The success of a Shakespeare memorial will ultimately depend on the pecuniary support that the public accord it. But in the initial stage of the movement all rests on the discovery of a sculptor capable of realising the significance of a national commemoration of the greatest of the nation's, or indeed of the worlds, heroes. It would be well to settle satisfactorily the question of such an artist's existence before anything else. The first step that any organising committee of a Shakespeare memorial should therefore take, in my view, would be to invite sculptors of every country to propose a design. The monument should be the best that artistic genius could contrive--the artistic genius of the world. There may be better sculptors abroad than at home. The universality of the appeal which Shakespeare's achievement makes, justifies a competition among artists of every race or nationality. The crucial decision as to whether the capacity to execute the monument is available, should be entrusted to a committee of taste, to a committee of liberal-minded connoisseurs who command general confidence. If this jury decide by their verdict that the present conditions of art permit the production of a great memorial of Shakespeare on just principles, then a strenuous appeal for funds may be inaugurated with likelihood of success. It is hopeless to reverse these methods of procedure. If funds are first invited before rational doubts as to the possibility of a proper application of them are dispelled, it is improbable that the response will be satisfactory or that the issue of the movement of 1905 will differ from that of 1821 or 1864. In 1864 Victor Hugo expressed the opinion that the expenses of a Shakespeare memorial in London ought to be defrayed by the British Government. There is small likelihood of assistance from that source. Individual effort can alone be relied upon; and it is doubtful if it be desirable to seek official aid. A great national memorial of Shakespeare in London, if it come into being at all on the lines which would alone justify its existence, ought to embody individual enthusiasm, ought to express with fitting dignity the personal sense of indebtedness and admiration which fills the hearts of his fellow-men. INDEX Acting, importance of, in Shakespearean drama, 13; evil effects of long runs, 14; Shakespeare on, 45, 47 Actor-manager, his merits and defects, 125, 126 Actors, training of, 139; English, in France, 203. (See also Benson, Mr F.R., and Boys.) AEschylus, statue of, 233 Albert, Prince (Consort), and Shakespeare's birthplace, 222; statues of, 237 Alleyn, Edward, 191, 194 _Annual Register_ of 1770, 194 Aristotle, Shakespeare's mention of, 144, 145; Bacon's study of, 145 Arnold, Matthew, on Shakespeare, 29 Astronomy, Shakespeare on, 146 Athens, statuary at, 233 Aubrey, John, his gossip about Shakespeare, 67, 68 Austria, subsidised theatres in, 131, 134 Bacon, Anthony, in France, 203