The New York herald., 1920-01-18
Famous Shakespearian Actor Find
the Bard Casts Reflections Upon
All Glasses and Conditions.
By z. II, soTliERN.

The proposal to eliminate Tho Mer-
chant Of Venice from tho curriculum OF
the schools Is an admirable idea and
while condemned by all enlightened Jews
may be applauded by q multitude OF
pawnbrokcrs.
It Is true that the excision win remove
from the stage a tragic figure whose fate
discloseS a lesson concerning mans in
humanity to man which must impress
even dull intelligence-also that much
noble poetry will be blown down the wind
by the protests of volubfe meddlers who
care not to feed upon the dainties that
are bred in a book. It would be we'll for
the same reason to forbid the study of the
Old Testament, for the bloodthirsty career
Of Moses. as depicted in Deuteronomy
out-Herods Herod.
Tho play of "OtheIlo" is very hard or
colored persons, who might properly in
sist that the drama should be altered sc
that the hero shall be a white gentleman,
who smothers colored lady.
Julius Caesar" deals with Romans who
were not yet Christians and therefore
undoubtedly damnable. and inevitably
damned, stl1 organ grinders and purvey-
1ect that they are slandered.
"A Midsummer Nights Dream per.
suades us to believe in fays and fairies
pastin1e to be deplored and condemned
by everybody but Mr.. Barrie. for there Is
vastly intelligent movement afoot to dc
away with Santa Claus and to deprive
children of dolls. which a learned lady has
declared awakens in the infant mind re-
Sretable sexual instincts. Then. too
Shakespeare distinctly ridicules the labor
ing classes in this fairy play. Bottom, the
weaver, must offend a large portion OF
the manufacturing communities, for is
not the head of an ass grated upon him
vile reflection on the worthy race OF
weavers?
Where Police May Protest.
In Much Ado About Nothing Dog
berry is held UP to scorn--and what wise
acre does not perceive in Dogberry the
incarnation Of law and order? In these
troublous times no sane government will
tolerate the barbs of ridicule hurled by
the poet at this representative of the
police
Romeo and Juliet decries the author
ty of parents, idealizes clandestine love-
away with it! Besides, Peter and the
nurse are portraits pernicious and offend
the Housemaids' Union.
''As You Like IT, makes manifest the
idCL tIdL young women may run away
from home in male attire greatly to their
present advantage and ultimate happi-
ness. Is not this a most unholy en-
couragement to pretty truants and to
ladies errant?
The Tempest deals with magic. Sup
press it! Here Shakespeare deliberately
and with eloquence propounds that alb
original man in the person of Caliban is
by no means comparable to the intellec-
ttual Prospero-a doctrine which surely
sets class against class and must offend
the tasto of susceptible cannibals. l.
there not. too. a dangerous and very
subtle suggestion here that knowledge
and virtue shall govern Ignorance and
vice?
Macbeth is decried for that 1t sadly
inaligns the actual warrior of that name
However. this misfortune is readily rene-
diad and an absorbing drama may be
saved for our entertainment by calling
the murderer of Duncan Mock Turtle,
title euphonious and of Celtic flavor
prophetic. too, of the hero's final landing
in tho soup. Tho turtle won't mind, fol
that relative of the tortoise is thick
skinned and slow to anger.
PriclSs sections and Grnvediggcrs.
The play Hamlet assuredly makes
light of gravediggers. assails the profes'