is shakespeare dead-第11部分

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His　eloquence　would　alone　have　entitled　him　to　a　high　rank　in　literature。


It　is　evident　that　he　had　each　and　every　one　of　the　mental　gifts　and　each　and　every　one　of　the　acquirements　that　are　so　prodigally　displayed　in　the　Plays　and　Poems；　and　in　much　higher　and　richer　degree　than　any　other　man　of　his　time　or　of　any　previous　time。　　He　was　a　genius　without　a　mate；　a　prodigy　not　matable。　　There　was　only　one　of　him；　the　planet　could　not　produce　two　of　him　at　one　birth；　nor　in　one　age。　　He　could　have　written　anything　that　is　in　the　Plays　and　Poems。　　He　could　have　written　this：


The　cloud…cap'd　towers；　the　gorgeous　palaces；　The　solemn　temples；　the　great　globe　itself；　Yea；　all　which　it　inherit；　shall　dissolve；　And；　like　an　insubstantial　pageant　faded；　Leave　not　a　rack　behind。　　We　are　such　stuff　As　dreams　are　made　on；　and　our　little　life　Is　rounded　with　a　sleep。


Also；　he　could　have　written　this；　but　he　refrained：


Good　friend　for　Iesus　sake　forbeare　To　digg　the　dust　encloased　heare：　Blest　be　ye　man　yt　spares　thes　stones　And　curst　be　ye　yt　moves　my　bones。


When　a　person　reads　the　noble　verses　about　the　cloud…cap'd　towers；　he　ought　not　to　follow　it　immediately　with　Good　friend　for　Iesus　sake　forbeare；　because　he　will　find　the　transition　from　great　poetry　to　poor　prose　too　violent　for　comfort。　　It　will　give　him　a　shock。　　You　never　notice　how　commonplace　and　unpoetic　gravel　is；　until　you　bite　into　a　layer　of　it　in　a　pie。



CHAPTER　XI



Am　I　trying　to　convince　anybody　that　Shakespeare　did　not　write　Shakespeare's　Works？　　Ah；　now；　what　do　you　take　me　for？　　Would　I　be　so　soft　as　that；　after　having　known　the　human　race　familiarly　for　nearly　seventy…four　years？　　It　would　grieve　me　to　know　that　any　one　could　think　so　injuriously　of　me；　so　uncomplimentarily；　so　unadmiringly　of　me。　　No…no；　I　am　aware　that　when　even　the　brightest　mind　in　our　world　has　been　trained　up　from　childhood　in　a　superstition　of　any　kind；　it　will　never　be　possible　for　that　mind；　in　its　maturity；　to　examine　sincerely；　dispassionately；　and　conscientiously　any　evidence　or　any　circumstance　which　shall　seem　to　cast　a　doubt　upon　the　validity　of　that　superstition。　　I　doubt　if　I　could　do　it　myself。　　We　always　get　at　second　hand　our　notions　about　systems　of　government；　and　high…tariff　and　low…tariff；　and　prohibition　and　anti…prohibition；　and　the　holiness　of　peace　and　the　glories　of　war；　and　codes　of　honor　and　codes　of　morals；　and　approval　of　the　duel　and　disapproval　of　it；　and　our　beliefs　concerning　the　nature　of　cats；　and　our　ideas　as　to　whether　the　murder　of　helpless　wild　animals　is　base　or　is　heroic；　and　our　preferences　in　the　matter　of　religious　and　political　parties；　and　our　acceptance　or　rejection　of　the　Shakespeares　and　the　Arthur　Ortons　and　the　Mrs。　Eddys。　　We　get　them　all　at　second…hand；　we　reason　none　of　them　out　for　ourselves。　　It　is　the　way　we　are　made。　It　is　the　way　we　are　all　made；　and　we　can't　help　it；　we　can't　change　it。　　And　whenever　we　have　been　furnished　a　fetish；　and　have　been　taught　to　believe　in　it；　and　love　it　and　worship　it；　and　refrain　from　examining　it；　there　is　no　evidence；　howsoever　clear　and　strong；　that　can　persuade　us　to　withdraw　from　it　our　loyalty　and　our　devotion。　　In　morals；　conduct；　and　beliefs　we　take　the　color　of　our　environment　and　associations；　and　it　is　a　color　that

can　safely　be　warranted　to　wash。　　Whenever　we　have　been　furnished　with　a　tar　baby　ostensibly　stuffed　with　jewels；　and　warned　that　it　will　be　dishonorable　and　irreverent　to　disembowel　it　and　test　the　jewels；　we　keep　our　sacrilegious　hands　off　it。　　We　submit；　not　reluctantly；　but　rather　gladly；　for　we　are　privately　afraid　we　should　find；　upon　examination；　that　the　jewels　are　of　the　sort　that　are　manufactured　at　North　Adams；　Mass。

I　haven't　any　idea　that　Shakespeare　will　have　to　vacate　his　pedestal　this　side　of　the　year　2209。　　Disbelief　in　him　cannot　come　swiftly；　disbelief　in　a　healthy　and　deeply…loved　tar　baby　has　never　been　known　to　disintegrate　swiftly；　it　is　a　very　slow　process。　　It　took　several　thousand　years　to　convince　our　fine　raceincluding　every　splendid　intellect　in　itthat　there　is　no　such　thing　as　a　witch；　it　has　taken　several　thousand　years　to　convince　that　same　fine　raceincluding　every　splendid　intellect　in　itthat　there　is　no　such　person　as　Satan；　it　has　taken　several　centuries　to　remove　perdition　from　the　Protestant　Church's　program　of　postmortem　entertainments；　it　has　taken　a　weary　long　time　to　persuade　American　Presbyterians　to　give　up　infant　damnation　and　try　to　bear　it　the　best　they　can；　and　it　looks　as　if　their　Scotch　brethren　will　still　be　burning　babies　in　the　everlasting　fires　when　Shakespeare　comes　down　from　his　perch。

We　are　The　Reasoning　Race。　　We　can't　prove　it　by　the　above　examples；　and　we　can't　prove　it　by　the　miraculous　〃histories〃　built　by　those　Stratfordolaters　out　of　a　hatful　of　rags　and　a　barrel　of　sawdust；　but　there　is　a　plenty　of　other　things　we　can　prove　it　by；　if　I　could　think　of　them。　　We　are　The　Reasoning　Race；　and　when　we　find　a　vague　file　of　chipmunk…tracks　stringing　through　the　dust　of　Stratford　village；　we　know　by　our　reasoning　powers　that　Hercules　has　been　along　there。　　I　feel　that　our　fetish　is　safe　for　three　centuries　yet。　　The　bust；　toothere　in　the　Stratford　Church。　　The　precious　bust；　the　priceless　bust；　the　calm　bust；　the　serene　bust；　the　emotionless　bust；　with　the　dandy　moustache；　and　the　putty　face；　unseamed　of　carethat　face　which　has　looked　passionlessly　down　upon　the　awed　pilgrim　for　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　and　will　still　look　down　upon　the　awed　pilgrim　three　hundred　more；　with　the　deep；　deep；　deep；　subtle；　subtle；　subtle；　expression　of　a　bladder。



CHAPTER　XII



Irreverence

One　of　the　most　trying　defects　which　I　find　in　thesethesewhat　shall　I　call　them？　for　I　will　not　apply　injurious　epithets　to　them；　the　way　they　do　to　us；　such　violations　of　courtesy　being　repugnant　to　my　nature　and　my　dignity。　　The　furthest　I　can　go　in　that　direction　is　to　call　them　by　names　of　limited　reverencenames　merely　descriptive；　never　unkind；　never　offensive；　never　tainted　by　harsh　feeling。　　If　THEY　would　do　like　this；　they　would　feel　better　in　their　hearts。　　Very　well；　thento　proceed。　　One　of　the　most　trying　defects　which　I　find　in　these　Stratfordolaters；　these　Shakesperoids；　these　thugs；　these　bangalores；　these　troglodytes；　these　herumfrodites；　these　blatherskites；　these　buccaneers；　these　bandoleers；　is　their　spirit　of　irreverence。　　It　is　detectable　in　every　utterance　of　theirs　when　they　are　talking　about　us。　　I　am　thankful　that　in　me　there　is　nothing　of　that　spirit。　　When　a　thing　is　sacred　to　me　it　is　impossible　for　me　to　be　irreverent　toward　it。　I　cannot　call　to　mind　a　single　instance　where　I　have　ever　been　irreverent；　except　toward　the　things　which　were　sacred　to　other　people。　　Am　I　in　the　right？　　I　think　so。　　But　I　ask　no　one　to　take　my　unsupported　word；　no；　look　at　the　dictionary；　let　the　dictionary　decide。　　Here　is　the　definition：


Irreverence。　　The　quality　or　condition　of　irreverence　toward　God　and　sacred　things。


What　does　the　Hindu　say？　　He　says　it　is　correct。　　He　says　irreverence　is　lack　of　respect　for　Vishnu；　and　Brahma；　and　Chrishna；　and　his　other　gods；　and　for　his　sacred　cattle；　and　for　his　temples　and　the　things　within　them。　　He　endorses　the　definition；　you　see；　and　there　are　300；000；000　Hindus　or　their　equivalents　back　of　him。

The　dictionary　had　the　acute　idea　that　by　using　the　capital　G　it　could　restrict　irreverence　to　lack　of　reverence　for　OUR　Deity　and　our　sacred　things；　but　that　ingenious　and　rather　sly　idea　miscarried：　　for　by　the　simple　process　of　spelling　HIS　deities　with　capitals　the　Hindu　confiscates　the　definition　and　restricts　it　to　his　own　sects；　thus　making　it　clearly　compulsory　upon　us　to　revere　HIS　gods　and　HIS　sacred　things；　and　nobody's　else。　　We　can't　say　a　word；　for　he　has　our　own　dictionary　at　his　back；　and　its　decision　is　final。

This　law；　reduced　to　its　simplest　terms；　is　this：　　1。　　Whatever　is　sacred　to　the　Christian　must　be　held　in　reverence　by　everybody　else；　2；　whatever　is　sacred　to　the　Hindu　must　be　held　in　reverence　by　everybody　else；　3；　therefore；　by　consequence；　logically；　and　indisputably；　whatever　is　sacred　to　ME　must　be　held　in　reverence　by　everybody　else。

Now　then；　what　aggravates　me　is；　that　these　troglodytes　and　muscovites　and　bandoleers　and　buccaneers　are　ALSO　trying　to　crowd　in　and　share　the　benefit　of　the　law；　and　compel　everybody　to　revere　their　Shakespeare　and　hold　him　sacred。　　We　can't　have　that：　there's　enough　of　us　already。　　If　you　go　on　widening　and　spreading　and　inflating　the　privilege；　it　will　presently　come　to　be　conceded　that　each　man's　sacred　things　are　the　ONLY　ones；　and　the　rest　of　the　human　race　will　have　to　be　humbly　reverent　toward　them　or　suffer　for　it。　　That　can　surely　happen；　and　when　it　happens；　the　word　Irreverence　will　be　regarded　as　the　most　meaningless；　and　foolish；　and　self…conceited；　and　insolent；　and　impudent　and　dictatorial　word　in　the　language。　　And　people　will　say；　〃Whose　business　is　it；　what　gods　I　worship　and　what　things　hold　sacred？　Who　has　the　right　to　dictate　to　my　conscience；　and　where　did　he　get　that　right？〃

We　cannot　afford　to　let　that　calamity　come　upon　us。　　We　must　save　the　word　from　this　destruction。　　There　is　but　one　way　to　do　it；　and　that　is；　to　stop　the　spread　of　the　privilege；　and　strictly　confine　it　to　its　present　limits：　　that　is；　to　all　the　Christian　sects；　to　all　the　Hindu　sects；　and　me。　　We　do　not　need　any　more；　the　stock　is　watered　enough；　just　as　it　is。

It　would　be　better　if　the　privilege　were　limited　to　me　alone。　　I　think　so　because　I　am　the　only　sect　that　knows　how　to　employ　it　gently；　kindly；　charitably；　dispassionately。　　The　other　sects　lack　the　quality　of　self…restraint。　　The　Catholic　Church　says　the　most　irreverent　things　about　matters　which　are　sacred　to　the　Protestants；　and　the　Protestant　Church　retorts　in　kind　about　the　confessional　and　other　matters　which　Catholics　hold　sacred；　then　both　of　these　irreverencers　turn　upon　Thomas　Paine　and　charge　HIM　with　irreverence。　　This　is　all　unfortunate；　because　it　makes　it　difficult　for　students　equipped　with　only　a　low　grade　of　mentality　to　find　out　what　Irreverence　really　IS。

It　will　surely　be　much　better　all　around　if　the　privileg