South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-29

Two hundred and ninety-nine years
ago today Shakespeare died
ON April % the great life came and
the great life passed out OF sight
II seems a long time ago. Tor
Shakespeare lived I'm the time Wnen
the not 20 very good queen Bess was
heir 10 the throne OF ner father VINO
also was not SO very good
A kings reign was once interesting
or not. depending upon the women OF
the court.
This was true Of the reign OF Henry
VIII. and ne gave opportunity Tor
queens second 10 none save solomon
These women claimed the attention
Of poets artists historians, courlers
and courtiers and the world.
The social and political center or IN
terest in England in Shakespeare
time was the kings palace.
II was the hctbed where the seeds
OF ambition terminated, grew, hover
ed. frUited died.
II was also the culture bed where
vsuIting ambition forced events TO a
premature birth; an early ana tragic
death.
Shakespeare never lived in the
palace OF the king. vet he knew better
than any one inmate could what nap
pened there.
He heard all the servants gossip,
as well as the no less interesting COS
sip OF the attaches OF the court VINO
came TO the theaters.
More than all and better than all,
Shakespeare knew the human heart
II was 351 years ago today that
Shakespeare was born. rms IS not
the same world into which Shakes
peare was ushered
Mary Arden Shakespeare had few
IA ri
babe.
The first porcelain dishes were not
made until 1852 by the Wedgwoods
for Queen Charlotte. Although Mary
Queen Of Scots and her cousin Eliza
BETH were both considered artists IN
their use Of the sword, yet each ate IN
deIfcateIy and with the fingers
Even I'm kings palaces there was no
steam heat, no furnace fire, no electric
lights. no gas lights, no stoves even Tor
cooking.
There was no steamships nor rail-
roads automobiles nor alrsmps,
neither telegraph nor telephones no
science, no business organization.
The seas were imperiled by pirates,
and the land infested with robbers.
Might made right He was the
richest man who had the strongest
muscle and the most cunning brain
Honesty was not the best policy for
those who wanted success.
Justice was something dreamed Of
by "A few idealists.
Kindness, tenderness, patience, at
lection. courtesy. gentleness, were
ideals far, far away
1t was rude. crude, barbaric world
IN 1864, "a mad world, my masters
II the thousand souled Shakes
peare" were to come back today he
would surely be a stranger in this
physical world.
His own Ariel could be reality in
stead of fairy dream.
lie could hy through the air, skim
over the earth. dive under the water
and ride on the curld cloud, drink
the air before him and return, or else
your pulse twice beat
Voices IL the air. illusions of beauty.
everything Shakespeare told OF IN
1.-THE Tempest" has been made real.
The poet could do all his Ariel did,
and much. much more
His pOrtrayals Of the wealth of rich
men would be as painted shadows
compared with the wealth OF rich men
today.
What material this world furnishes
for this master brain! What plays ne
could write! What words he could
make and what word pictures.
How rich in color and action would
be the scenes Of life he would set DE
tween the morn of laughter and the
night OF tears
How his players would body forth
the false. the true. the careless shall
lows and the tragic deeps of human
life"
what place for Shakespeare this
world is now
And although Shakespeare was
born SCI Years ago he would find him
self az home in this new world for one
reason He knew the human heart,
its multitudinous manifestations.
Mans brain has developed. tt has
invented that which has annihilated
time and space.
Mans brain has subdued the earth
TO his uses.
Everybody lives longer now than
did MethuSelah.
And it is mans brain that has
worked the miracles OF the earth
But the human heart remains the
same
Do you think it has not? Read
Shakespeare.
Have the culture beds OF ''vaulting
ambition" been removed from kings
palaces? They have multiplied. The
seeds have been sown in other places
as we'll That is all
"Yaulting ambition is not confined
TO kings palaces.
The original bed. however. has
never been removed.
The posi- bilities for power. world
conquest, are still great in the palace
or the king
See Europe
Then read the play of Macbeth"
Shakespeare saws that ''Vaulting
ambition" met Macbeth in the day OF
/ his success. To whispered TO him of
great conquest
Success came not sinsly but i'm bat
| talions.
And then began a system of organ