The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-06-10
HAMLET.

The most interesting, to our mind Of
Shakespeare's characters is Hamlet the
Dane AS student he was shut out
from the world He had never been
brought into contact with the people.
Whatsoever he knew he learned from
books and not from observation and eN-
perience among men of the world. His
education was theoretical with nothing Of
the practical in it. He studied philosophy
and science and poetry, and all that. He
no doubt studied the theory Of govern
ment and the science of politics, but Of
the art Of practical politics and the ways
of men in actual life he knew nothing.
Therefore, when he came TO court from
the seclusion Of his student life his mind
was full of visions. and he was as inno-
cent as a maid who had been reared in a
nunnery. He believed that men We're
noble and good and that women were
pure and chaste. He venerated his father
he had respect for his uncle. who sue
ceeded him to the throne, and he idolized
his mother. What a shock, therefore, to
his pure and innocent soM waen it was
revealed to him that his uncle was the
murderer of his father, and that his IN
chaste mother was party TO this murder
most strange. foul and unnatural. 1t
was still more shocking to him 10 discover
that his uncle with the stain of this crime
upon MS soul was able in his hypocrisy
to go on Bonded knees to his devotions and
TO wear upon his countenance the smile
OF a saint. Hence it is that we hear him
il his rude awakening esclaim as though
he had made some great psychological dis
coverey, as indeed it was such discovery
to him, my tables. meet it is set it
down, that one may smile and smile and
be a villain
1t is not strange that thereafter his
hitherto innocent mind should be filled
with suspicious and that he should con-
clude that all men were vile and all wo-
men false. 1t is not strange that he
seemed at least to have lost his mental
balance. Alas, poor Hamlet!
There is to US no more delightful study
in Shakespeares works than this wonder
full creation. We love to read the play
ever and over again. We love its beauti-
ful word-painting. We delight in its varied
scene and dramatic situation. We are fas-
cinaied by the mysticism that envelopes
it. But newspaper must be practical
and it is for the purpose of making a
practical suggestion that we have referred
to the play and character of Hamlet.
The education of Hamietwas not unlike
the education of our young men of this
age. The student of a great university
lives in little world of his own. lives 4
sort of dream life, and while acquiring
knowledge is also stufting his brain with
fanciful conceptions of life. He dreams
dfes1nes and sees visions. and it too often
happens that when he energies from coli
iege into the every day world and into the
practical conditions OF life he MIST be
rudely disillusionized before he is ready for
his career. We believe that too little care
is given TO snis phase of college life. We
have profound respect for college train
ing and for education in the broadest
sense of that term. But this training and
this education are for the great purpose of
fitting our young men fer the practical
work OF a practical age. not 10 sdturate
their brain with poetic illusions.
We DO not object TO the ideal Let the