The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-10
Forrest and Observation-Disclosures Letter
from MIR. Forrest.
ILro1l fha ffshu posA A LIZ

C.I
NEW YORK, March 49, 1919.
My DEAR SR:-IIaving in my last letter dis
posed for the present OF MIR. Macready's card,
shall now proceed to the examination Of nv own.
In that card, said &c that soemnly believed Mr..
Macready had suborned several writers of the Eng
lish press to write me down and that among them
was one Forster, who even before / had appeared
upon the London stage, attacked me, and con-
tnued his abuse at every opportunity afterwards"
The truth OF this declaration shall endeavor to
prove by circumstantlal and other evidence; pre-
missing that when clique attempts, for selfish ends
to write down one who never offended thew natl.
rally set to work in way to escape detection, and
crcumstantial rather than direct proof is to be re-
lied on.
My first appearance at Drury Lane theatre was
on the 18th Of October 1896. In the Eruminer of
the previous day, (Sunday2 appeared the following
notice, written by John Forster, whom Mr.. Ma
cready has the honor to call his friend"
San American actor of some celebrity, Mr.. Forrest
makes his first appearance at Drury Lane theatre on
Monday night, in what the bills call I" tragedy"
The tragedy is not new, but we will forgive tho in
tended deception if it turns out to be good 1t was
written many years ago, " Dr. Bird, of Philadelphia,
and has been played by Mr. Forrest in all parts of the
Roman gladiator and it is said be specially adapted
both in subject and treatment, to the guia physical
strength and great energy which the eharacteris-
literary merit to have been written this principle"
Here you will perceive the anin,us of the writer,
and that this article was designed as the text for
all his subsequent comments. He dipping his pen
in maice) went TO work with fixed determine
ton to do all in his power to serve his patron and
to defeat, if possible, the triumph which afterwards
attended me. He does not, to be sure, openly con-
denim both author and actor before he had heard
them, yet by dlslngennous implication he does
condemn both. He will forgive the intended
deception" he says, if the play turns out to be
NIT that anything "good'' can come from Ameri-
; and this is particularly true of Mr. Forster, as
] shall take occasion hereafter to prove. But why
should he italicise the six words, as marked by
ceived his cue doubtless from his s'emnent
friend, y to make this the ground work Of his at
lacks, which he afterwards assumed with so much
violence? Is there any indication in this that he
Will hear with patience and decide with Impair
TALLY?
In the Examiner of October 30, 1886, Mr.. For
ster no longer seeks to hide his malignity and in
c,1tig.c on my Othello, by false premises, and by
draw conclusions adverse to my claims as an
actor. After remarking that GO national poteness,
SO to speak, has nothing to do with question Of
this sort, which, being interpreted, means
" Mr. Forrest Is an American and although his
couptry-men treat our actors with kindness and
courtesy, that Is no reason why should initiate
their example, Mr.. Forster then adds 'sThere is
vicious style in art, which the public taste should
one Of its professors"
"The beauty Of Otheilo's moral attitude in this
Qhe council chamher), consists in its assured
quiet and as it were, picturesque, dignity. Now Mr.
Forrest began the speech with ~ affected appeal to
the excellence Of his judges IL Just Sir James
Scarlet used to address his twolvc friends the Jury
box
My very noblc--and approvcd--good masters y"
Comment upon this is unnecessary for all those
who know me, know well that this is but ''weak
invention of the enemy"
Farther on, in the same criticism, Mr. Forster
says The actor who supposes Othello TO be sim
ply jealous man, has not read Shakespeare lea
lousy is not the grand feature of his passion"
What exquisite. wisdom in these sentences Who
ever supposed that any man could be simply lea
lous man The sentiment of love must of neces-
sity prcccde that of Jealousy. But if jealousy be
not TIC grand feature of Othclo's passion, pray
what is 4? Mr.. Forster, like his " eminent friend I"
has convenient knack Of saying one thing and
meaning another. In this very article you find
this saIient critic eating his proposition Hear
| him =
mcdatcly before tho grand passion of tho play
opens, Shakp has seized opportunity In his in
frte art and wisdom 60 show the weak point through
which he means to strike Othclo. The scene of his
interference in the night brawl of Cyprus betray,
| slight bulblirg Up of his African blood.''
Where is the grand passion Of the play first exhi-
bi,cd Why, IN the third act And what is the
| scene III medatcly before it Why, the scene of
| Cthello's interference in the night brawl. The
grand raseicn Ct the play then is jealousy. Whose
| ,calcmy? Why, Otheo's of course. But it were
eica, waite cf time and your patience to follow
| ,iis a,-d,,om critic through all his ouirks and
.uoGitc, Suffice it to say, that in my perform
| rltc cf Oihcli,, lac found no coed whatever. had