Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-06-07
attend to another guest who mani.
tested a disposition to speak with her.


| ton, and that of a formal sort, immedl.
ately on my arrival-but he adroitly
placed his tall, broad figure so as to
exclude her from my view, at the same
time showing her with much appar.
| ent interest some jewel he held in his
hand, so that my purpose was for the
present defeated.
"Come here, Ernest" my uncle called
out; and I at once went to where ne
was sitting with Mr.. Rosenberg ana
Mr.. Dennis O'ConnOr, the three ap'
parently being engaged In some close
argument. "\Nhat do you think we
were talking about?'
Cant say" replied; ''some matter
| of business, no doubt"
"Now there you are wrong. 1t Is
only on rare occasions we speak OF
business out of the street, mean
i Wall street. No; we were discussing
hakespeare-whether any one of his
plays is so much better than the rest
| as to entitle it to be considered his
masterpiece; and If so, what particu.
lar play deserves such distinction"
"You must remember" said Mr.. Ros.
enberg, ''that know Shakespeare only
in Schlegels translation"
"And that l have not read line of
Shakespeare for about twenty-ona
years." added uncle Sam.
"'Hamlet' is his finest play" ven
tured to observe.
Good; that is what l said" quoth
Mr.. Rosenberg triumphantly.
"Well, 1 don't think so," said unclo
Sam energetically, "and am inclined
to accept Hamlet's definition Of him.
self, that he was dull, muddy -mettled
rascal who didn't know his own mind,
or who had very little mind to know.
The whole play is nothing more than
an ingenious sermon against the lazy
habit Of taking an afternoon nap, with
interesting examples of the evils which
arose out of a particular instance"
"You have seen Hamlet per-
formed?" inquired. astOnshed at my
uncle's extraordinary opinion.
"Oh, yes. several times; by Irving
In London. Barnay In Berlin and Booth
In New York. And some years ago
l saw it performed by a company of
strolling players In a mining town In
Colorado. The performance was given
In barn, and in the interval between
the first and second acts Hamlet and
Ophelia danced to jig-like melody
In ict1 Inv m X
while Polonius and the Queen sold
whisky to the audience"
How horrible" exclaimed, with
undisguised disgust. ut would posi-
lively make me Ill to see the finest
production of human genius presented
in such fashion"
do you regard Hamlet as the finest
production of human genius?" asked
uncle Sam.
Undoubtedly. And for the second
best production Of human genius
should turn to another play by the
same hand"
"Well, I'm glad to find you've the
courage of your opinions; sometimes
I've felt disposed to kick you for your
invariable agreement with my re-
marks. Now think 'Timon Of Athens
Shakespeares greatest play"
"'Timon of Athens! why. it is not
much read. and seldom or never per-
formed. Surely you are jesting. I'M
Gle. Why do you prefer it?"
Because it teaches a lesson which
many men spend the greater part of
their lives in learning, and not few
fail to learn at all"
What lesson Is that Mr.. Truman"
inquired Mr.. Dennis O'Connor
THAT no matter how great have been
the services of man to his country,
no matter how exceptional and varied
his ability, If he be without money the
world is either actively against him
or, what is worse. ignores him utterly.
In 'Timon of Athens Shakespeare
shows that Notwithstanding the multi.
plicity of creeds professed by men
the world over, money is the idol wor.
SHIPPED by the vast majority of man.
kind; and that, too, with devotion
unknown in the tabcrnacles of the
hypocrites. Let him who doubts my
assertion study the faces of the people
| In an audience and the traders in
bourse. and, having compared them,
note which set betrays most earnest
ness Of purpose"
"You observe other things besides
prices current. Mr.. Truman" re-
marked Mr.. Rosenberg.
"Too exclusive devotion to art Is
not conducive to success in it, I con-
slider all that passes before me-" re-
| joined uncle Sam.
"If that is so, your protege, Price,
will never become an American" said
Mr.. Austin Gilmer, who had been ut.
tentively listening to this conference.
Have you noticed, Trueman how des.
perately hard that fellows labors to
initiate the accent and expressions OF
New Yorkers?"
"Oh, yes, 1 have observed him." re.
piled uncle Sam. His efforts to
Americanize himself fail as ridiculous.
ly as the efforts of some Americana
to Anglicize themselves. The trans.
formation, If it comes at all. must come
unsought, and is always of slow
, growth"
II should know Mr. Price for an
Englishman, If l met him in the MOON"
remarked Mr.. Mather "As for his
| efforts to Americanize himself, they
are worth so little to him that they
have altogether escaped my notice."
"You are as heavy and dull as your
Puritan ancestor" said Mr.. Gilmer to
| Mr.. Mather.