Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-09-10

and youthful bearing, though he has
passed his xtieth yenr-a man whose in
diyiduality impresses you at once and one
whose genial manner stamps him as a
gentleman o. the old school.
At the bes inning of his lecture he moved
uneasily, bu6 not awkwardly, over the
stage. Suddenly, startlingly and with y
voice thnt sent a thrill through every fiber
Of his hearers, he exclaimed with electric
force:
shakespeare. the creator OF the mighty
and marvellous works that bear his nnmeP
Shakespeare, the poaoher, the habitue OF
mug houses, the crony Of varletsi Shake
speare, who never taught his daughter how
to read, AZ whose own handwriting is
rude and crude as tbose OF 10.ycar old boyt
yet lnscrsoll says this fellow OF the
baser sort WAS greater than nil the great
men the world has ever produced-greater
than oil the great master minds of the cen
turtles comblnedp
With scornful wave OF the hand, curl
of his lips flash Of hia eyes, no cried in
voice that haunts me Sill;
shall Lord Bacon he robbed OF his lau-
rels that thsy may Ne twined round the
brow of an illiterate play actor OF whose
private life hardly u thing Is known save
Ahthe NC " as AeilhSl hIouNlnk hhl'e
that was not his own; that he hsrded with
the vicious frequenters OF low resorts and
withheld from the daughter OF his house
all education whateveri"
Mr.. Donuc .ly went on: al think have
sufficiently demonstrated In my book called
The Cryptosram' that Bacon wrote the
works that have been ascribed 20 the al
legged bard o. Avon.n lie then proceeded
to read from the volume referred TO- show
ing that his 1sition was correct, or else the
series OF 90 oldences set forth by his ci-
pliers Is one the strangest succession OF
phenomena at the world has ever known.
'Ingersoll continued the speaker, "Iu-
Rersoll cannot believe in the impeccable
qualities Of 'he Saviour, but he can believe
In the immaculate qualities Of q Shake
speare-a literary imposter, whose immoral
character ha. been pilloried for posterity
even by his most enthusiastic commenta-
torsp'
When Mr.. Donnelly reached the climax
of his utterances, he touched key OF elo-
quence that have never heard surpassed.
II was not so much his words, but his man
ner that impressed itself so wildly upon
my memory. He said;
Lord Bacon was In the vortex Of public
life. II follows that he had his traducers.
An public men have had their detractoIs
1t is u poor Cog that has no enemies is IN
old saying, and onethat is true as II Is trite.
They charge shat Bacon was miser, usur-
er, a thief, but Washington, Jefferson, Lin
coin, were slandered with equal venom In
their times. 1t is the eternal price that in
tellect must pay to mediocrity.
"But no one ever questioned the genius
OF Bacon Is learning was the glory Ct
the EliEabethan era His fame is immortal,
no matter iether Shakespeare continues
20 usurp that crown AS the master bard OF
humanity or not.
"Bgi ever will right come upperuioat,
And ever will justice b done
And believe that In the roll call Of TIE
centuries the hour will yet strike when the
whole work will recognize the right II
Bacon TO the iaurels that Shakespeare has
been permitted 10 wear 70 long"
have only drafted rough outline Of tho
lecture, but = report Of IL word for word
would lack the vital fire that marked its
delivery and held its hearers By a magic
spell.
The lecture Of Colonel InRersoll was dis
tinguiEhrd for its impASsioned rhetoric, but
1t lacked the direct. Irresistible, recise
logic that marked the reply Of Mr.. Don
nelly. At the same time, both speakers
have many peculiArities Of oratory In com
mon. aud II would be difficult TO decide
betwean their merits In the matter Of mag
nstic and marvellous eloqusncs.
KENNETH LAMAR