Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-23

easier pieces.
COME of my friends smile at my shale-
~ spearean passion and seem to think It
harmless kind Of eccentricity, but as
sure you that no one thing has filled my
life with so much happiness and depth OF
feeling my love for his writings. lie
has put sunshine in my life. We may say
with Hamlet, "See what a grace was seated
on this brow
Shakespeare has become the very fiber
and tissue of our language Men speak
Shakespeare without knowing it. He jests
at scars that never felt wound" "Brev.
ity is the soul of wit" NUNS the word"
Who does not use these phrases in his
own speech? Bully" that adjective which
we associate with Mr. Roosevelt, is
Shakespearean it comes from the mid
summer Nights Dream" A year or so
ago l was speaking to an audience at
Newburgh. n. Y Afterward gentleman
who had been present came up to me on
the train and said: "I think you must be
great Shakespearean; in your talk I
counted twenty.one Shakespearean QUOTA
tions that you uttered unconsciously.
dare say there were more that ] did not
recognize We had very pleasant con-
versation and he, too, turned out to be
lifelong admirer Of the dramatist.
I WAS admitted to the bar in December
1874, and part of my working library
from the first has been complete Shake.
speare. l now keep in my office, among
othar ~
Porter & Coates edition, published 1868
which was given me in 1875 by my friend
Jefferson Henri. Can one desire too much
of a good thing?" / know no better food
for lawyers mind to feast on than Shake.
speare. The poet knew a good deal about
law, as indeed he seems to have had a
smattering Of everything. Time the old
justice that examines all offenders; and
let Time try you" What better advice
to a lawyer than this "a rotten case
abides no handling!"
have forty-two little vest-pocket vol.
umes of Shakespeare; beautiful little
books, not much mere than an inch long
l carry two or three of these in my pocket
every day, and for more than fifty years
have not let day go by, in sickness and
health, without reading a scene or an act
In these terrible days when the hearts Of
men have heavy burdens to bear 1 have
found in these beloved plays infinite in
spiration and encouragement Mankind
that was noble enough to bring to express
sion the marvellous genius of Shakespeare
is noble enough to find its way beyond and
above the hell of conflict that saddens us
today. And to fighters in the great cause
| Shakespeare has many heartening words
AS he says, THE arms are fair when the
intent of bearing them is just"
| ENRIENpS often ask me what are my
favorite plays. The question is almost
unanswerable. If had to choose
four, perhaps they would be Hamlet -
THE Merchant Of Venice" Twelfth Night
and "As You Like It." and yet that leaves
out my old and first friend Julius Caesar. 4"
1t seems to me that Shakespeare is not
| played enough in our theatres nowadays.
In these serious times / think the public
would welcome with open hearts the words
of the greatest English-speaking man who
ever put pen on paper. When young men
come TO me for advice as to their careers
the first thing I always say is, Read
Shakespeare" He is the greatest school.
master OF all; a purifier of passion. an en-
nobler of the will, dose of honest fun
and good philosophy. No man is too great
for Shakespeare and none is too low He
reaches through the whole scale Of hu-
manlty.
T HAVE turned thousands to reading
Il Shakespeare. AMI If this little article
should gain one more convert I shall be
very happy. II is s54 years today since
he was born. and 354 years hence I sup
pose men will be reading him more than
ever. OF him we may say what Hamlet
said OF man;
What piece Of work is a man How
| ,,ohi. A. aon. hon t.a.,ik. A.. f.o,,it,.