The Portland daily press., 1886-02-06
POLITICAL PoRTERs AND SALOONS.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


The Shakesperian Myth. William Shake
speare and Circumstantial Evidence. By
Appleton Morgan, A. NJ. LII. B. Cincinnati:
Robert Clarke q Co., 1866 The Shakespe-
rian legend as popularity received runs thus.
In twenty years, amid the duties of his pro-
fession-the care of mounting his pieces, and
of ipstructing his actors-he composed the
thirty-two tragedies and comedies, in verse
and prose, responding to every emotion of
the soul, divining all that was beyond the
range Of his experience, and forever remain
ing the treasure of the age. AL this being
accomplished, Shakespeare left the theatre
and the busy world at the age of forty-fye,
to return to Standardization. Here he
lived peacefully in the most modest retire
ment, writing nothing and never returning
to the stage-ignored and unknown, if his
works had not forever marked out his place
in the world. a strange example of an mag
ination so powerful suddenly ceasing to pro-
duce and closing, once for all, the door to
the efforts of genius
few years ago, an American lady crea-
ted d genuine sensation by denying that
Shakespeare was the author of the plays
which sc by his name, and assigned the hon.
or TO Lord Bacon. Since then, the subject
has received much attention, and now can
boast g literature of its own, of which the
volume under notice is part. The question
as TO what Shakespeare wrote with his own
pen, and what became his, is certainly an in
quiry as legitimate as it is fascinating. enti-
tied to full examination and treatment on
purely historical grounds 1t is not only an
inquiry which may be pursued without cast
ing suspicion on the querist's loyalty or Or
thodoxy, but it's discussion is welcomed as
contribution to the ever magnifying library
Of Shakespeareana.
Men have made books to prove that Ba-
con, Raleigh, or some other contemporary of
Shakespeare, wrote these plays, but the pop
ular faith remains, and probably will remain
unchanged. Nevertheless, Mr.. Morgan has
written the present volume with a hope of
undermining it, He contends that the ancient
presumptions will no longer hold. He pro-
poses to test this presumption by facts. He
attempts to overthrow it by appeals to con-
temporary history and variety of oircum-
stahtial evidence. He thinks he can prove from
these, as clearly as any fact can be proved cir
cumstantially, that Shakespeare was not the
author of the plays that go by his name.
For example, Shakespearewa certainly no
lawyer, and yet these plays are not only flu
ent in the use of lawyers and attorneys jar
gon and technicalities, but their very struc-
ture is legal and jurisdicial. Hamlet has
been thoroughly revised by one learned in
the law, supplying the legal explanations
needed to a thorough understanding of the
play. Many other points are ingeniously
made, for the calculation of which we refer
the reader to Mr. Morgan's entertaining vol
ume which is in Appleton's best style.
Ecclesiastical Institutions. Being Part
VI of the Principles of Sociology BY Her
bert Spencer. (New York: d. Appleton &
Co.; Portland: Hoyt, Fogg & Donham.)
The leading points made by Mr. Spencer are
that, Q) We have to recognize the fact of the
presence of Ecclesiastical institutions in all
societies which have made considerable prog
ress. 81 Their immense preponderance in
those early societies which reached relative
ly high stages of civilization verifying the
conclusion that they have been Indispensable
components of social structures from the be-
ginning down to the present time. (3) They
have fostered that spiritof conservatism which
maintains continuity in social arrangements,
and formed a supplementary, regulatiye sys-
TEN, cooperating with the political one.
They have insisted on obedience, primarily
TO God or gods, and sec0ndarily to kings; and
countenanced the coercion under which has
been cultivated the power of application
Thus has been strengthened the habit of
self-restraint. 81 The idea of Duty which
has formed an increasing element in religious
ministrations may be expected to assume
marked predominance and wider range.
The conduct of life, parts of which are al
ready the subject matters of sermons, may
probably yet become subiect-matter through
its entire range. Ideas of right and wrong
will be regarded as applicative to actions of
every kind. All matters concerning individ-
ual and social welfare will come to be dealt
with. chief function of one who stands
in the place of minister will not be alone
that of emphasizing precepts already ac-
cepted. He will aim at developing mems
judgments and sentiments in relation of
more difficult questions of conduct arising
from the increasing complexity of social life
o. Our relations to the unseen and to one
another must ever continue. There will,
therefore, probably ever survive representa-
tives Of those who in the past have been oc-
cupied with obseryances and teachings con-
corning these relations, however unlike their
sacerdotal prototypes they may become.
A Short History of Napoleon the First. By
n