Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-03-13
SHAkESPEARE-BACON DEBATE

Prof. j. &. Freeman, of the state uni
versItV, who is giving a course of
Shakespearean lectures in this CITY,
and Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, the sage
OF Nininger, Mimi, noted as politi-
clan with pronounced populistic
views, INDUCED in debate on the au.
! thenticity of the Shakespearean plays
at Madison, one evening last week, the
| speakers alternating for three discus
slons. AS is generally known, Mr..
DOnnelly holds to the theory that the
eloquent Lord Bacon was tie real pro-
ducer Of these plays, but could not af-
ford to appear as a playwright, SO de-
spised was the craft in those davs.
The subject is an entertaining one as
handled by these gifted, scholarly
gentlemen, and no doubt those who are
folio wing Prof. Freeman's discourses
here will be greatly interested in the
following from The Madison Journal
relating to the debate:
An Irish gentleman is DOnnelly. His
wit is keen but kindly. He is acquaint-
ed with ali that has been written about
this question. He has studied it for twen-
tY years. But DOnnelly in literature as
in politics is a gay imposter He is not
In earnest. His assumptions and infer
ences last evening did not ring true
Some we're so shallow that though de-
Ivered With tremendous emphasis the
galleries laughed. He marshalled all
In OF. II ~ u 4
pressive-with ability. How could
this ignoramus Of Avon, this drunken
rOysterer, write such English? How
could an animated hitching post
cheap playwright, know so much that
score of professions claimed him?
What Of those mysterious utterances
indicating that Bacon was leading a lit
erary double life? All those things
were brought out admirably, and 10
them DOnnelly added his cryptOgram.
This Is the climax of DOnnelly's
mountebaEkism. The fraud wds ex-
posed years ago. The author doesn't
believe In 1T. 1t was sprung as sensa-
ton, exactly as the Minnesotian has
changed political parties and dogmas
with the advent of every new moon,
Prof. Freeman in the last ten minutes
discussed the cryptOgram and his op-
ponent interrupted him. 1t was
new business" he said, and the Mar
quis of Queensbury rules, under which
they were contending, forbade such.
where no opportunity was afforded for
rebuttal. Students cheered and both
speak ers flushed and grew angry. The
outcome was that Prof. Freeman dis
sected the cryptogram.
That gentleman's humor is not genial
hn ha c4o \ 4 Io
debate with compliments for Mr.. Don
nelly, who, be said, ranked with Ros-
we'll @. Horr, of Michigan, as the ma
TONS great orators, with perhaps In
gersoll thrown in. But when Prof.
Freeman got warmed up, his lips curled
and Bacon was minimized, and the
theory ridiculed and the cryptogvam
exposed, and Mr.. Donnelly didn't like
it. His big, fat, jolly face grew sour, his
suspended leg contorted and when the
show was over be twice refused to
shake hands with his opponent-and
the galleries were hushed with awe.
Mr.. Donnellyis certainly great ora
tor. He lacks none of the adroitness of
the craft. He was always interesting
He wove in incidents and Jokes and
facts, curious and amazing, so cleyerlv
that the hearer forgot they were irrele-
want. Prof. Freeman is more caustic
than humorous. Some of his playfulness
was weak. But his diction is beautiful.
Mr.. Donnelly's crypotgram (hidden
writing) is based on the multiplication
of the number of any page of the o1igi-
nal folio by the number of italicized
words on the page. For instance, 53x7
| gives the number 81, which Mr.. Don
| nelly calls the root number. From
these root numbers the significant
| words "Francis," Bacon" etc, ap-
pear throughout the folios at distances
| all corresponding to a system. For
instance, every time Francis appears
it is the 371st word from one of the
| points of departure derived by multi
plying the number of page by the num-
| Der of italicized words.