Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-09-14
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS
NUMBER 6
Shakespeare and Bacon.


He had another theory which aston
ished me beyond measure. One day
he reached out and laid his hand upon
my knee, a habit with him He said:
CLARK, you are essentially hero wor-
SHIPPER | want to catechise you Who
was the greatest soIdier% l promptly
replied, Napoleon" who was the
greatest statesman Thomas Jeffer-
son" "Who was the greatest philoso-
pher?'' "Sir Isaac Newton" who
was the greatest oratorT' Daniel
Webster" who was the greatest
poetT' Lord Bacon" The judge sud
denly withdrew his hand from my
knee and said: CLARK, surely you do
not believe that Bacon wrote the
Shakespeare plays. You certainly
have too much sense for that" / re-
piled: Judge, that is precisely what l
believe. No such a lout as Shakes
peare's biographers make him out to
be could by any possibility have writ
ten the Shakespeare plays. Genius
cannot compensate for positive knowl-
edge" Then the judge gravely and
more deliberately than / set it down
here replied: CLARK, you are entirely
correct in concluding that William
Shakespeare never wrote those plays
He could not have written a plain note
of hand. He was a deer steaIer and q
holder of horses. But wherein you err
is this-in giving the glory of the au-
thorship Of those plays to Francis Ba-
con. He was a greater rascal than
William Shakespeare, the recreant hus-
band of Anne Hathaway, the immortal
deer stealer. Shakespeare stole deer,
and Bacon sold justice" Yes, judge"
I answered, Il know Bacon did all you
say But what has that to do with his
head, with his pen, with his author
ship of the Shakespeare playsg" my
dear boy" said the blind statesman
and philosopher as he took a frmer
grip on my knee. mo one man wrote
Shakespeare's plays. So much wisdom
was never contained in one head, even
Bacon's, though you greatly overrate
him. He was a mere borrower of other
mems ideas, an adapter of other mems
theories. The Shakespeare plays are a
composite work Bacon may have
written one or two of them, but all the
wits of that age had a finger in that
literary pie, Ben Jonson Bacon and
all the rest. Each one wrote out what
was best in him and gave it TO VIII
liam Shakespeare, the deer stealer, the
horse holder, the actor of small parts.
William had wit enough to claim them
all, and consequently he is immortal.
while most of the real authors of the
Shakespeare plays molder in oblivion"
Taking Time by the FOreIoek.
Evidently the Republicans of Berks
| county-famous Berks county, Pa
believed in the theory that the early
bird catches the worm, as witness the
following dispatch:
Reading, Pa. Sept. 2.-The Republicans Of this
/ (Berks) county this afternoon elected ths first
delegate to next years national convention. He
4 is Jonathan c. Leinbach. wealthy wooden man
ufacturer- These resolutions were adopted:
Resolved, That recognize the Importance Of
the opportunity that presents itself TO Berks Re-
pubIieans, and as their representative we honor
\ them and the party in making known as our
choice for the presidential nomination the tried
soldier. brilliant statesman and eminent patriot,
| William Mckinley.
| Resolved That having confidence in the wise
| judgment Of national delegate, Jonathan c.
Leinbach, who expressed his determination to
Sote for the denomination Of President Mckinley,
We indorse that declaration the emphatic sem
tinent Of the Republicans of Berks.
That lone delegate from Berks win
be in devil of fix if it turns out
that William Mckinley is not even a
candidate for denomination, as he will
| not be if the Philippine war continues
until this time next year. In that
event your Uncle Tommy. lately OF
Portland. Me, now of Greater New
York, will be the nominee. The Re-
publicans will be compelled to nomi-
nate your Uncle Thomas in self de-
Tense. or Bryan viii carry nine-tenths
| Of the states in the Union.