New-York tribune., 1904-10-02

Were no other proof extant and fragrant Of
the palpabe truth that Shakespeare excelled
all other men of all time on record as poet
in the most proper and literal senSe-as a
creator of and woman-there would
be Overfiowing and overwhelming proof OF 1t
in the creation and interactlOn OF these three
characters-IagO. Desdemona and OthellO. In
the more technical and lyrical sense of the
word. no less than in height of prophetic power,
in depth of recOnciling and atOning inspiration,
he is eXcelled by Hischylus-thOugh surely, on
the latter score, by ESchyluS alone. But If the
unique and marvellous power which at the close
of the Oresteia leaves us impressed with q
cTowning and final sense Of high spiritual calm
and austere consolation in face of all the mys-
terry of suffering and of Sin-if this supreme gift
of the imaginative reason was no more shared
by Shakespeare than by any poet or prophet or
teacher of Hebrew origin, 1t was his and his
alone to set before the tragic problem of char
acter and event. of all action and all passion all
evil and all good. all natural joy and sorrow and
chance and change, in such fulness and perfec-
tion of variety with such harmony and suprem-
acy of justice and of truth that no man known
TO historic record ever glorified the world whom
1t would have been so utterly natural and so
comparatively rational to fall down before and
worship Il god-Algernon Charles Swinburne.
In Harper's Magazine.
ARTISTS AND TITLES IN GREAT BRITAIN.
A story which the late MIR. George Richmond.
r. A. the portrait painter. used to tell may be
quoted here aprOpOs of the bestowal of titles on
presidents of the Royal Academy in particular.
and artists in general He was walking with Mr..
Gladstone one day. and passing down of
eye caught the name a brass plate, Sir Will
lam Gull, Bart" He pointed il out to Mr.. Glad
stone. and said: is il not rather strange, sir.
that men of all kinds of professions have been
made barOnets. but an artist never?" oh" re-
piled Mr.. Gladstone. you are certainly mis-
taken Sir Joshua Reynolds a barOnet."
Mr.. Richmond had some difficulty in convincing
him that the mistake his side: but the
remark appears to have borne fruit, as not very
long afterward. Mr.. c.. +. Watts r. A. who for
private reasons refused the honor then Millais in
1850. and Leighton in 1856. were made barOnets
20 the suggestion OF Mr.. Gladstone. Lord Leigh
TONS peerage the recommendation Of
Lord Salisbury.
Reynolds knighted. we learn from his
notebook Of that year At n levee held on April
- 1863. at ST. James's Benjamin West on his
election president offered a knighthOOd.
but declined H. not as is popularity supposed.
because he 4 Quaker. but because he
wanted baronetcy and a pension. These were
refused and the other was not again offered.
George ~ kniEhto.i Lawrence Immediately after
his election TO the presidency. and at the same
time presented the Academy with a very massive
gold medal and chain L be worn by its presi-
dents. The medal bears the inscription: From
His Majesty George the Fourth 10 the President
Cf the Royal Academy" All subsequent presi-
dents have been knighted directly after their
election Erred \. Eaton in Scribner's Maya
zine.