The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-10-13

VS. LORD BACON
The Old Old Controversy Regarding
Who Wrote the Great Dramas
Of Three Hundred
Years Ago.
WHO GETS THE BACON?
Both Sides Believe They Have Proofs
to substantIate Their Claims
That They Arc In
the Right.
[By Ed. L. Keen, London Correspond
ant ne fho IInifod PrasS /

[By Ed. L. Keen, London Correspond
ent OF the United Press
LONDON, Oct. 12.-Friends Of the
late w. Shakespeare are endeavoring
to smash, once and for all the scan
dalous theory that the plays credited
to him for the past three, hundred
years were really written by Lord
Bacon, Friends Of the latter are
equally determined to refute the ridic-
ulous claim that the uneducated stroll
ing player, afterwards a Stratford
corn-dealer, could have porduced such
masterpieces. In other words, the
Shakespeareans and the Baconians
are trying to arrange for the forma-
ton OF an impartial evidence in sup
port Of its claims.
Although enthusiasts have been
wrangling for many years on the ques-
ton Of whether Shakespeare wrote
Bacon's works or whether Bacon
wrote shakespeare's, and although
volumes OF evidence pro and con
have been produced. this is the first
time that arbitration has been sug-
gested. The controversy was recently
revived in violent form by a slashing
attack on the Bard of Avon by Sir
Edwin burning an amiable
and wealthy baronet who has already
produced several pro-Bacon pamph-
| let's
| Sir Edwin, however, is not among
those who are willing to submit the
case to a judicial communication the
/ simple reason that he is quite salts
fled that there is nothing to arbitarte
Bacon is Shakespeare" is the title OF
his latest effusion, and in fiery let
! tiers to the press he implies that any.
one who disagrees with him is utter
4 ly beneath contempt.
But there are others who, while
4 fully convinced, are prepared to adj
4 Indicate the case, and with Shakes
peareans only too willing to oblige
both sides are looking round for {
suitable committee.
The eShakespeareans" who started
the row relied on certain weird crypt
ograms which they protested to dis
cover in Shakespeare's works, bu
modern Baconians have accumulated
a far more imposing batch of evi
dence.
i Chief among their contentious I.
i that William Shakespeare was a poor
r uneducated man, who could not ever
|, read or write. How was it that a
! the time of his death, he did not pos
t sess single book, and that despit,
: the fact that his plays contain sucl
j quotations as ignorance Is the ours,
t of God knowledge the wings where
3 with we fly to heaven" and ignor
} ance, the common curse of man
kind" he allowed his daughter t
gorw up with SO little education tina
!. she not even sign her own name
! they ask triumphantly
I Also they assert that the famou
J. plays prove that The author must hav
!. had "a a wide knowledge of Greek
e (2) still wider know edge Of Latir
v (3) an intimate knowledge of cour
' life, and (4) subtle knowledge O
law. Where did he get this know
t edge?
0 Until, in 1897, when he appeared i
e Stratford, with at least $1,000, an
e started in business as flour and cor
dealer and small money lender, b
!. was never known to have any none.
j nor to have ever travelled out of En-;
o land, yet the writer of most c
e shakespeare's plays must have ha
S an intimate knowledge Of norther
= italy. And SO on.
e The Shakespeareans however ar
g undaunted and demand, "How was
that although Bacon survived Shakes
II peare by ten years, no further play
we're produced?' Where did Baco
Is get such an intimate knowledge {
,r the stage, particularly as regard
e strolling players" and would ma
l. OF Bacons education have made sue
foolish blunders as "a have Hectc
Is quote Aristotle, CD attribute a Sc
coast to Bohemia. t5) place lions
IS the forest Of Arden, (4 assign cal
non to the time of King John, 6
ii speak OF striking clock in the tim
g, OF julius Caesar? Moreover they poir
out that Shakespeare frequently d.
layed the action of his plays in 0
is der to introduce comic relief whic
.e would have been characteristic Of ii
r. Snowman or strolling player, but II
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