Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-16
GREAT BARD HAD
CHRISTIAN FAITH
WARDE LIKENS SHAKESPEARE
TO AN APOSTLE
Every Character Portrayed by the
Playwright Expresses a Belief
in God, Declares the
Lecturer

used S57 times i'm Shakespeares works.
Shakespeare was unconlined by creed,
but had broad Christian charity and he
believed in the efficacy of prayer.
Shakespeare was an apostle of temper
ance."
These were the statements of Fred
erick Warde, the actor-lecturer, in his
lecture last evening at Dobinson hall
OF shakespeare and His Plays" Mr..
Warde took up successfully the life of
Shakespeare, the Baconian theory,
source of knowledge and inspiration,
elements of popularity and methods of
reading and study.
Frederick Warde the lecturer, was
lost in Frederick WarGe, the actor. His
lecture throughout was enlivened and
made doubly instructive by his imper-
scnations of scenes from the various
plays. His portrayal of the "Seven
Ages of Man was especially clever
and evoked continued applause from
the somewhat small, but appreCiative
audience.
Plea for Sentiment
Mr.. Warde succeeded i'm bringing
Shakespeare into the everyday lives
of people rather than in holding him
off for scientific research and study. In
fact Mr.. Warde strongly opposed the
so-called habit of some Shakespeare
clubs of giving an afternoon of dis
cussion to the placing of comas, semi
Colons and dashes, as he expressed it,
To his mind 1t was not the mere word
ing always but the sentiment eX-
pressed that contained the worth of the
man.
Mr. Warde opened his lecture with a
short sketch of the life of William
Shakespeare, third child and first son
of John Shakespeare, who filled an
Office similar to mayor at Stratford-on
Avon.
shakespeare, what name! 1t will
live when the pyramids have crumbled
to dust said the speaker. He started
in the theatrical profession by holding
horses at a London theater. Some deny
this, but it is generally accepted. Next
he was call boy, and l imagine a very
POOR one, for q good author never
makes a good actor. In this atmos-
phere his genius developed and he took
old Italian manuscripts and revised
them
Deathbed Scene
Mr.. Warde gave a touching word pic
trre of the deathbed scene of Shakes
speare, who died on the anniversary of
his birth.
The speaker spoke at length upon the
theory that Shakespeare's works were
the products of Sir Francis Bacon. He
said:
II would as soon doubt the authen-
ticity of the Lords prayer, which l
learned at my mothers knee, as to be-
lieve that any other hand than that of
William Shakespeare wrote that which
is ascribed to him"
Mr.. Warde compared the lives of the
two men, Shakespeare receiving but
common education, while Bacon was
student at the great universities in
the common use of the term.
shakespeare was a graduate of the
greatest universty-the world" con-
tinued the speaker. He learned his
lessons not from printed books, but
from men and women. Every page
of his sparkles with genius of poesy
like the dew drops of a summer morn
ing. He portrayed the ambition of a
monarch and the first faint stirring of
love in a maiden's heart. He found
tongues in trees, books in brooks, SER
mons in stones and good in all.
Christianity's Apostle
"There never was, is or ever can be
greater apostle of Christianity than
William Shakespeare. Not a single
character good or vicious, that he
portrays, that does not express belief
in God.
TT is said by some that Shakespeare
frequented wine shope. He did, and
| am very glad that he did, for there
he met the old sailors and heard their
yarns. How else would he have learned
his great knowledge of sailing. | have
been told by a sea captain that in the
wreck scene in "The Tempest" that
the orders given were the only orders
q man would give in hopes of saving
the vessel. He was a temperance apos-
tie, and a youth witnessing Julius
Caesar will learn more of Roman his
tory in three hours than in three weeks
in the class room, and what is more,
acquire a longing to know more.
shakespeare foretold the theory of
blood circulation, which was not dis
covered until after his death. He also
spoke of gravitation and in the Mid
summer Nights Dream" tells of grid
ling the earth in forty minutes. So
you see he foretold electricity"
Gentleness of Women
Mr.. Warde gave scenes of "Portia,"
''Rosalind," "Desdemona," "Ophelia"
and Macbeth" He also spoke of the
genteness of all of Shakespeare S
women. and said that in Lady Mac
beth" he did not find the hard, cruel
woman of the general conception, but
q woman dominated by ambition for
her lord and husband.
The speaker closed with an eloquent
appeal for more study of the works of
the immortal bard and cautioned the
students not to endeaVor to find hid
den meanings in trivial things. which
We're never dreamed of by the author.
Mr.. Warde will give interpretative
readings each evening this week and
two matinees at Dobinson hall under
the auspices of the Mems club of
Christ Episcopal church. This evening
he will take Hamlet" and tomorrow
afternoon will speak on "The Wit and
Wisdom of Shakespeare's Fools" To-
morrow evening he will give a recital
on Julius Caesar" Thursday even
ing, Shakespeare, Apostle of Chris
tianity;" Friday evening. 1.-The Mer-
chant of Venice;" Saturday matinee,
"Shakespeare's Art of Oratory,' and