The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-07
|AGERS0LL ON THE BARD.
He Lectures on William Shakes
peare for the Benefit Of the
Witter Orphans.

Ignatius Donnelly's Baoonian Tho
Org Laughed at by the Elo-
quent Colonel.
Fund for the benefit Of the Two Or
phans IL Now About Three Thou
sand Dollars.
The cause of sweet charity filed every
seat in MinR's opera house last night with
people of all ranks, conditions and age.
America's great forensic orator for two
hours entertained the audience with hla
lecture on Shakespeare, which he is to de-
liver before the Now York Press club on
the 22d inst. Tho stage was alec crowded
when H. L. Frank, j. X. Clark and d. A.
Cory, Of the Legislative committee, escorted
Col. lngersoll to the platform. Among the
prominent people on the stage wele Chief
Justice blake, Lieut.. Gov. Richards, Col.
Broadwater. Hon. William Wallace, who
presented Col. Ingersoll, said he did not
think an introduction necessary. ut was
an opportunity to give an ovation to Ameri-
cas- master Of English speech" The APP
plause was like hail striking on roofs. The
orator held his manuscripts in his left hand,
the other in his trousers pocket, and stood
bowling and smiling for several seconds.
He has aged somewhat since his last visit
here six years ago. but he has lost none of
his wonderful charm. He is more portly
and the hairs in the little fringe at the base
of his skull are fewer. The top of his
massive head shone in the light, and his
kindly nature beamed through his large,
round glasses. At times during the lecture
he changed his position, by turning around
right hand came out Of the pocket and
went up in the air. 1.-THE subject is too
great, and ! feel like one endeavoring to
grasp the globe, ct which he can get no
hold,' WIS his first sentence, in organ like
tones. One should be q master of imagina-
ton,
"A kingdom for q stage, princes TO act.
And mOnarche to behold the swelling scene. !"
More than three centuries age was born
the grandest of the human race. He WAS
not Of supernatural origin. A god was not
his father, a goddess was not his mother.
At his birth there we're no celestial pyro-
technics. NO star wandered from it's orb,
and in his veins there was no drop of royal
blood, And yet this babe became the
wonder of the world. Compared with all
the kings of his nation, how small all
crowned and royal ones become. Neither
Of his parents could read or write. He grew
up in a small village with hardly as many in
habitants as he has created characters. 1t
is supposed he attended school, but no one
on earth knows whether he did or not.
Many have tried to show him of gentle
blood. 1t has been said that he WAS patron
could ratronize Shakespeare. Think of
lord, king or duke p%atronizing Shakespeare!
He could have made any n of them i'm
mortal by kicking them.
Shakespeare's father was an ordinary
man of an ordinary time. The only good
thing we know Of him is that he was Off
cially reported for not going to church.
''That's excellent as far as it goes"
Richard Byield was the minister at STRAIT
ford. and a puritan of the s~traitest sect.
In 1864 the puritans were SO incensed
against the images in churches that they
Of John Shakespeare that he refused
livered by Brother Byfeld." Nothing is
known of Shakespeare's mother except her
beautiful name. Mary Arden. Women
were born, married, had children and died.
were they were forgotten in the old testa-
ment. The age of only one woman is
given. She was Sarah, the wife of Abra-
ham. In the old times great pains were
taken to find out about the father, grand
father and great grandfather, the idea be-
ing that all genius being inherited from the
fathers side. The truth is, all great men
had great mothers, and that great women
have great fathers. The mother of Shake
speare was without doubt one of the great
est of women. II believe that, because she
lowered her son with passion, with mag
i~nation, beyond hat which has been re-
ceived by any other child.
All that is known of ~Shakespea3 can be
written on half a page. We are olerably
certain of his birth, marriage and death
and We think he went to
London in 1886. He was then
in the Black Friars theatre. lie bought
some land. had a few houses. We know
the names of his children, and this is all.
No letter of his to any human being has
ever been found. After all it may be for
tunate thai so little is known of him. If he
been a quibbling attorney. He left LON
don and went back to StrRtford. He paid
no attention to his works and did nothing
to save them from eternal oblivion. Twelve
years after he began writing he stood with
the first. There is another wonderful fact
speare. In all his plays he does not mem
ton a man, woman or child, soldier, navi-
gator, discoverer, king, queen, lord or duke,
not one solitary human being that lived on
earth when he did. To my mind that ia
the most wonderful thing concern
ing this a He lived in
mn age of great deeds, of
religious wars, in the time of the Armada,
and yet does not mention any that lived in
hisday.
When Mr.. lngersoll visited Stratford and
'stood before the ashes of the greatest of
the world" and read the epitaph it did not
seem possible that Shakespeare had written
it. II said to myself why should Shake
speare fear that his body was to be re-
moved. What should such a man care.
Then it all flashed on me in a moment.
Shakespeare had been an actor-a nobody.o
He made money, had zone back to his little
native village. Money is always respected,
especially when you go back to your native
village. Probably he had a little reputa-
ton. He had land and built a house. Then
1t was "Mr. Shakespeare When he died
he was buried in the church. After his
death came the recognition. Some of the
good people thought the church was
being desecrated. Lets dig him up"
Then the epitaph was chiselled on his tomb
as coming from Shakespeare himself.
Drake circled the globe in 1880, reaching
Plymouth " years after shakespeare
reached London, and yet Shakespeare does
not mention or allude to him. London was
the center of the world. Progress had be-
gun and had it's effect. No nation produces
-1 AL A.