The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-07
MR.. wARDE's LECTURE.

IN A SERVES OF PICTURES that
stood out upon the unfading can
vas of imagination "a Sharply as stere-
opticon views upon a screen, Mt. Fred
ericIs Warde presented 1.-The Women Of
Shakespeare" to literary Salt Lake
yesterday afternoon. He framed his
portraits in garlands Of e!oquence and
on the brow of eaci. representative of
her sex he placed a fiowery diadem.
For an hour and half an audience
that filed the Theatre from the or
cheStra TO the second circle watched
The pictures co.ne and go, come and go,
as the mind OF the master willed.
One moment it was Portia, the
chSrming bride of Bassanio. the con
founder OF Shylock. Under the spell
'of the lecturers brilliant interpreta-
tion. the stage setting disappeared, the
walls 0f the Theatre fell apart and the
assemblage saw the great court room
I'm Venice. Warde was ne and the
listeners heard Portia make that plea
for mercy which has come ringing
through the centuries. When an actor
or an actress. surrounded by all the
stage accessories genius can apply,
moves an audience TO tears or laugh
ter that is art.
When a simple gentleman, in ordi-
nary afternoon attire, on an ordinary
stage, can oonjure, not only men, but
women, before his hearers in such a
way as to fix the image indelibly
upon their minds, that is genius-gen-
Jus Of the rarest order. Frederick
Warde did this for Salt Lake people
yesterday afternoon, and did it so
gracefully. so unaffectedly, and with so
little striving for effect that the recol-
lection Of his effort will long remain.
The astounding versatility of the
speaker became more and more appar-
eEt as he proceeded. We laughed with
Portia, we suffered with Lady Macbeth
And then came Desdemona, katherine,
Cordelia. Juliet, Rosalind. the Portia
OF Brutus and a half-score of other
women Of Shakespeare. Warde made
them talk. They lived, they breathed
they were. In words so apt that each
was as much in place as a dew drop
on flower petal, he painted his pic
lures and charmed his hearers to the
last pitch of sympathetic harmony
with his delineations.
The most subtle compliment which
can be paid a platform orator was ac-
corded NJ. Warde-the undivided at
tention of his hearers from the time
his lips framed the opening sentence
until he bowed acknowledgment of the
ovation which greeted his closing
words. Mr. Warde has achieved great
triumphs in his time; vast audiences
have hailed him premier in the actors
art. bur It is doubtful if he ever scored
a triumph g.eater than that of yes
terday
An outpouring SC great that many
were turned away was a tribute never
before given to lecturer in Salt Lake
City. Mr.. warde rose to the occasion.
He knew his audience had come to
learn, IL hear something that would
make each individual think; and he
gave them full measure, pressed down
graceful apostrophe to woman, Mr..
Warde soon entered upon a polished,
thoughtful and learned discussion of
his subject that could not fail to leave
an impress for good upon the memory
OF every listener.
Through ali the lecture the altruistic
note was ever present. II ran as
thread of gold through dark cloth.
never obtrusive. but always recogniz-
able. In an hour and a half Mr. Warde
didn't permit himself to say an unkind
word of woman. True, he exposed her
minor frailties. her inherent love for
harmless Irritation; but it was done so
gently. SO caressingly, that the reproof,
81 reproof there was. was as soft as
eiderdown. Why, the man found ex-
cuses for Lady Macbeth. upon whom
we have always been taught to lock
as a lOathsOme ana murderous ogress.
Lady Am, wooed and won by mis-
shapen Richard at her fathers bier,
was only a poor, weak victim of en-
vironment; Katherine. the shrew, was
just a headstrong girl, who was cured
by love.
Mr.. Warde closed his lecture with
some confidential advice to the young
er members of his audience. Shake
speare wrote in words that all can
understand. and the young people were
urged to go TO the clear source itself
rather than to drink further down
the stream where it had been muddled
by the commentators. There is
charm about the writings of the great
bard of Avon which never grows old,
which is always as pleasing to the
timid voyager upon the sea of litera-
ture as to the aged mariner.
All that is necessary to an under
standing of Shakespeare's stories, his
poetry and his philosophy is the abil-
ity 10 understand the English Ian
guage. The Herald commends the ad-
vice of Mr. Wsrde. not only to all the
young, but to all Of Salt Lakes people.
Shakespeare taught some great lessons;
he is stin teaching them. The individ-
usl who. more than 800 years after his
Death, takes those lessons well to
heart cannot fall rery far below the
highest standard of citizenship.