The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-01-11
AM Nye AND CESAR.

do We'll any "ncir ""'e''e -
the play Of Julius Cesar has glowing
6,,ure before it. 1t was written by Gen
tlemen Shakespeare. Bacon, and Donnei-
Iv. who colIaberated together on IT,
shakespeare did the lines and plot. Ba-
con furnished the ciaher. and Donneiiy
caIled attention 30 il through the pa
pers-
The scene of Julius Cesar rs laid IN
Rome inst before the railroad Was COM
pIe.cd to that place. In order to under
stand the play itself we must glance BRET
" AT the leading characters which are In
tr,dnced. and upon whom its success
largely depends.
Iulius Cesar first attracted attention
through the Roman papers by calling the !
attention Of the medical faculty to the |
now Justly celebrated Ca-zarian operation. |
Taking advantage of the advertisement
thus attained he soon rose 10 prominence
and flourished considerably from 100 to /
ARC. when committee of reoresen-
tative citizens and prcperty-owners OF
Rome called upon him, and on behalf oil
the people begged leave TO assassinate
him as a mark Of esteem. He was stab
h,.d twentv-three times between Pom |
news sIlar and II O'Clock, many OF
which were mortal. This account OF the /
asssssination i taken from local pa
per and Is graphic. succinct, and lacks
Ill. ~
80 lamentable in our OVID time Caesar
was the implacable foe ofthe aristocracy, |
and refused to wear plug-hat up 10 the |
Sav of his death. Suils once said, before |
Cesar had made much of showing
that some day this young man would be |
the ruin Of the aristocacy, and twenty |
vears afterwards. when Caesar sacked, as
ssssinaif.d. and hOlocausted a whole the !
ological seminary for saying ~eyefher
and "nve;her" the old settlers recalled I
what sulla had said
Caesar continued TO eat pie with a knife |
and in many other ways 10 endear him |
self to the masses until 6s, b. c., when he |
ran for Quasstor Afterward he was Edile |
during the term Of which Office he sought |
70 introduce a number Of new games and /
10 extend the limit on some Of the older |
ones From this 10 the Senate was but |
step. In the Senate be was known as |
good speaker, but ambitious, and was IL
able to turn up during a close vote when |
his enemies thought he was at home do
ing his chores. This made him at times |
odious 10 those who opposed him, and |
when he defended Cataline and offered |
10 90 on his bond, Caesar came near be-
ing condemned 10 death himself
In 62, b. c., he went to Spain as Pro
praior. intending 10 write book about
the Spanish people and their customs as
soon as he got back, but he was 50 busy
on his return that he did not have time
10 do 50.
Caesar was powerful man with the
people and while in the Senate worked |
hard for his constituents while other
Senators were having their photographs |
taken. He went into the army after the |
war broke out and after killing a great /
many people against whom he certainly /
could not have had anything personal he
returned. headed by the Rome Silver |
cornet Band, and leading a procession |
over two miles in length. II was at this
time that ne was rendered a crown Just |
a. he was crossing the City Hall, but |
thrice he refused il. After each refusal |
the people applauded and encored him |
till he had TO refuse il again. Ii is at this |
time the play opens Caesar had just ar
rived on speckled courser and dismoun- |
ted outside the town. He comes in at |
the head of the procession with the un- |
derstanding that the crown is 10 be offer |
ei 10 him lust as he crosses over TO the /
Court House
Here Cassus and Brutus meet, and Cas-
sius tries TO make a Mugwump of Brutus
80 that they can organize a new move
ment. Mr. Edwin Booth takes the char
acter Of Brutus and Mr.. Lawrence Bar
rett takes that Of Cassius would not
want to take the character Of Cassius my
self. even if had run short of character
and needed some very much indeed, but
Mr.. Barrett takes it and does it first-rate.
Mr. Booth also plays Brutus so well that
old settlers here say il seems almost like
having old MIR. Brutus here among us
again.
Bruins was = Roman republican with
strong tariff tendencies He was good
extemporaneous after-dinner speaker and
warm personal friend of Caesar, though
differing with him politically. In assas-
sinating Caesar Brutus used TO say after
ward he did not feel the slightest person
al animositv. but did it entirely for the
good Of the party. That is one thing |
like about politics-you can cut out
mans vitals and hang them on the
Christmas tree and drag the fair name
of his wife or mother around through the
sewers for six weeks before election, and
80 long as il is done for the good of the
party it is all right.
So when Brutns If authorized by the
caucus to assassinate Caesar lac feels that.
like being President of the United States,
il is a dissgreeable job but If the good
ai the party seems really to demand it he
wiil do il, though he wishes il distinctly
understood that personally he hasn't got
a thing sgaiust Caesar.
In Ac, : Brutus sits up late reading
story by 4. =. Roe, and just as he is in
the mosi excitiSg part of it the ghost of
the assassinated Ca-sar appears, and
SiaieS that it will meet him with hard
gloves At Philippi. Brutus looks bored,
and save be is not in condition, but the
ghost leaves il that way, and Brutus
sooks still taseh bored till the ghost goes
out through xhite oak door without
opening il.
Al Pbilippi, Brutns sees that there is
no hope of police interference, and so be-
fore time il called he inserts has sword
into his being and dies, while the polite
American audience puts on it, overcoat
and goes out, joking over its shoulder TO
see that Bruius does not take advantage
OF this moment, while the people are GO
ing away, to resuscitaie himself
The play is thoroughly enjoyable all
I've way through, especially Caesars fu-
neral. The idea of introducing a funer-
afo~.- a,...,.- - a.