Volume 150 — TERCENTENARY TWITTERINGS.
Reading edition
The letters that follow are only a small selection from those that have been inadvertently forwarded to us in response to the appeal of The Westminster Gazette for suggestions as to the most appropriate method of celebrating Shakspeare's tercentenary:—
A Hint to Greater Britain.
The name of the new capital of the Australian Commonwealth is not irrevocably fixed, and it seems to me that a splendid opportunity is now offered our brethren overseas to commemorate the genius of the foremost British man of letters by linking his name with the new Antipodean metropolis. I should not venture to dictate the exact form which it should take, but "Willshake" seems to me to meet the requirements of the case very happily, though the claims of "Avonbard" also deserve consideration.
Phillibert Harker.
Bird and Bard.
As Shakspeare overtopped all other men, so should his memorial tower over all other monuments. I cannot help thinking that the re-erection of the Wembley Tower in the form of a gigantic swan soaring into the empyrean to the height of say two or three thousand feet would prove a satisfactory solution of the problem. Whether it should be black or white is a question which might be referred to a small committee of experts, such as Sir Sidney Lee, Sir Herbert Tree and Miss Marie Corelli.
Mile End.
P.S.—A good alternative method of celebrating the tercentenary of Shakspeare would be the execution on Shakspeare Cliff, at Dover, of a colossal portrait of the immortal dramatist, somewhat on the scale of the famous "White Horse." Once the outline had been marked out by a competent artist the rest of the work could be easily completed gratis by the Volunteers, and the total cost would be negligible.
A Frugal Suggestion.
I venture to think that no better way of paying homage to the genius of Shakspeare could be devised than for all the newspapers throughout the country to devote their best pages on the day to suitable extracts from his works. This arrangement has the extra inducement of being economical as well as appropriate.
Reginald Jobson, Registrar in Bankruptcy.
A Great Scientist Speaks Out.
What we want is to convert Shakspeare into a genuine educational instrument, and that is impossible so long as he is only available in his present archaic form. A new edition of the Plays, purged of their classicism and romanticism and expressed in language of scientific accuracy, is peremptorily demanded in the interests of national efficiency.
X. Ray, F.R.S.
A Fastidious Critic.
You ask me, "What are my own personal plans in connection with the anniversary?" It is on record that a very distinguished divine stayed in bed on the day following the announcement of the death of Lord Beaconsfield, so as to avoid the horrid temptation of reading what was said about him in the newspaper, which was the divine's pet aversion. I propose to follow this excellent example on Shakspeare Day.
T. H.
America's greatest Poet sends Greeting.
From across the stormy ocean, Prompted by a deep emotion, I despatch my salutation on a card; For although I cannot meet thee In the flesh, I still can greet thee, William Shakspeare, as a worthy brother bard. In these times of stress and passion, When the sword is all the fashion, Only minstrelsy can keep the world in tune; For the poet is a healer, And both Will and Ella Wheeler Are a blessing and a comfort and a boon.
A Cemeterial Celebration.
No memorial to Shakspeare can be adequate which does not express in some concrete shape the universality of his appeal. This end might be attained by erecting a cenotaph in his honour in every churchyard and cemetery in England. I admit that such a scheme would cost money and so might be contrary to the spirit of economy which ought to animate everyone at this hour. But a beginning might be made even now, and I have composed a Funeral March in Hamlet the proceeds of which I would gladly devote to the purpose,
Algernon Brookwood.
