Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-01-26
Hamfef on Ro1day N,obf.

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Among English speaking people
he who knows not Shakespeare ii
an uneducated person and PhilIs
tine. This used to be said of thos;
who knew not Horace and Virgil
Homer and Sophocles, nor am / ir
any way willing that the master
spirits of Greek and Roman litera
ture should be dispensed with as al
element in liberal education, but
if all ancient literature on the one
hand and Shakespeare on the Other
had to be abandoned, / would
without hesitation say Shakespeare
against all the world.
But Shakespeare is never goitlg to
take place antagonistic to other
literature. On the contrary, tine
study of him is certain to lead to
other reading; his master mind is
so suggestive of far reaching
thoughts in every department OF
human speculation that it is impos-
sible to become acquainted with
him and then stop short.
The great English statesman,
Charles James Fox is reported to
have said that he knew nothing of
English history except what he got
from the historical plays of Shake
speare. He never said so, and it
would not have been true if he had,
for his range of historical reading
was very wide. What he did say
was that he would never have stud
led English history if he had not
become interested in it by seeing
and reading those plays. l can well
believe it, for l well remember
when school boy witnessing the
performance of Richard III by a
small provincial company, and
making the discovery then and
there that the history of Plantage-
net days, instead of dry and
hateful school exercise, could be-
come tale of passionate interest,
and from that time history has been
the foremost study of my life.
But in other departments of
thought Shakespeare has this sug-
gestive value. Thus the controver-
sy, far from decided yet, whether
the insanity of Hamlet is real or
assumed has led TO subtle and far
reaching discussions In mental phil
Osophy. Macbeth again has been
held up as terrible instance of the
enthrallment of a mind originally
noble by the gradual progress of
guilty passion, and many sermon
has warned men less impressively
of the perils of temptation in its
first approaches.
We are glad then that we are TO
have one of Shakespeare's great
tragedies here on Monday night;
we are not at present acquainted
with Mr.. Stafford's merits or demer-
its as an actor, but Hamlet can
scarcely be put on the stage at all
without some of the deep thoughts
of the author coming to the surface,
and we trust the opportunity will
not be lost, especially by the young.
From the age of thirteen to twenty
there is no stimulant to taste and
thought equal to the acting of a good
the latter age the drama
may be mastered by reading, but
for the intelligent, impossible boy
or girl, the acted drama is the thing
required. Isay then to enlightened
parents, go yourselves. but whether
you go or not, let your children go.
Some will say let them read
Shakespeare. i say so too. but they
won't; Shakespeare is never read
much in a community where he is
never acted; let them see play
and they will read that and others /;
let them never see one and Shakes
peare~will remain closed book to
them. d. F. w.