Evening star., 1903-08-03
A SHRINE VULGARIZED.
The Offenses Committed at Stratford-
on-Avon.
ON the London Daily Mail.

From the London Daily Mail.
What should they know of Shakespeare
who only Shakespeare know?' asks STRAIT
ford OF the world, and its amazing shops
quite justify the question. Until you have
looked into them. ninety-nine hundredths of
the man-all OF him. that is that Stratford
really cares about-simply must have es-
capped you. For instance. you. an average
Englishman are proud OF your Shakes
peare. You think Of him with a kind of
awe: you wonder how such an immensity
of imagina ton could co-exist with such an
immensity of mellowness and sanity; you
marvel at those overwhelming gifts of mind
and heart that made him not only the
greatest of poets and dramatists but one
of the clearest and shrewdest of thinkers,
philosophers and observers. Possibly YOU
even read him.
But this. 1t will be said. is after all con-
fined to the shopkeepers and shopkeepers
in all such matters neceSsarily-what
we know them to be. Well. If you think
this. go to the Shakespeare memorial and
examine it's exhibits The building itself is A
tumble of all styles of architecture and
therefore of none; and the contents CORE
spond Indeed, 1t will not take you long
to decide that there are atrocities and in
congrufties under the glass cases in the Ii
brary that really transcend-remembering
the special sense in which the library is
consecrated to Shakespeare-anything to be
found In the High street shops.
For example. in this building which
stands there national tribute to
Shakespeare's genius-1 found. preserved
In one of the glass cases egg shell. A
sort Of face had been painted on it. Dis
gusting bits of hair had been gummed on
to represent eyebrows. beard and mustache
The artist had SO arranged things that in
the result. there was something that might
have passed for an insulting caricature of
the worst bust of Shakespeare that even
70 fnr1 =
provincial handiwork and wit that would
have sickened cne even at a charity ba-
zaar. Yet there 1t reposed, part of our
English offering on Shakespeares shrine.
And that nothing of it's exquisiteness might
be lost, there was a scrap of paper close
by with this inscriptions: AN eggzact like
ness. The most eggshellent in eggsistence t"
How came such a dastardly vulgar risrn
there? 1t was, 1t turned out the gift OF
the late Mr.. c. E. Flower, and Mr. Flower
not only presented the site for the memorial
buildings but was a very large subscriber
toward the cost of erecting them. l am fully
sensible Of Mr.. Flowers liberaltty and know
quite well how much the whole memorial
scheme owed to his enthusiastic energy and
his genuine passion for Shakespeare But
l cannot think either the egg shell or the
inscriI ton he composed to go with it adds
anything substa ntial to his credit 1t does
not illustrate" Shakespeare in any yerv
tangible way: doubt whether even a Ger
man would find 1t helpful" and am quite
sure IL Is not the sort or thing l should like
an American to catch sight Of There is
only one place where 1t would be really an
propriate. and that is the dust bin
In the same way stuffed wild cat NAV
do capitally for a dark corner Of a hote,
smoking room. but it's presence in the
Shakespeare memorial is not to be justified
by a quotation from the Tanning of the
Shrew." similar objection applies to a
stuffed crocodile; I am not in the least
reconciled to its inclusion by line from
Antony and Cleopatra" II the council
think themselves bound to have specimens
OF everything that Shakespeare mentions
they may well hire the British Museum
at once.
But there are other exhibits that cannot
plead even this exceedingly indirect excuse
is rather curious old fishing tackle box.
Its sole justification for being there is that
1t was found near Stratford. Otherwise it
has Just as much connection with Homer
as with Shakespeare. A Kruger half-crown
some jubilee and coronation medals that
figure in other cases have, If possible. even
less. An improved genealogical chart of
the royal family" is simply irrelevant. A
new set of Shakespea rean playing cards, I"
Ito be had Of all stationers" and displayed
ii you please. under glass. is something
worse. After this It is almost a relief to
turn to a key Of an old church where
Shakespeare may have been married and to
a pair Of nut crackers, of which nobody
knows anything except that they may have
been Shakespeares. By comparison. their
appOSiteneSs is quite STARTLING