New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-24
sHAKEsPEARE---BACoN.
a BOOK gHAr RoUTs rHE RAcosIAss.

NJ fhis book had the peculiar experience Of being
treated BY nearly all the critics as man when
Z she made her first appearance. 1t served ner
right. for II q woman chooses 80 put @. Slopes
3 on the title page Of her first book, she has no
ground for COMPLAINT II her sex is mistaken
Il mrst be said in this ease also that the internA
indicatioris seemed TO point TO masculine auono,-
ship. for Mrs Slopes has remarkably sirie
style. and. moreover, she argues with serico
regard to the rales Of logic which Is naruy .
feminine characteristics The subject sne mas
undertaken TO write upon is one concerning wn,cn
<ha ~rorld has Of late almost agreed to CONSIDER
stss,s weary. The portentious advertisements
ana s;enaI Hasco Of Ignatius Dcnnellys huge
monument Of folly, malice and false reasoning
natmrally nave the public surfeit OF baconian
Z * perirnents upon the memory and fame OF onake
sreare Nevertheless, 10 remains true tnat hoDooy
.,o,r 4he Mains TO formulate ia permanent shape
!. ann nrehensiye answer 70 che baccmansi anu
: q ~ust he admitted that, however fantasue anu
$3.50 .arsf,,a fba arguments Of the iateer may
=. *hsv have been 60 reiterated thao IL mas
,soms an aot Of prudence, II not OF necessity, 70
lain issue with them and set forth IN convenlem'
form all the facts and considerations wni'u in'N
tate against their position H
Tb,s. at all events, Is how 1t appeared 70 mis
stones She began the inquiry for nef own sa ss
.sss,,os- without any thought Of publishing ene
'e-l -. i,ht to the focus Of all evidence reat-
- - Enylisb history. literary and otherwise
~, r,it,sh Museum, that Is to say, and she prose
,,tea her researches until she had excavated lroI
.,,s enormous mass Of material available enoasn
..,.., f.sts "a establish the position she oesiroo
"a maintain In her preface she gives NC, 1850
~ nnblishing as follows IN reearu 80
.ub;ects. can only say that most men 49,
,.t;,sr be tsied In open court on e~"r on 49,.
than to have rumors gather arouns Onelu 49,
inc the multitude. To allow statmen's )" app ~
unanswered seems, at best, TOO IKE onIv
so,tch verdict of not proven i"s -. and
-.,...s a. the argument Of the accuserss anu
weAa.nss i, the part Of the accused; 'hs
uos -a 80. haunYs mems minds long after anu
so Ne - s,v time be revived But clear e,'so
l1as .,ssd arguments fairly sifted on po'n SUI
49, -. A. ! unanimous verdict, boldly gwen
Z 49,. ,,;ltv, whereby the accused 10 ireeo -.
Z, ~. SEQUENCES and reprosch Of the
=. -, forpet it, Now much has peen
ah. - Shakespeare that it m1gnt DC uuousn'
~ new could be advanced on eoe SUI
sh'ls nes - : matter Of fact, Mrs. Slopes mas
i Nv ,y introducing novel oonsiuefauVA''
80 .har arc both important ana intef
anu s - not say exactly how the INQUIRY ~as
80 - ba,- hut somehow she got tine ioea, u
,ha writings Of Shakespeare anu na0on
~ - No. thew agreed or differed IN tner "oaV
= - st,mulants spirits, wine, beer, cloer' eo
-, -. ,sa Thought of tbis before, ana tnereivlo
- 49, mon the question existed apart rom 1
ny 80 .,aroselves The inquest had signincans
800 Mrs. Slopes found that Bacon in's 80
,,,self solely in what may be termeu s'' -
- manufacturing aspects OF st1mnian'S -. ,~as
"a aiatiIlation, yinicnlture, brewins' an
,eayned about fermeptat1on anu nus rr,o,slv
rroossses OF production; ne 'noeile Rn4
into the secrets Of ining and Keeplns e. the
he showed himself absolutely irr v.O. -. syact
- = ssv.sc,s of stimulants. What the eAe 3,
- S.srh,ry might be never troubled MN eS az. a.
S.,s,..v.rce and iniemperancc were snNe ivy
49, - 3. him In an his works there u no hns
s,s.,, isd,cates the bestowal Of thoagnS upon
III. -.,asions of man TO the intox1cants NO"
~. met ir itself is remarkable, and strongly jim
~4.rs.t,o Il illustrates the cold egotlsm OF frap
- pa.cr,s uatare II also illustrates bus CRAVING
-. ,r,ow,eage. ard In an especial way the delec'
le ~ ,.s. s,,,nathv In that craving. Equally
-.,s,, .,a equally characteristic is the result OF
- -. ,nsuirv IN the works Of Shakespeare ior
& 49, !. e al,vxvx the human element that preoom-
1890 n is the effect Of drinking upon human
1870 and character that is studied Mrs Slopes
-. e,yp cted remarkable series Of extracts nom
ta plsvs and poems in illustration Of her tne of'es
y.nd the contrast between them and bacons lnsia'
,,urefy sntellectual observations Ii most marSeu.
Srhe drxmasist sweeps the whole gamuS OF nunen
experience with stimulants between oasslos
passionate denuncisticn Of that spirlS OF VIM
which, il it has no name, may wen 20 c'snsa
. devil and Fslstaf's rapturous apos1opne "
xfe virtues Of sack, every ASPECT OF inc suo'cc'
5 o touched upon.
There "a another important point SNAKE
~s..ra has much 90 say about ale and beer Drink
sra vIareas Bacon never follows his liquor Do
vcra the brewery. But whereas Bacon notices
.sdey marry and mead, 40 well 80 beer nnd WINE
a 1. : singular fact that not one OF these drnKs
!. r,sntaoued ia the plays Shakespeare indeed has
abundant mention Of many potables and ways OF
s Ariuking. and Mrs Slopes offers curious eoiiec-
sion al his phrases and expressions IN conneeuon
witA them But, as she observes, his main interest,"
In drinking was subjective, while Bacon's main
tntcress was as distinctly objective. This ls Cd.
g1cusiy an important and entirely new piece OF
evidence ard Mrs. Slopes has worked II ont
shoroughly, giving every qnetahon wnich mas
..v hesrspr upon the subject There Is q second
nry finc Of evidence growing out OF the hrst.
20. Mrs. Slopes puts II thus: Another impor-
can't condderation beyond The psychological 10 re-
raYd 10 the discussion Is that in treating the
sy;nkinz customs Of different peoples in ancient
stsus--for instance, In King Lear Antony and
l(.Iaouetra., Hamlet tc.-Shakespeare commits
Aunchronisrns and ineangruites impossible TO such
3 thorough STUDENT Of history and literature q
Bacon was, and yet these very errors were IN
keepdns with the cxnons Of dramatic ars ut the
tine, Of which Bacon disapproved-S
A careful reading OF the shakespeasean anc
Eaconian extracts on drink given pyN nfs
Slopes is sufficient 70 cure any baconian woo !
ras Ire victim 81 congenitai ineapacity to weigf
euidsnce. Unfortunately, some such incapacits
underies Baccninn in eli its phases, though ther'
ran be- no doubs that the chief incentive to thai
rtrnnTe dclusion is an intellectual deficiency which
rnav be designated character blindness. The MAJ
80. 1900 e,esive the ugychical differences be