the hands OF q censor appointed by the
Crown, before they could be put on thu
stage and that officer would have p0unccG
upon any hint OF advanced republcanisu
US seditious and incendiary and would N
once have suppressed it, and, probably,tht
whole play, as the vehcle OF such danger
Gus doctrine. We, who live in land and
age of free speech, do not always, perhaps,
appreciate the lullneSs OF the liberty We en-
joy,
| have heard fault found with Shakes
peare's lack OF sympathy with Cade and
his followers; and blame laid to his charge
for the vein Of satire with which he pic
tured the efforts OF these English seris t.
right their wrongs, and for the contemptu
Gus way he sets forth the complaints, tn,
mults, and vagaries of the citizens in the
Roman plays, What sympathy is due to
movements where ignorance grasps Qt
power, with its sure results OF crime and
barbarism?
How else could Shakespeare square his
teachings with the divine laws OF eternal
truth? So he shows, in many vivid
scenes, this most weighty political law;
that ignorance is undeserying and incapa-
bic OF freedom.
1t Is not u helmet, nor n students cap,
that should be placed on the head of Tic
mathematical figure OF Freedom; though
the latter is quite rs fitting rs the former.
Freedom is the embodiment OF the best
progress OF mankind. Warrior, statesman,
student, philosopher, scientist, artist, mo
ChaniC, labOrcr-all should be blended
into one; but that one must reflect, in
face aud bearing, cultivation Of mind, rs
well US courage of heart; and should sug-
gest all the noblest aspirations OF the hui
man soul. Bryant has made u vigorous
picture OF Freedom as warrior:
20 Freedom thou art not, us poets dream,
fair young girl with light md delicate limbs
; And w4vy tFGScG gushing from the cap
With which tho Roman master crowned his slave
when he took of the gives 4 bearded man,
Armed to the teeth, art thou; ono mailed hand
GraspS the broad shield; and one, the sword; thy
brow,
Glorious in beauty though itDc, issarcd
with tokens Of old wan thy massive limbs
Are strong with struggling
But the freedom, that has made val.
liable and sure to us the best polit-
ical privileges we enjoy to-day, is
not all warrior. II were making
the picture, would give to his face the
cast OF thought rather than flcrceness; make
the scared forehead broad with the power
OF Il cultivated and massive intellect. |
would have the sword and shield lying at
his feet, while his hand should be on the
throttl0'valve Of stcam.enginc, or the
keyboard Of anclectrc telegraphing inslru.
mCnt.
1t is not alone in the general laws and
fundamental principles, governing ind
giving tone to the plays, that we find
Shakespeare political teachings. In the
career Of each one Of his principal ChurAc-
tiers We can find an instructive example,
having, perhaps, direct application to
modern circumstances and times. Is
peCially has he shown what public disasters
come from the qualification Of excessive
passions, selt.indulgence, and unreasonable
vanity.
A conspicuous example Of vanity is COri-
OIanus, whose absurd sclf.CstCCm is finely
portrayed by Shakespeare, until We see Il
overShadowing the many heroic qualities
OF the man, and bringing him to the point
OF sacrificing his country rather than his
own prlde-Nn example not without par
Rllel In our own times. But the vain 10.
man of that elder day had Il touch OF better
nature in him that at last redeemed his
faults, even ut the cost Of his Iitc-a virtue
that does not appear 80 plainly in our mod
Crn CoriOlani
The Roman plays, "Coriolanus," "Anto.
ny and Cleopatra" ind especially Julius
Cesar" are full to overlooking Of political
instruction and examples. Let us glance
Mt the play Of JutiuS CGydr. The mighty
Roman, who gives the name OF the play,
shows the power and the weakness, the
glory and the crime Of ambition. In the
early part Of his career he has served his
country well; but, at the opening OF the
play, has emerged from
That lowlIncS (which iSyoung ambitions ladder,
WherGto thcclimbcr upward turns his face:
INT when he once AttNlns tho upmnSt round
lie then unto the ladder turns his bACk:
Looks ir the clouds Sc0rning the base degrees
by which he did ascend"
This Is most true OF Caesar. lie is no
more q servant OF the state; he would be the
master OF his CountrymGn. Intoxicated
with power and success, he looks into the
clouds, and believes he Is II god. lie is so
dizzy with ambition as to be capable Of say.
ing:
danger knows il well
That Cesar u more dangerous than he.
We were two Hons lttCrd In one day,
And the elder and more terrible"
And when CHINA impIorcs Of him the
pardon Of his friend the gOdlike Cesar
waves him Off with his
"IlenCc wilt thou llit up Olympus2'
lie Is no more n Roman; but Rome is to
him only his clair Of state. his pedestal.
Ills great intellect is blinded by ambition;
and
Even al tho base Of PompSy'S statue"
he falls by Roman dagger8 in that memora.
bic scene which has so many times been
acted oycr-tllc tragedy of ambition. The
comment.
Brutus, pure patriot, commits fault
Of judgment. Cassius, soliloquizing OF him,
says:
well, lIrutuJ, thou hrt noble; yet, see,
Thy honorable metal may be wrought
From that II Il dlspOSed;
For who so firm that cannot be scdHced 2"
lie was brought BY much solicitation to
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