The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-24
PROF. MOULTON
AGAIN PlEASES
By PROF. ID. II. ANDERSON.


To an audience crowding to its ut
most capacity the chapel of Rich
mond College. Professor X. g. MouI-
ton. Of the University Of Chicago. de
lvered last evening the third of his
lectures on the Thomas foundation.
His subject was The Merchant OF
Venice. Play OF Character and Ac-
cident." and his analysis and expo
sitiou Of the wonderful drama was
one Of the most fascinating and eio-
ouent pieces II literary Interpretation
ever given from the Richmond Col
lege platform.
Every play Of Shakespeare, accord
ing to DR. Moulton, Is a microcosm~-
underlying each is q great proNiden-
tial principle. In Richard III the
principle was character, In Romeo
ana Jultet IL was accident, in Mer~
chant oI venice II Was a oom1tnauon
OF the tWo--acCldent ana Chat aGler
Anu the tnreau OF unity running
through the lecture was The uhIoiu-
ing oil The interaeuon oil the various
plots Of the pay.
lhe Merchant of Venice Is accord
Ing to the lecture, character istcatly
Shdkespearee romantic drama
ana a romantic drama is drama
made UP of romances. Shakespeare
romances are not origtnal--they are
all taken from the popular reading
books of the day. And In Merchant
Of Venice. The two leading stories-~
that of the merchant ana the Jew
and that OF The casket-~aE welt rs the
four SD coordinate stories that assist
the deVeiopm Of Of the other two
are taken from as many books OF
romances We'll known to the reading
public before the day of the great
playwright in consequence of The
variety Of plots. the story Of the Mer-
chant of Venice as IL has 10 he
wrought into dramatic form is
splendid example of the complicated
plot. a federation of plots, character
istic Of Shakespeare's dramatic writ
ings. and in thus in complete con
trast with the ancient Greek concep-
ton Of the drama. which was that
OF extreme simplicity. The problem
Of Shakespeare Is To get as much in
az possible; the problem Of the
Greeks was 10 keep out as much as
possible.
In the Merchant of Venice. accord
ing to the lecture. the skin OF Shakes
peare consists la Two things the
weaving together IF six different
stories so as TO make of them one
story. and especially in getting rid
of the throng OF absurdiues in the
roma noes out of which the plot Of the
play is made. Why, for instance,
should the Merchant Antonio go TO
his bitterest enemy, Sh5lock, the Jew,
for money How came the forfeit
&ar e.. azsn12. Way .stli. sh2seeA, vi The.
risk of destruction Insist upon the
literal fuIfllmcnt Of the bond And
lastly. how could the demands of
Shyiock for the pound Of Hesh be
set aside on the frivolous plea that
The letting Of blood was not men
toned In the document? These ditt-
Cuities-each and ali~-the wonderful,
genius Of the dramatist put aside,
and the genius of the lecturer made
perfectly plain 10 the attentive au-
dience what the difficulties We're and
hoe thes were removed.
Proceeding to the main thought Of
the lecture. Professor Moultun dis
cussed the philosophy Of the two
stories--that of the Jew and that Of
the caskets In the first, through ac-
cident we have the supremacy good
Christian at the mercy OF the SUI
premely bad Jew. aud then ~ AN
other accident The supremely bad
Jew at the mercy OF the supremacy
good Christian, Through this success
sion Of events human character is
seen at the mercy of accident But
In the other story the situation is
reversed Despite accident, and even
carefully contrived accident, charac-
ter not reason or chance, comes 10
its own dominates the situation, wins
the beautiful Portia and the splendid
estate. Character" tmpresslsely de-
clared the speaker, Is the momen-
tum OF our past
One more opportunity is to be giver
The people OF Richmond TO hear the
ma gnetic lecturer from the great
Western university. Saturday morn
ing at 10 o'clock he viii speak at
the Union Theological Seminary on
the drama Of job.
Other DISTINGUISHED speakers are
to appear on the Richmond College
platform In the near future~-in
March the president Of the Imperial
University Of Japan. and In April the
famous food expert, Or. Harvey "
Wiley. of Washington. II is also not
improbable that another University
Of CHICAGO professor will be al the
college during the spring. Professor
Andrew G. MCLAUGHLIN. head OF the
department Of history, and one of the
most prominent students Of Ameri-
can history In any Of our universe.
tieA