The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-11-18
EDUCATIONAL.
The introduction OF shakespeare into
the schools.
Professor william Taylor Thorn In shakespear.
fana.l

alive. Is what Is here sought. Some OF
| the considerations, however, which have
| had decisive weight with many OF our
schools will be very briefly urged in the
hope OF influencing other schools to follow
their good example. These considerations
are not novel, nor are they original with
the writer In any special sense; but they
deserve repetition all the more because
| they have the sanction OF time and expert
ence, even though that repetition be an old
story TO many persons.
The growth Of the study OF English in
our schools OF late years has been rs marked
as gratifying TO all true patriots; for love
I OF country and love OF native literature go
hand in hand. And among the causes
leading TO this result a most potent one has
been the excellent work OF number OF ac-
complished and devoted Shakespeare scho-
lars, some OF whom have published admira-
BILE school editions OF his plays. In so doing
they have performed an immense service
to Shakespeare and TO the school public.
The aim OF these editions IL to render the
text readily ineligible, and therefore the
spirit of Shakespeare more appreciable by
young people. supplemented by gram
matical, historical. and aesthetic works,
they form a body OF school literature I'M
surpassed i'm educational value. When
so used, the scope OF their aim in
cludes knowledge OF Shakespeare as he
appears in any particular play, or more
broadly, a knowledge OF Shakespeare and OF
the English speech as contained i'm the
play. For, whatever may be true OF stu
| dent life beyond school walls. 1t Is not
enough i'm the school itself TO study Shake
speare from any one point OF view. School
work demands such manifold iteration OF
the subject as will show its true relations,
and II possible all its true relations.
We may note, then, the following points,
all most desirable for the American youth,
as substantial reasons for the Introduction
of Shakespeare rs a textbook into our
schools. In the first place he wrote such
good EnqiSh. No man has ever surpassed
him in that, as all the world knows; and
10 store the mind with his strong speech
is TO furnish It with the best thing pos
sible. His English is soon found to IN
yolye some historical study Of the Ian
ouaee. For the average student that fact
OF historical English study is Of consider.
able value IN giving dignity to his concep-
rion OF his mother-tongue and in showing
how much closer than generally supposed
is that bond OF race which draws the pres
ent so near to the past. Further, the vary
ina functions OF the Examinations and OF
the words themselves in Elzabethan Eng
lish not only show the powers, still pos
sessed i'm part by the language, but help to
rid the mind OF many fallacIous notions
learned from jll-digested books In earlier
school-lfe. The history in Shakespeare
might well be studied "a an In
| n ~ is hardly fn0
much to say that, in so far as England goes,
we might speak OF the :" Shakespeare tne-
ory" OF English history with as much
accuracy as we could OF the Mlltonic
theory" of the universe. Henry V. ana
Richard Ill, for most OF Us, are Shake
speare's hencefortb, no matter what sober
historians may say. And Shakespeare IL
well rs Green has I" history OF the Eng
lish people," legible to him who chooses TO
read and in many particulars, having the
authenticity OF an eyewitness. As study
OF practical rhetoric-tha is, OF the method
Of so using language as to attain the great
est clearness, strength, beauty, subllniity-
Shakespeare is fine textbook. Especl-
ally well does he teach how often even
good rhetoric Is exactly what is not want
ed. The expansion and proper arrange
ment OF his crowded and condensed hg-
ures OF speech is sometimes revelation TO
students OF the real meaning Of the figures,
at the same time that 1t makes PLAIN the
necessity for clear grammatical construc-
ton and for the avoidance Of figures on
the part OF q less powerful genius. In the
formation OF StWe, Shakespeare is singu-
larly beneficial 10 young writers. Beng
as is commonly observed. the least man
nered OF all the poets," he yet has an al
most unmistakable style. He does not IN
vite imitation. Everybody feels the force
OF Dryden's couplet-
" But shakespeare's magic could not copied be-
Within that circle none burst walk but he"
None the less do his forceful words
awake the desire to do what he does-vain
though such desire be. He has the effect
OF stimulating his students to the most
energetic expression OF which they are ca
pable, and vet OF developing whatever Is
original within them. As an incentive TO
Seif-educdtion there is nothing better than
Shakespeare. No matter what the after
life Is to be, all pupils need this training
which comes from the effort TO decide on
what they do really think. Here the
school.trainlng and the life-education are
merged; the work is done by the pupil for
himself, the teacher only giving to the re-
production OF thought form and correc-
ton as to detail. In the world OF such a
play as Hamlet, for instance, there arise
innumerable questions Of good and bad
taste. of frankness and dishonesty, OF Ut
terance as OF thought, OF wisdom and UNI
wisdom Of speech or deed. Forthe pupil
considering these things, the question Is
| 70 no or ~ no IN il nlsn
think or not to think, TO do or not 10 do.
while following the career OF that strange
" troubled soul, the pupil too must feel,
through his own profound sympathy, The
stress OF those mortal questions watch Ham,
let had 10 face, and much OF boys life
afterwards may depend upon the an
swers which he is conscious OF making to
those questions in the classroom.
The aesthetic study, whether consciously
or unconsciously aesthetic, involved in
working carefully over one OF Shake
speare's masterpieces, is for many pupil
the most valuable moral lesson which he
ever gets. As teacher OF sound morals
indeed, Shakespeare has that superiority
over textbook OF ethics which actual life
has over sermons. Even when, as in King
Lear. wrong seems to triumph, the terror
and pity Of the scene leave no sound heart
in doubt as to the true morll OF the tragic
action: and wnen, as in the case OF Prince
Hal, the poet seems indifferent to right or
wrong in his eXuberant pursuit OF Falstafi
and fun. we have only to turn TO Prince
Hal become King Henry ", all alive with
the highest and purest Christian ethoS, as
MIR. Hudson so ably points out, in order to
see how firmly the real conviction OF
shakespeare, as poet and man, Is based
mon fundamental moral principles. Not
that shakespeare is teacher OF cant, nor
NJ sapctimoniousness, nor even OF creed.
But there is as true religion in the tilial