The herald., 1894-07-24

OhO IcContly OlcCONbs6u III tub liUihiy VI
Trinity college, Dublin. which is sup
time of Edward ". II is called the
Play of the Blessed Sacrament. The
characters are the Savior, five Jews, q
bishop. priest, merchant, physician and
his servant. The plot reveals the mer-
chant, who hae the keys OF the church,
ae stealing the host and selling it to the
Jews, on condition that should it really
possess miraculous powers they we're Gil
to turn Christians. The Jews stab II
with their dagge rs, it bleeds, and one OF
the Jews Coca mad at the sight. An
other attempts to nail it to post and
his hand is torn off by an unseen power.
The physician and his servant come to
dress the wound, but after long comic
scene are driven away by quacks. Tho
Jews then boil the host, which turns the
water to blood. At last they cast it into
a blazing furnace, but the oven bursts
asunder, an image OF Christ appears and
addresses the Jews, who at once become
Christians. The merchant confsseee his
theft. and ia pardoned on condition
that he shall never again buy or sell.
The bishop, addressing the four images
of the Savior. changes 1t back to bread
again, and then delivers q homily in
rhyme upon the doctrine OF transsub-
sanitation, the whole lending power
full aid in steadying the faith of the
ignorant masses and superstious in the
dogmas of the church which were being
80 rudely shaken by the new spirit OF
investigation and revolt of the dawning
era.
The oldest manuscript now preserved
in the British museum, dates 1850, but
may have been composed at much
earlier time. 1t represents Christ az
descending into hell to bring away the
souls of the saints and prophets which
had been held there awaiting His adj
vent and the completion OF his redemp-
ton work. Childish as these seem now
to us, vet, as Richard Grant White Gays.
''they contain the germ OF our drama,
and from them its development, slow,
but never checked, can be traced to the
splendid maturity OF the Elizabeth era"
In 1888 the churches were forbidden to
be used for this purpose, but the order
Was not generally obsyed until, in the
reign OF Mary Tudor, when Bishop Bon
ner succeeded in closing forever all
churches and chapels in the kingdom
for such exhibitions. Gradually the
plays lost thsir distinctive religious
character, and, in the time OF Henry
VIII, were used as the vehicle Of ridi-
Guile upon the opposing religious doc
trinss. Transferred to the houses OF the
great, the plays became grotesque and
merry, the court fool or jester became
prominent feature, and they served to
entertain gneats in the interval between
dinner and the banquet. From this
time the popularity and influence OF the
drama rapidly Increased. The first the
alter was built in 1876, and Is years later
on the south bank OF the Thames, the
famous Globe the ater was built, memor.
able on account OF Shakespeare's con.
necsion with it. Ii WAS octagonal in
shape, and, with the exception Of
thatched roof over the stage. was open
to the sky. There WAS no attempt at
artistic effects. no painted scenes. II
change of place WAS necessary a placard
bearing the name Rome, Venice or Lon
don, was displayed, or, this is cave, or
a garden, or O palatial hall, as the play
might require. II bed was pushed
upon the stage, the audience imagined
bedroom; If table covered with bottles.
an inn was suggested, while a gilded
chain under canopy was sufficient for
@ royal palace. Doubtless the absence
OF these accessories obliged the dramatic
author to depend more upon his powers
of word painting. and to it we owe the
fine descriptions OF the early Writings OF
the drsmatists. No woman appeared on
the stage until after the middle OF the
seventeenth ceatury, the female parts
being acted by boys and young men.
Nor did women attend as spectators for
long time unless concealed by mask,
fact that does not rehect much credit
upon the initiation OF the drama. And,
frcr tbn mir lot q nQrfYauQh nv
TAME, OF the Ill manners of the pit au-
dencs at least, even in Shakespsare's
time woman OF delicacy and refine.
ment would ehun the theater from her
own innate sensibilities. OF William
Shakespeare VIC know but little. His
education was an Indifferent one, and
by force Of circumstances be became as
ISOLATED with the players, and eventu-
ally partner in the management of the
Globe theater. | will not attempt to
account for the wonderful versatility of
this poet nor for his marvellous genius
az a drsma.Bt. Both suggest inspira.
ton as the only possible explanation, ii
we accept the traditional William
Sh akespsare as the unquestioned author
of these plays. But no student Of Eng
Ii sh literature cen afford to neglect the
p ersonal Acquaintance and thorough
study Of his masterpieces.
After Mrs. AverilPs reading she intro
du ced Mr.. Edward Fabian, who read q
few selections frem Shakespeare. The
fifth and seventh scenes from Macbeth
and the first act, scene second, aud act
third of Hamlet were given. Mr.. Fa-
bian's power Of execution in any role
he may choose is SO mastery that it 10
difficult to say in which he excels. He
surely 10 a master of Shakespeare.
The conchology class was postponed
this morning until 80 this afternoon,
when it was held as usual in the Baptist
church. The class is proceeding rapidly
with the study OF shells. Mrs. M. Bur-
ton williamson, the talented teacher,
has succeeded in making this one Of the
moot interesting Institutions in connec'
ton with the convention.
Far the third time NJ. John Ds Witt
Miller of New York, and one of the star
lecturers Of this country. was intro
duced by Rev. A. j. Frost for round
table talk on Newspapers or Current
Literature. He described French
newspapers as not OF the
world but everything in their own coun-
try. The English papers are generally
dull. He thought the London Times
the greatest paper in the world. he
thought 1t had the greatest influence In