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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1901)
THE SUMPTER MINER Wednesday, May i, 1901 SHAKESPEARE AS A MINER. Evidence of His Familiarity with the Industry. In a remote camp in California an hon est miner was recently discovered who sol aced himself with Shakesp;are under all vicissitudes of fortune, says the American Mining News. He had (lie divine Wil liam at his linKers' ends and could quote him by (he yard. Newspapers of the west wrote him up as a prodigy of learn lug and philosophy, but several of the east, where wisdom and wealth run cheek by joa-I, twitted him for neglecting the plcl and drill to prospect in the sterile re gions of blank verse. Shakespeare, said those wiseacres, never did anything for legitimate mining, and why in thundera tion could'nt horny-handed miners leave Shakespeare alone? Now, If those carpers had known a little more, about bath ends of this grand subject, they would have instinctively recognized the practical as well as the ethical side of the California miners' fav orite study, Everybody knows that Shakespeare w.is a profound lawyer, an oratorical butcher, a dainty glove-maker, a clever deer stealer, a skillful mariner, an able physlcliu, .1 soaring astrologlst, a distinguished courier, temper nice ad vocate, a roysterer, mountebank mid high wayman, also a bit of .1 purj. It uu.ilJ be strange indeed, then; If a man with all these qualities should lack knowledge ol mining and metallurgy, wlikli, in combi nation, as all readers of the American Alining news are aware, form the only real wealth-producing Industry of the I world. Hut he w.is not wanting in this regard any mole than in any oilier held of human endeavor. We do not claim that Shakesprare was up to all the modern tricks of cyanlding, chlorltiatinn, concentration, etc., or that he could distinguish between a diamond drill hole and three compartment shaft; but we do assert that William was a good judge ol ores and their treatment, and knew a mine when he saw one. And there were mines hi his day as there are now In the advertising columns of the Sunday papers of New York. If you overhaul your Hamlet you will tin j a gre.it deal of mining and undermining from start to luiish, some of it bearing a re markable resemblence to the curious oper-1 alions to the mining promoters and schem ers who infest the east todiy. After the Melancholy Dane kills I'olonius behind the arras, that lecherous, treacherous, re morseless, klndless vidian, the King wants to know where his nephew has gone. The Queen tells him: " To draw apart the body that he hath MUM; O'er whom his very madness, like some ore Among a mineral of metals base, Shows itself pure: he weeps for what Is done." 1 his Is probably the only straight ref erence to a mine perhaps In the whole range of the dramas, but It possesses that one touch of nature that makes the whole .mining world kin, and shows that Wil li tin was well up hi the business, even If he did not write M. I:, alter Ills name. It Is In the lighter touches, however, the prrsillage of medieval mineralogy, as It were, that Shakespeare displays his Insight Into the true Inwardness of the in dustry. No piactical miner and few ex perienced promoters, can read the casket scenes of the Merchant of Venice without feeling mingling chills of fear and thrills of hope. It appeals with equal force to the gold diggers of Alaska, the silver pro ducer of Utah and Colorado, and the lead delvers of Missouri and Kansas. You can see their eyes bulging as each of Portia's suitors makes assay of the boxes of gold and silver and lead, one of which contains the glorious gift of her precious self. The gold box bears the Inscrip tion, "Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire;" the silver one, "Who ' chooseth me shall get as much as he de I serves;" the lead, "who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath." J Nearly the whole genesis of speculative 1 as well as practical mining is embodied in these fruitful mottoes. You can find them indelibly carved in thousands of shafts and prospect holes In all the mining I states. Their echoes curdle the noisome air of millions of drifts and tunnels. Their tenacity Is as strong as the hope that springs eternal In the miner's breast. They are the Alpha and Omega of the great mining industry, from prospector to promoter. Their virtue Is as immortal as Shakespeare himself. And the three suitors to Portia's fair hand are typical also of the fate nfjmlnlng promoters, l-'irst comes the tlbald boaster who can pluck siickingcubsifrom she-bears and mock the lion when he roars for prey. We know the fellow well In New York. Sometimes he gets there, but more olten he doesn't. Morocco despised the dull lead and turned scornfully away from the silver box. He was after gold,'and lol he J got his reward a carrion death's head;) with a cutting scroll that tells him all that , glitters Is not gold. I he Prince of Arragon and Ills dainty form is often seen mi the street chooeth sliver, iiud Is presented with the picture of I a (limiting l-aol, wlut.li niiiks hlsgoo-c ef IcIUrU. Honest II.ismjiiIi), the grub Maker, who normw Heely but pays back ten fold u hen lie strikes It, Is out for pay ore of any kind. He examines carefully the merits of the gold, silver and lead pru-pects. He rejects the free milling j gold quart, which Alidas found hard to 'stomach; he hesitates between the white 1 metal, the pale and common drudge be- tweed man and man, and the dull, meagre lead, but liually goes in for that noted product of Missouri, and wins Portia and her appurtenances. There is no doubt In the minds of many miners who Indulge In Shakespeare that he hailed from Joplln. Flagstaff was not so enamored with lead, however. On the battlefield he felt as hot and us heavy as that metal In a molten state. Yet prays Sir Jehn: "God keep lead out of me; I need no more weight than my own bowels". Perhaps the fat knight had a presentiment of Or. Lyman, of International Zinc notoriety, who dosed his stockholders with base metal to their serious discomfiture and his own undoing. American Mining News would like to continue this congenial theme at greater length, but sufficient has been adduced to prove conclusively that Shakespeare was a miner and mineralogist of no mean capacity, and tha all miners are justified in making themselves familiar with his grand pages as part and parcel of their training, both mental and practical. t 1 1 1 i'r n n FLYNN MEN'S TAILOR- A Line of Woolens and Spring Suitings such as would be found In a large city. Look for yourself. Work guaranteed and prices right. DON'T BE A JAY and wear store clothe! Granite Street, Next to First Bank ol Sumpter Sumpter, Ore. Golden Eagle Hotel American and European Plan T. T. DANILSON, PROPRIETOR Sample Rooms for Commercial Men. SUMPTER, OREGON -'V- MAP GIVEN AWAY. How to Gt a Large One of ibe United States, for the Wall. If you are going east, or thinking of sending for your family, do not buy your tickets until you have secured rates from the Illinois Central Railroad company. Their service is excelled by none, and they can reach all points in the east, south and sotheast from any point in Oregon, Washington or Idaho. Through tourist car from Pacific Coast to New York. If you will send fifteen cents In stamps to the address given below, we will for ward you by return mall a large wall map of the United States, Cuba and Porto Rice, 34x40 inches. For particulars regarding passenger or freight rates, call on or address, B. H. TRUMBULL, Commercial Agent, 142 Third street, Port land Oregon. A. P. (JOSS, President A.J. GOSS, Cashier Bank of Sumpter a Triniieti Cemril Binding Bunnell Interest Allowed on Time Deposits Drafts drawn on all SUMPTER, parts of the world. Special attention to collections. balety Deposit boxes tor rent. k-r'' OREGON -Vrtf ...The Elite Cigar Store.... L. HARRIS, Proprietor Newly remodeled and refitted. Smokers' resort. We are daily receiving fresh cigars of the leading brands. No stale goods in stock. Healy Block. Cor. Granite and Center Sts. Eureka Feed & Livery Company H. K. BROWN, Proprietor Horses Boarded by the day or Month. First class turn-outs and saddle horses. Our spec ialty is the quick and safe delivery of freight and passengers to any and all points. HAY AND GRAIN FOR SALEHK THI Sumpter Forwarding Co. General Storage, Commission and Forwarding. Warehouse and office, S. V. Track. SUMPTER, OREGON. SUMPTER BOTTLING WORKS Manufacturer ol all klndi o Carbonated Drlnki and Oder. Operated In connection wllh tha Kentucky Liquor House WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. GAGEN 4, SLOAN, PROPS., SUMPTER, ORE. H