Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-09-21

Fry-hfth than n any other congress
that ! ever served In"
william OF Canton.
I take particular pleasure in jotting
down this opinion OF the veteran
statesman, especially as the majority
Of people look backward to ind the
golden age. In the estimation OF many
people II is always behind US. l don't
believe any such stuff. Pm not much
stuck on william Mckinley. but 1 am
glad that / live under his reign rather
than under that Of Augustus Caesar.
which has sometimes been called the
golden age of Rome. Augustus was
crafty, smooth, suave, gracious, tact
full; likewise William OF Canton Au-
gustus lasted some 80 years; william
viii peter out in four. 1t Is 50 writ
ten, and what's writ is writ HistO-
rians say that the reason why Angus
tus succeeded in hornswoggling his
generation and in making them believe
they were free while he was busy riv-
citing their chains was that he affect
cd moderation, prated Of liberty and
preserved the forms Of the republic.
He even had himself elected tribune
annually. Why, bless my stars. our
william is copying his illustrious mod
ell with great fidelity He is tactful. he
is gracious. he is suave. he is paying
tribute to the sultan Of the Sulus, he Is
establishing q press censorship. he Is
the American Glliamus Augustus II
somebody would only kidnap Mark.
how happy we would be, for the delu-
sion would be perfect But stiIl I am
not a pessimist. I look forward to the
golden age. When / look into the
faces OF my little children, my heart
swells with pride at the thought that
they are citizens OF this puissant re-
public. one and indlvisible, built not
for a day, but for all time. and destin-
ed, under God. to be the dominating
influence in all the centuries yet to be.
And William Of Canting and Marcus
Aurelius will not be able to despofl
them OF their heritage Of liberty, for
the American people win wake up aft
er awhile and ineontinently dump
them.
Shakespeare and Baeea.
He had another theory which aston
ished me beyond measure. One lay
he reached out and laid his hand upon
my knee, a habit with him. He said:
CLARK. you are essentially a hero wor-
shipper. I want to catechlse you. Who
was the greatest soldierT" 1 promptly
replied, Napoleon" aWho was the
greatest statesman Thomas Jeffer-
son" Who was the greatest philoso-
pherf' "SIr Isaac Newton" who
was the greatest oratorr' Daniel
Webster" who was the greatest
poetg7 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" I re-
piled: Judge, that is precisely what !
believe. No such a lout as Shakes
peare's ~biographers make him out to
be could by any possibility haye writ.
ten the Shakespeare plays. Genius
cannot compensate for positive knowl-
edge" Then the judge gravely and
more deliberately than l 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 stealer and q
holder OF horses. But wherein you err
Ia 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" Eyes, judge
l answered, Il know Bacon did all you
say. But what has that to do with bis
head, with his pen. with his author.
ship Of the Shakespeare playsT' my
dear boy" said the blind statesman
and philosopher as he took a firmer
grip on my knee, mo one man wrote
shakespeare's plays. So much wisdom
was never contained In M 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 tina,
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 s~tealer. 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
Fahfns Tine By II ForeIoek.
Evidently the Republicans Of Berks
eouDty-famous Befks county, Pa
believed in the theory that the early
bird catches the worm, as witness the
following dispatch:
Reading. Pa, SEPT a-Ths Republicans of this
BerkD county this astsrnooa elected the 6rst
dsleg1te 10 nsxt yezfs national convention. He
Is yonnthan C. LinbaeA, . wealthy Noolen MAJ
u~facturcr. nese resolutions were adopted.
Resolved. nat Ne r~ecogniEs the Importance Of
the opportuniiy that presents itsif 10 Berks Re
publicanA and - fhsir representative ve honor
them and the party in making known a. our
choics Tor thu presidential nomination the tnad
solder. brilliant statesman and eminent patriot,
william McKihlsy.
Rssolrrd. hat hsying conadencs IN the Wis
tudxmsnt Of Gu nztisnai dsisgats, Jounthsn G.
Ldnhach. Via erpressd ha determinations 70
vote fer ths Flnsnihzfisa Of President NeKiaisy,
We indorul that deEsrstion - tint emphatic sen-
tinsnt q Tie Republicans q Bern
That lone delegate from Berks viii
be In a devil OF a tx II II turns oat
that william Mckinley is not wen a
candidate for denomination, as he viii
not be n the Philippine war continues
until this time next year. In that
event your Uncle Tommy. lately Of
Portland. Ne, now Of Greater New
York. VIII be the nominee. The Re-
publicans win be compelled 10 nomi-
nate your Uncle Thomas in self de-
Tense, or Bryan VIII carry nine-tenths
- Al. aeas.a In tha Italian