Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-04


a Nebraska man who made the
- most notable contribution of re-
cent years TO the Shakeperiana.
- tAnd right at the outset. IL is to
be noted that he spells II Shakespeare"
which should be accepted as authoritative,
for it is adopted after a most painstaking
research during the course of which the
name was frequently encountered, twice, at
least, written by Shakspere hlmself) Last
winter The Bee called attention to some of
the discoveries made by DR.. Charles Will
liam Wallace Of the University of Neb .aska,
where he is assistant professor of English
literature, in connection with the personal
affairs of William Shakespere. DIR. Wallace
at that time made some statements con-
corning the great poet that were most
startling, in that they upset a number of
points that had long been out of contro-
versy and accepted as settled. In 1905 DR.
Wallace had unearthed some additional
data concerning the career of SHAKESPEARE
in London and had privately called atten-
ton TO the same among some OF his learned
friends, who were watching his work with
much interest. In 1909 he returned to his
quest among the ancient ana musty law
court records in the great archives of Lon
don, his wife assisting him, and finally in
September of last year he was enabled to
make public through the London Times
SONG notion of what he had really found.
To use his own words
1.-The documents privately reported by me
to few scholars OF Europe and America
two years ago, and now for the first time
made public, change the state OF knowledge
concerning the origin and nature of shares
in the Globe and Blackfriars, and particu-
larly concerning Shakesperes financial in
terest in those theaters Devoted students,
as well as vain theorists have written eX-
tensively on this relation, and drawn large
and divergent conclusions from varied by
potheses.
THE present documents enable a reN..s-
ing Of Shakesperes biography on this head
the readjustment OF certain stage history
OF the times. the final location of the Globe
from exact boundaries, the redating of GER
tain dramas the proper and final evalu-
alton OF other evidences. such as the 1885,
share papers. discovered by halliwen Phil
lipps thirty-nine years ago, and besides
throw light into unexpected corners of the
theater and drama. Not all details that we
should like are given; far from it, But We
stand for the first time in this field on
solid ground grateful for this refuge from
the quagmues OF supposiuon and hypothe-
sis"
DR.. Wallaces account of his discovery
published then in AYE London Times tol
the first time, drew from that paper the fol
lowing comment:
1--WE publish today the first account OF
discovery, which, even II we take no &C
count of the curious temper of our time
is undoubtedly the most important that has
been made in the field OF shakespeare
research since the Rev. Joseph Greer
lighted on Shakesperes will. The docu'
-2ents discovered by Haliwell-Phillpps, in
valuable as they are, date from nearly
twenty years after shakespere's death, and
apply to him only by retrospective Undue
ton or by memory, not always, as II hap
pens, exact. The documents discovered by
Dr. Wallace, who has for years pursued
researches into life and times of Shakespert
In the Record office. concern the period
OF the dramausts highest efficiency
and principle triumphs. They cover th'
years from 1899, when with Much Ado
About Nothing, he began the works Of his
maturity, to 1915. when he died. He 10 ir
effect party to the action, and through
out the document which we shall publish
on Monday, It will be observed that his
name precedes those OF all others con
cerned except the principal proprietors, th'
4 BurSages OF the utular defendant. Johr
Hemyngs we are enabled TO calculate tS
penny his expenses on the building anc
rent of the theaters In which he shared
and to make a shrewd guess at the income
he drew from them. Already, standing
At the door OF the publishing office OF th'