Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-04-29

vss and il sank into the ~orlu, anu eu
tion after edition came out. a Piayea
only a player, and only poet: put WA
does man find who reads Snahep;
inc erscious influences that has ever been
Known since the days of the Apostles Ia
an intolerant and bigoted age, ne taughs
tolerance, long.suffering, patience anu
mercy. in a baIbarous and warhKe age
he taught peace and gentieness; IN
1av when mani hood was thought 10 eone.S'
in proyess, he taught 1t 10 consist IN seuI
tl.i,ess, mercy and forgiveness IL ne nao
been preacher the fools would not nav
heard him, or We should have hsa SCI
called "Shskespereans." But suls tnIu
WAS only q poet, an author, uianr 49,
nobody knew MUCK ABOUT num- us 80
Was brought home and there qu.euy !; - az!
nr.;i ike some bulb, in due time II eS-
~, ded, and cut of this treasure, whicn
p,n,d not Lave been brought home hsi II
IN IsbeIled religious sect, "poIlt1cs or
party" grew the sweetest MOWERS anu
6ifest fruitags that has grown out oil any
nm NJ the modern world. There has been
TO sWeeter preacher OF the relslon VI
J.,us Christ since Christ lHed tndh w
liam Shakespeare. No man ever dranh IA
more fully the distinctive features OF wy
Gospel, the divineness OF forgiveness "
endless peace, of perpetual gentlenesS' III
an evil day Shakespeare taught the most
gracious and gentle preCepts, too good 10
have bpen received If men had known
What they were taking. We do not ASK vi
sbskespesre that he teach us anything en-
ur.ly new. We value the sclentlhc III tn
in proportion 10 the newneSs oil MS uisCoS,
cries ana the strangeness OF his WORKS; ont
The human heart has not fashions anu Gus
NIT bo spprpt
airs. and the anatomy OF tears has never
changed. What is the browning glory OF
NAM IL is mercy. The eminent beauty
"f The Christian faith is that il breaches oil
| God always merciful, and there is no hui
man chorister who has lifted up so holy an
amen 10 the sweet cry Of the perpetual
ms,cv Of God as William Shakespeare. HIS
were not merciful days, but fierce, hght'
| ing. stern, bloody, baroarous; and tnls
man. whom people thought simply JoIiy,
| yrote such lovely books that now the woriu
treasures them in hundreds OF EDITIONS.
| Who can tell how many people have pom
| 6erpd over them? Aud they teach this
| hat kindness is nObler ever than revenge;
| that
| Earthly power doth then snow Iihest Hou -
| W e. IuI4C 6 seasons justice
lie teaches that this world of re:ribution
| in human lands is havoc, and not Justice
III ough Justice be thy plea, consider this,
That IN the cour.e OF justice none OF as
| should see salvation: We do pray for mercy
Aud that same prayer dOlh teAch US AL 10
render the deeds OF mercy.
And when Warwick said, 80 bad death
argue monstrOuS life, what does shake,
sl.are saw, speaking through the King:
"Forbcar to Judge. for We are sinners all"
Shakespeare book, being only book OF
| plavs, The sinners buy it, Some OF US, II
we see DIVINITY" marked on the back OF
a book, do not purchase il. Bat II We see
| dramatic Works of William Shakespeare,
we buy il at once. And il is not precious
thing the world should be thus taken in!
Is IT not charming this genial, gracious
map, that had no look OF parson, mat
liked his glass. and loved the world, and
rnioyed it through aud through, and out
and out; is it not beautiful thing that
this man should have embalmed and EN-.
Bedded in his works the lessons OF peace,
epntlenesS, mercy, patience, aud lOng'Sut'
iering? He was no priest; be waved no
censor; nevertheless, who can tell, when
We consider the thousands of souls who
have learned the lessons of Shakespeare,
how much he has done 10 harmOni2e-nay,
Chr..trauize mankind? If the ShakeSp ,are
Club of Wheeling had power to canonze
any body as having done well to humanity,
andas deserving to join the choir oil saints,
there is no mau should sooner propose,
al 4 no man " HON il would be SO difficult
lar any man 10 be devils advocate against
AS William Shakespeare. He did not
try 10 mai @ man better, he had no need,
he only NE dpd 10 write; and lie gave an
inheritance of better merit that will last
the world as long as il lives. His doctrine
distilled as the dew, and many Il man who
has read The Merchant Of Veaice," and
that sad drama Of a sinful soul, and that
terrible attempt To pray OF the hing IN
Hamlet" has read hOmilies more pre-
cious than the homilies of the church. or
sweet as any that have fallen on the world
since the days OF the Apostles. Those who
have read Shakespeare know the scripture
to be true. ENTERTAIN strangers, for there
hy some have entertained angels uu-
awares." We have opened our houses TO
Shakespeare, and find We have entertained
an angel messenger OF the Almighty God.
WHO is Shakespeare Whoever ne IS,
or whatever he is, there is one person he
surely is not, viz: Francis Bacon, no more
than he is Sir Walter Raleigh or Guiio
Fawkes. Every now and then this stale
eXplodes and threadbare theory breaks out
anew as il has lately done by the publiCa.
ton of the "PromuS" book by Mrs. POtt
1t cannot be possible that need TO say one
word on this subject to this company to-
night. II has not one inch OF ground to
stand upon, not one particle or JDt OF evl-
denCe, either internal or external, to cling
to. To me it is simply inconceivaole that
any sensible person can oe so utterly de-
luded. have no manner OF patience to
discuss SO absurd question, and never
have had for q moment; and | trust that
no one within the reach of my voice will
lose one minute of time in examining it,
| have read carefully, all their theories,
and con lectures, and hypothesis, sane and
insane; and the conclusion in my mind is
just this that it is, to use the foroible tho
rather prOfane language OF friend OF
mine, "all damu'd tomfOOlery." Their
arguments are suggestions only and rest
upUn two preat mpatienCeS-O that We
have SO scant biography of Shakespeare
in the vulgar sense of the term. aud the
other, that he had no regular, classical
education. But there is a great error made
in II gard to the latter point. Shakespeare
was 10 dunCe-nor an uneduCated man;
but, for the time he had very fair CLASH.
cal training, and was good man of letters
We may be sure he went to school until he
was fifteen years old, and the grammar
scht oil at StratfOrd was one of the best in
the country, and had the best educated,
university, classical masters. Everything
about him shows that he was bright,
Quiet boy, with a remarkable memory,
and no doubt he not only learned rapidly,
but retained his knowledge. Now, none of
you will suppose that advocate a scanty
or Irregular education. We all know too
we'll what We shoull have been without
education. We value it too much, and
strive too much and make it common;
still, We cannot suffer SCHOOLS nor school
masters. doctors, nor professors, to limit
the prerogative of genius. The greatest
wit that ever lived, Dean Swift, had an ir
regular education. Alexander Pope, too,
| read what he liked, when he liked, where
be liked and how he liked. He had two or
three seedy schoolmasters, and was under
their care very short time. The great
Doctor Sam Johnson read what he liked,
was lazy when he liked, went to college,
and distinguished himself there by leaving
undone things he ought TO have done.
Oliver Goldsmith never did anything he
ought TO have done. The things he ought
TO have done he neglected and wrote
ballads. His education was irregular, and
vet what delicate touches of genius, what
sweetness OF love, largeness OF charity, and
what genial soul he had. Then We come
to the ploughman of Scotland, who touched
the heart OF his nation and thrilled itas no
81 ~ lad hafN I'll