The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-12-01

He sees there vindication of tho jew, and
powerful appeal for religious 70 er9uce.
According 10 Heno "Shyiock is with tho
exception of Portia the most respectable per-
son in tho whole play In this view. he mas
of late been followed by many Sbakcspearan
scholars. | remember having read quito q
number Of essays under headings, or IN
which phrases abound such rs those: shy,
lock the Jewod 'Shylock. the more sinDed
against than SHINING" and the IKE. look
on ShylOck,' says the studIous actor irving.
"as the tyne OF prosecuted race; almost the
only gentleman in the play. and the most
ill-used"
This drama shares the characteristic 81
Shakespeares other plays in having no motii'
One never detects in his plays conscious de-
SIGN TO make propaganda Tor or against GER
tain cause. as for instance, Dickens did III ms
novels Nicholas Aickleby, Pickwick fapef9'
Bleak House and others. The jew ana inc
such, had he intended 10 advocate
the cause Of the one or the
other. he would not have made II
u draw as % whole - the greater Vlualh OF tHo
two. lie deals with man. He looks below
the surface He is the psychological phil9,ss-
opher. He dissects human nature lie
knows the virtues and the vices OF which man
IS capable. He knows the laws OF physical
cause and effect knows what evil passions a
certain line OF evil deeds and influences VIII
arouse. and he treats man accordingly
sHAEEsPEARE's ERROR.
With all his genius, Shakespeare was after
all but child Of his age Even his knOwl-
edge. vast as 1t was was hampered by the
limitations of the times in which he lived
156f-l5lG) His knowledge of the Jew was
necessarily deficient. 10 - questioned
whether Shakespeare ever visited the contln-
ent where he might have come in contact
With lana From hfl own oouufrV tnoV had
been banlshed l290l 800 years before ms
time and into IL they were not readmitted
till after his death. Ills knowledge OF the
dew he must therefore. have derived from
what he read or heard OF them, or from what he
saw On the stage. and chat was. ID bis time.
almost universally derOgat0ry % the jewish
character In book in folklore. on stage
the Jew was invariably the villain or The
miser That there were good and res uectable
Jews. Shakespeare had no chance 10 know.
lie knew that the villianous traitor, Judas
lscariOt, was Jew. he probably never knew
that the good Jesus as we'll as his parents and
brothers and first apostles and disciples and
followers were also Jews. lie knew
that the fictitious Barabbas was
dew and probably never thought of
ir that the historic Richard Ill., and
King John We're Christians. That Ae WAS
caught by the Jew-hatng Infection of bis
t'me-thOugh. 20 his credit be 10 sad, IN
slghter degree than any other tngll sh writer
before him, and than many after him we are
assured. when. IN his writings. we cGWe
across passages such as "a jew would haye
wept 90 have seen our parting conveying the
idea of the stOne-hearteduess of the Jew or
when ln the wholesome Oi Macbeth he re-
qures the Liver of q blasphem0u5 Jew for
their hellish concoctlon. or whom he depicts
% MS the rafenous craving ol tho jew after
tic Christian s. pound VI flesh.