San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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22 WHITE AND GOLD is variously parodied, witness, ttOne touch of humor makes the Whole world grin , ttOne touch of gossip makes the whole world chin , and HOne touch of Adam ta deeply fatal touehll makes the whole world sin. The conversation of the two clowns and their songs and rid- dles in the earlier part of the churchyard scene in NHamletH were formerly considered humorous, but now they are termed ua mouldy impertinenee. Still they form a fitting prelude to Ham- letts soliloquy on the skull of poor Yorick, the kingk jester, Ha fellow of infinite jest. most excellent fancy? uA Midsummer Nightls Dream,H concerns itself entirely with the mistakes of a night. carried out by a whole handful of comic characters. from Puck. tithe songful and merry wanderer of the night , to that droll old Nick Bottom, ttwrho. like most of mankind would fain play the lions part and brags of the loud roar he will make, but who, unlike his fellow mortals, wears the assls ears quite openly? Do not. forget that gay group, too, in the park of the King of Navarre, in ttLovels Labour's Lostll, and the Hheavenly Rosa- line there who informs us, HThat a. jestls prosperity lies in the ear of him that hears it, never in the tongue of him that makes itll. Leaving all this holiday humor, we now take up a philosoph- ical play, one intended to show pitilessly just what life is: ttDost thou- call me fool. boy? asks Lear. and truly and sadly the Fool tealled his outward eonseieneel replies. HAll thy other titles, thou has given away; that thou waslt born withW A well known critic has said that what you think of the play of ttKing Learlt will depend upon what you have thought of King Leafs Fool. Certainly the play offers a Wide field for discussion, in its great trio of madness; presented by the real insanity of the King, the feigned craziness of Edgar and the professional folly of the Fool. My own opinion is, that while of all the books I ever read the saddest proved to be the humorous Don Quixote. so is Learls Fool.wout in the raging storm, shorn of all of his fool dignity, nothing left in fact but his heroic devotion to a mad old man,- the saddest person 1 ever met. No other character, either in book life or real life. has seemed to me shrewder or more pathetic, nobler or more tender than this faithful soul, disguised in its court dress of motley wear. and carrying its eoxcomh, the symbol of Folly. Lastly, we come to that greatest glory of the English speaking stage, Falstaff:m and his group of merry satellites. Ile belongs to comedy, ttbeeause his big frame is so inoculated with laughter that his faults cannot take the contagion of tragedy. He is built to brag and is too fat to be brave. So large a man is seldom able to do such quick trapeze work mentally or to wrig- gle so unctuously through such narrow places morally. Con- demn him utterly, if you will, he certainly could say With Puck, HThose things do best please me that befall preposterouslyll, but, here is his own apology: HThou knowest in the state of in- noeeney, Adam fell; and what should poor Jack Falstaff do in the days of villainyW, lgrant that his dismissal by the King, tt

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WHITE AND GOLD 21 0f the clowns and the multiplication of their uses were a part of his reformation in the drama. with which he obtains some of his finest effects and whenever a situation becomes too tense and ter- rible, lightens it by an apparently aimless word-juggling ex- hibition by the fool and some, chance confederate. In ttAntony and CleopatraiL-it Will he remembered, the clown enters in all the last aetseand. afte- answering the queens queries concern- ing.r the asp, or ttworlu of Nilus.H which he, brings hidden in a basketeof figs. disappears with the words. HI wish you joy ol the worm.H In ttOthelloll, the clown acts as a ser'ant to the svarthy Moor, and taxes your patience with his verbal quibbling's. And now, by means of the Flying Carpet of Imagination. we, come through Mllhe, 'llempestll. to that enehanted-and enchanting island Where dwell. Prospero, the wisest of Magicians. Miranda. H0 thou wonder of the world,H and Ferdinand. the ideal lover, and with them as fools. the monster Caliban. the drunken butler. Stephano and the court jester, Trinenlo. In the ttMerehant of Venieell, I find that Shylockls servant. young Launeelot Gohho. he who fooled with his conseienee. fooled his blind father and assisted Jessica to fool her father. ainuses most people as well as any of the varied troop of Shalwspearels clowns, for- he is a shrewd little seamp, tiniinble 07 foot and tonguelh Good, too. is Antoniols pun. relative to the debt of the pound of flesh: HFor if the Jew do cut but deep enoughellll pay it presentlyewith all my heart One would not expect to find the slightest trace of humor in HlVIaeheth ebut even here is given a hit of broad farce in the speech of the jolly porter. Ile is used entirely for tone, relief. to sepaiate the nights murder from the agony of the struggle of eoncealnlenteand is said to he, the only my of light which penetrates the gloom of this great tragedy. In NRomeo and JulietH I wish you to recall especially the, gallant young Mereutio, tithe very pink of eourtesyll. who notionly died for his friend, but did it with a brave jest on his lips. ttCourage, man,H says Romeo, che hurt cannot he mueh.H HNo,H says Mereutio, ti itis not. as deep as a well nor so wide as a ehureh door, but ytis enough : ltwill serve. Ask for me tomorrow. and you shall find me a grave man. Two figures likewise claim attention from us in that romance. HA Winter's Tale? one being the clown and the otherAutolyeus. The former was most generous for he not only allowed his pockets to be picked by the light-fingered Autolyeus. Hthat snapper up of uneonsidered tritlesfl but when he meets him later at the sheep- shearing' festival, with his pedtllerls pack and his merry songs. he buys for the maids until he ean do so no longer, I like Autoly- cus-he is one of the most attractive of what has been called uThe Army of Disreputablesli and he is really of use in exchang- ing garments with Florizel at the latterls need. It is in ttTroilus and Cressidall, little read and seldom acted. that the arrant young fool there. gives 11s the much quoted line. hOne touch of nature makes the whole world kin? and that it

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WHITE AND GOLD 23 his erstwhile eup companion, madcap Hal. was necessary, but there was too much truth in Danie Quicklefs remark. HThe king. hath killed his heartf7 to make it pleasant to think upon.-abut. then, what would you? You cannot find a merry ending for any of the troop. It was with them. as Wister says of the old times in Arizona. HThe years ended gray. After the hey-day and carousals and happy-go-luckiness were all gone, in the remaining years. what? hnpty youth is such a grand, easy thing, but empty age, is so grim.H Returning to the Defense of Fools in general. I find that the, best points in regard to their usefulness and industry come, from the, French. but America. probably be- cause exaggeration is a national trait, stands a close second, and we learn that ttGod created fools that men of wit might regret life less,H and that ttwhile the man of brains sees all difficulties, surmounts or avoids them, the fool knows no difficulties.H We like the fool because. with us. the Hsupertiuous is so ueeessaryll. and because a fool always finds a greater fool to admire him.H HIf people of wit could not use fools. what would be the use of their witT and ttwit is more powerful than strength of body. If you do not believe this. you are respectfully referred to the story of Sampson and Delilah.H ttVVit is as infinite as love and a good deal more lasting in its qualitiesf, The Fool is precise. Does not Richard Harding Davis say. in one of his novels. ttAny- one may make a mistake. but it takes a fool to make the same mistake twieem! And there is the Kipling epigrani: HThe sil- liest kind of a woman can manage. a elever man. but it takes a very clever woman to manage a foolf7 The only words of commendation given anyone by the melan- choly Jaques are those said in praise of Touchstone. the court fool, whom Rosalind and Celia took with them into the forest of Arden for cheer and protection. Best of all. perhaps. is the reli- ability of the Fool. for. as the New England farmer says. HYou can have your hay erop and your apple crop and your potato crop. but therets one crop there eanlt nothint touch. and that,s the Fool crop. You can count on that sartin as sinfy To eon- elude. and apropos of the old adage. HFools rush in where angels fear to tread? let me recall to your minds how ttOne fool sailed westward till he found a world. One found new worlds within the mind of man, The eynies called Columbus eharlatan, And burned Giordano Bruno !aWho unfurled The heavens like a scroll that men might know. But foolish Galileo? Who began Our new free art and thought and social plan But that poor outcast. crazy fool, Rousseau? There is one toast the future ages drink Standing! To those who dare rush in and die. Those who defy all rights and break all rules. Who hght impossible battles and who think True thoughtsaat whonl, with one aeeord. we, ery, tThe fools. the tools. the fools. God bless the fools.' t,