New-York tribune., 1916-03-26

Of the darkness of his despair. Then,
iust as We are feeling contempt
for the man. the humanity Of Shake
. sucare bursts through again, ana IN
the sconc Of the surrender OF his crown
compeIs us to acknowledge IN TINS
complex character distinct noble
ness and pathos this. possibly, 70 pre-
mare us for the death of Richard IN
prison. where we are given remnant
Of his old bearing, though tempered Dy
repentance and resignation.
Take again the development OF tne
characters of King Lear, Of Macbeth
and Of King John. None oil theSe Is
hero in the conventional sense OF the
word I'm themselves they do not can
forth our sympathies. II Is their hu-
manitv thrown athwart the tragic m
cidents Of their lives which graduaily
av.nkens in US emotions eliminating IN
climactic agony Of grief.
To turn from the sublime to the
tidicuIous. ] notice that heated con-
troversy is proceeding in Chicago on
the Shakespeare Bacon question ana
should not be surprised n the
Baconians sought TO break up the cele-
bratiors intended for the usurplng
. Shakespeare. | cannot help thinking
/ that there is one touchstone which we
may ftly apply to this much veNed
/ question that Is the test OF humor.
If there is one quality which char
acterizes the writings Of Shakespeare
more than another - Ia humor lie
cannot resist tit is irresistible. hu-
NOR. like murder, will out. Had Bacon
. humor2 | think not.
Bacon had learning. Shakespeare not
much. But he had instinct. Some
a L.E 20 Az %
/ inherited the knowledge Of his fore
fathers. and he possessed an unne%aim-
7 rled mower Of asslmilatlng all that
/ came his way He made precisely the
mistakes that Bacon would never have
made. Book learning is not wisdom.
Many years ago | met al the house
I Of friend an eminent cryptic
grammatist who had written work
7 proving by algebra that Bacon wrote
/ Shakespeare. I made so bold as 20 ask
him whether Bacon wrote the Shakes
uearc sonnets. He replied that his
+ case rested on that certainty. | point
Cd out 10 him that while II was con-
ccivable that Francis Bacon, for po-
/ iitical reasons. did not wish 20 ac-
/ knowledge the authorship Of the plays,
/ it was inconceivable that IN the out
pourings Of his soul in the sonnets he
+ sNOuIt call Nifl,ell loui oNH oNE's
will" constantly punninG on the
+ Christian name Of his paid ghost
the vulgar poacher and butcher-actor.
do not think we need interrupt our
celebrations in order 20 ponder over
this discussion of mistaken identity
we are most Of US content 20 believe
that he who wrote the advice 20 the
actor was himself an actor and the
author Of his own works. Let us not
seek 10 take from him the Immortality
which he claimed for himself IN the
sonnet:
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
OF princes, shall outlive this powerful
rhyme;
But you shall shine moro bright in
these contents
Than unswcpt stone. besmeapd with
sluttish time.
when wasteful war shall statues over
turn
And broils root out the work OF
masonry
Nor Mars his sword, nor wars quick
FIRE shall burn
The living record Of his memory.
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall be pace forth; his praise shall
still find room
Even in the eyes Of all posterity
/ That wear this world out TO ;he ending
doom.
SO. ull the judgment that yourself
arise.
You live in this and dwell in lovers
syes.