4 THE BATTALION.
of precious atones the larger and more beautiful rise to the
top, obscure the darker and meaner ones, and thus illume
and beautify the world. Again, it gives me a feeling of dis
gust when sometimes is found a precious little gem hidden
deeply in the rubbish or when the mass below protends
above the coating bearing upon its highest point a fine beauti
ful stone almost hidden by mean and dirty trash. In the lat
ter position some are wont to place Shakespeare, a crew of
grumblers, running, howling and snapping, like a pack of
curs at the heels of a noble mastiff. I cannot think of the-
eugolist without remembering the first paragraphs of Wash
ingtons Irving’s “Boars Head Tavern.” ' r It is needless to-
say, like the Catholic devotee, I come to burn my candle at
the shrine of the great, if not the greatest of all literature and
ages—Wm. Shakespeare.
A thorough review of any part of his works would be too-
great a task for me; I will only endeavor to give some of my
thoughts and impressions concerning his well known and
matchless characters of the play of love, Romeo and Juliet.
The great popularity of Shakespeare is due to his correct
expression of sentiment. Many have argued to show him a
doctor, lawyer, or a man of almost every profession. This
must be erroneus: Shakespeare saw life of every shade and
grade, and easily and naturally expressed what he saw. He
had imagination and word painted vividly but it was the
normal imagination of nature in strong contrast with brilli
ant but diseased and abnormal imaginations of some of his
successors. He is passionate; no dry philosopher but ar
gumentative; he is humorous, no idiotic clown but genuine
human wit and humor; he is pathetic, naturally expresses the
griefs of the'human soul but never artificial or hypocritical.
No where is passion, the passion of youth and love, hate
and revenge, and grief, the bitter grief of failure and disap
pointment displayed so well as in this masterpiece of Romeo
and Juliet. As for the two “star crossed lovers;” they are
probably in name only fictitious. The plot was taken from
a romance of Painter’s Palace ofPleasure, yiz. Romeus and