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Show LOWLY FOLLOWERS OF POET . Great Ones of the Earth Long Re-fused Re-fused to Recognize Shakespeare, But He Had His Disciples. William Shakespeare, "the monarch of mankind," was in life a humble youth who came, with his people, fronv an Interior village to a place in the fields outside the walla of the chief city. He had to do with a stable,' He returned whence he came, and was not seen by his disciples after his dis-1 appearance from the theaters. HI companions and disciples clung to hi memory and printed his book, the learned brushed it all aside. He himself him-self had cared no more for his dramatic dra-matic works than Democritus, Eplc tetus or Socrates cared for literary fame. As late as Doctor Johnson'si time, the Shakespeare book was to be denounced by scholars as lacking; In many poesies necessary to such a' work if good. But never did the dls-' ciples and their lowly kind depart from the devout worship of Shakespeare which we ourselves must finally offer: He who had been of the lord of the king's kitchen servants (by courtesy)1 barn-stormers, poor players, strutting their brief hour this meek and lowly1 lord, when he arose into heaven, was worshiped by kitchen servants who had no literary comb to lose. We shall note, in all the time that now is counted this side of Shakespeare's death, that his most faithful worshipers worship-ers have been of humble state and small account. "William Shakespeare," Shake-speare," John McGovern, in National, Magazine. |