The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-02-07

tice his teachings, and emulate his
faith, hut we never can sufficiently
honor the memory Of Paul the
apostle.
SHAKEsPEARE's KISG RICHARD III.
UY LEE rEE~'"rT.
A. ~ writer Of historical plays, shake
SPEAR j. recognized A. prince. What
Michael Angelo Is To art, what Beethoven Is
to music. Shakespearr - to tragedy. He II
chief
Aud. ~ each eNcelS Ia particular
department of his calling. does shake
Speare. tie Is strongest in the art Of anal
yEiug and painting character. No element
of human nature dnes ~ depict more vividly
than the ViIIianOu>. and of all his viIlianous
characters. Richard III stands Pre-rmi-
nrntly first
In him Shakespeare rallies his ideal of .
william. Il heIng devoid of feeling. a creature
supremacy wicked. und unfalisringly
isndish. whose Internal caraciiy knows no
limit He possesses viii infieNibl" aud an
intellect abnurmaIIy acute and supernat-
uraIly cunning: he Is n deliberate ScOundrel.
whose ambition i his God. whose only Law
= the necessity Of ~urreSS.
He has almost no emotional nature. but
this lack i compensated by his intellectual
acuteueSs. Hi,dsyeiOpmeni In life l. unnai-
uraI. He i. by nature. divorced from all
feeling. all love, all sympathy. Morally he
i cipher.
Like uiher men. he has to ChoOSe between
good and evil. hut he Invariably prefers the
evil He knows no right. He conIemplsies
his meanness, and Is Intoxicated by u. He
revels In his own hypOCricy.
Whatever l. most hard, whatever i vilely
atroCious. and dangerously difficult. he
siezes with greedy delight. He beirays inno-
crnce with a vengeance.
Well does his hDdily appearance hHr-
monte with the viIliany OF his charsier.
He il apish aud outIAndish In manners. and
deformed Ia body. Listen to the word with
which he bemoans his condition:
II am rurtailsd Of fair proportion,
Cheated OF feature b. assembling nature,
DefOrmed. unfinished. sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce hall madr
up.
And that - IamcIy and unfashionAbIe,
That dogs bark at Inc a. hslt by them.
Therefore. since he cannot prove lover"
me LAYS down ihi, p0siuIaIe. which cnnsii
rutes the premises from whIch hts life l. =
logical cnncIusion-.'I am determined 20
prove a william.
with the aid Of his giant will aud intellect.
he resolves 20 spread terror among hIs
fellow bring: TO b,rume ban- To human
ny. His great object l. to gain pn~Ses>ion
nf the throne OF England: aud To attain his
end no rours- l. too diviiish, nO crime i"O
atrocinu~. no bIood too sacred. lie cuts hi>
way To the ihrnn. through thoSs "I bis own
flesh AMI a-ihrv IaII r"ioires ~ their dis
cnmfirur".
Nntir- Ter q mumrni hi> ppwer ." deceive
the iunuc-ni. I" di>nrm prejudice. and in
U.s.. hi hiitrr.si fn+S.
His bruthsr the Duke 81 CLARENCE. al his
instigaiion - committed To the Tower.
Richard visits him. and under the strongest
promise, ui hi all. leaves him. saying: Il
Will deliver you:" vet ~rarrr i he gone from
his presence when he eNultIngly rXclaimS;
I'm In 4" N" king tut &" urge his hatred
mnrr to CLARENCE. which lie- well Si-el'd
with weighty argument"
Was there ever tr-urh"Ty more cruelty
inhuman" Wa ever confidence betrayed
with such satanir Perfection
CIarcar, falls aud after hun Edward aud
Henry VI. ENuIiingly he rontemplaieS
hi dead. Their l'fele~s irpdi-- form step
pinE-stonr~ toward the goal Of his ambition.
and he j. glad.
"a. turns hi care from thes. evidences
OF his rrims>. u aIishis on lady Anne, wife
aud daughter ni his --latest virtims.
lie GrsrS nnihin-. sympaihiges not, but
seeks Ia win her heart bv his base fattrry
and conl deception. Note with what mar
V"lous skill be- = endowed.
He takes her In liar heart = rNtremsSt hate.
with cures In her mouth, tear In her eyes,
TIss 1tlsa.FlfuF fKf ngF hat real lE
With ''ni and her conscience against him,
Will.
III. has NJ friends To- hack his suit,
but the plain devil aud assembling looks"
yet he wins her With his honsyed words.
He converts her most intense hatred by his
proiestatinns Of love. but adds In the same
breath IN have her. hut IN not keep her
long"
What cruel heariIessness. what perfect
nrndishness. how surprisingly dePraved.
Deprived. 10th by feature and nature Of
the priyileg. of hcing loved by woman. he |
takes reyengefuI pleasure In deceivinR and |
heirayinE them by hi gildsd proieSisiions |
NJ affection.
One crime only shATpens his cunning and /
stecls his heart for smother. He murders /
" hole families Of kindred, not for any /
rhine they have committed but because Of
heir very goodness. And he does u without
B shudder. without a qualm of conscience. ar
Dne feeling of remOrSs.
What q calendar ofrrims has he thus far Il
Deen guilty of. Certainly this will b. sum
.iant. with this he must be satisfied. Bat
be il not. He desires fresh victims, and the
Princes. imprisoned In the Tower, are
doomed TO die. chIidrrn. whose only crime
,gainst them Il that they are innocent.
ThcSe are the last victims. The last step
ling stones are placed In order beneaih his
Get. and upon the stairway Of victims, thus
obtained he mounts the throne
He has achieved the object Of hts ambi-
ion hut the reward nf his vililany l. near.
Ie l. suspected by all-de~pis-d by all.
tight Of him excites contempt, and sxerFa-
ions fall upon his head. Listen 90 1.-THE
,raysr Of Queen MarEarri she raves:
Earth gsPes. hell burns. fisnds rOar. saints
pray. |
To have him suddenly conveyed from
hence
Cancel his bond nfIife. dear God, I pray.
That I may live and say, the dog y dead"
what is u then that faScinates " with
ueh = disgusting cha rarier: Why l. 70 lhii
- turn In horrur from contemplation OF
i'm. yet are constrained TO look sEain-
IL l. herauSe the Wicke,IneSs Of the ian IL |
by the magnitude Of his
rlemes. His triumph over every obstacle,
he greatness Of his intellectually hold our
itention. Perfectly understanding the
uman heart. he Is nevertheless supremacy
eaTties-: human, get he Is not humane. He
- M sthiral nature.yet be Il capable Of the |
ieeSt moral q stinetiOns.
he commits his crimes In quick succession. |
nd he PUSHES from one 20 another with |
rApIdity. He respects none
a his Schemes- Heeven attacks the sa-red-
e~s Of . mothers character with the
srke-t Of accusations. merely tO nd him
slf of her tender sdEaOnitions of lSye.
Whatever may be saie of Richard. BE