Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-01-31

p
1 scarce can lift the saucer to INV head ~
an never mAIT at nippit cakes III growl, -
Nof catch her finger Il the sugar BOWL N
ken, ken she's in a warl' moo,
Among the flowers that death can never moo
ken, On sceet 4 ken, WE'RE born to part--v,,
But didna Greet I'd break my heart! ~
sa. REcoLLECTIoNs OF KEANa
q The last appearance of Edmund Kean
on the stage was on Monday, the 25th OF
March, 1883, at the Convent Garden
Theatre. His health, for months, was
observed to be rapidly declining. and his
physical energies became so visibly i'm.
paired by those long indulged irregulari-
ties, which had broken down a naturally
vigorous but abused constitution, that his
acting was rendered generally feeble, un
satisfactory, and often painful; and even
his inability to appear at all when an
nounced was by no means a rare occur
renee. The last effort he made, at all
worthy of his former fame, was in the
early part of the winter, when the lin.
portance of having his Othello brought,
for the first time, in conjunction with the
rival talents of Macready in Iago, gave a
stimulus to his powers of BODY and mind
sufficient to sustain him throughout the
character. 1t was universally admitted
that never did his genius display itself
more triumphantly. On this occasion.
however, he was advertised for the same
favorite part, to the Iago of his son
Charles, who never having acted with
him on the stage before, was warmly
greeted on his entree by tolerably nu-
merous audience; but when, in the second
scene, the father entered, as Othello, fol
lowed by the son, the house rung with
reiterated acclamations. The father kent
bowling for a considerable time without
producing any diminution in the entht-
siastic and loud cheering which prevailed,
when, as if suddenly awakened to sense
of the circumstance, he turned, and taking
his son by the hand, led him step or
two forward, and, with graceful bow,
and one of his most fascinating and char
acteristic smiles, presented him to the
audience. The waving of hats and hand.
kerchiefs, and the doubly redoubled plau-
dts which ensued, checked for an un-
usually long period every attempt made
by, them to proceed with their part. e.
There was nothing distinguishable in
Kean's performance of the first and sec
ond acts, from his usual personification
of Othello, except a more than ordinary
feebleness in his voice, action and gait !:
which, as he had not many weeks pre-
vious broken down in the midst of the
part, was imputed to designed rcser-
yation, or, perhaps, the fear of too early
exhausting what physical strength he
might otherwise be enabled to call mn.
in order to sustain the third and latter
acts when, however he came to that
memorable apostrophe, "Now, forever,
farewell !" ETC., the whole Of it was
breathcd forth with all that melodious
melancholy SO noted in his brighter days.
and SO happily described by the critic
Hazlitt, as striking upon the heart and
imagination like some divine music. !"
only mingled with a far greater degree
Of feeling than had ever before been OBJ
served !; in fact, so deeply affecting were
his tones, that as be hah: sobbed out the
last line Farewell Othello's-
patton 's-gone, l remarked to a friend
near me, :. Poor fellow [ fear that con.
sciousness of Othello's despairing means
being applicable to himself, personally,
has touched his own feelngs.." Kean
never failed, in this particular point, to
elicit less than three hearty rounds on
ordinary occasions, but on this, they
were increased in number, force and du.
ration. a' ..ls. - Oh.
lie remained abstracted and motionless,
his chin resting on his breast, and his
eyes fixed on the ground for many sec.
onds after every murmur of applause had
subsidized; then raising his head from his
chest, as from a forgetful slumber, he
seemed partially aroused into sense Of
his situation with the audience, and the
necessity of proceeding; but, instead of
that sudden and infuriate alienation
that towering passion which used to
threaten the destroyer cf his peace with
irres sible and immediate annihilationL
he turned slowly and feebly, tottered a
few steps towards Iago, fwho, seeing his
sinking state, approached him, and, lean
ing on his arm for support, and unable to
seize him by. the throat, he uttered, in
disjointed accents, only audible to those
quite near him, :. Villain-be- -sure-you-
prove"-then throwing himself upon his
sons neck, he added, in faint and fall
terins voice, /" 0 God. l am dying speak
to them Charles!n-''' The house, though
somewhat prepared fora result Of the
kind, did not anticipate such decided
prostration of his faculties, and KEEP. up
their applause for nearly minute, en-,
deayoring to cheer him BY showing every
mark Of indulgence. At length Charles
made an attempt to assist his father for.
ward, when, his look and manner indica-
ting, the most pitiable ,helplessness, il
became evident be could no longer stand
alone, and the audience, with one accord
arose, and cried .a Take him off !Dwhere,
upon ore of the performers came on from
the wing, and poor Kcan, who was trying
TO bow, was borne off and carried to .
house in the vicinity Tor the night and
the next day removed to his own,pes.
idence at Richmond, where he fingered