New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-02

| s"Snu! very low Ice8 Of The sympasheftc impu'se
Ola Convent GaIden audience, and could not believe
that The simple majesty Of ths divine bond Of friend
ship would prove sufficiently attractive unless sur.
rourded, Like the majesty Of royalty. With dsshing
ste<d and glazing livery, and beef-es,en With fsir
round bellies and huge calves aud gold sticks and
black rods and such aniiquated munmeries. Thus,
the audience who cheer Mr. Banin's Damon, do no.
cheer the great sentiment Of frienAp bu. cheer the
huge fat sentences aud greasy phrsseology. rcouli
there have been urki in Bsnins Celtic heart su,.
picion that the sent nent too esthetic 10 ind
sympathetic echo before so upculiva an audience
and 30 unc'assicsl an age The sge in which we live
certainly not favorable TO fostering sublime roman.
TIC sentiment. Not that the fountain from which IL
gushes not as full and fervent In the human heart
Tow as iheD, but because happily for m,ukind. the
fyrants whose cruelty stirred its depths are tecom.
ing fewer, and fest passing away.
Theres another feature, too in our modern civil
zafion which makes herosm in friendship no d.ys
lees conspicuous than in the days Of Greece Then
Woman was as still in the East treated a. domestic
animal, and Q mere mschine for converting msns
passions into human nature. Worship was paid only
to the beaueous shrine, not to the divinity it held
Such degradation was wore than death but Christi
ani'y came, snd touching her bier babe Wenan rise
and weIk in The full.ess Of her bright nature As
long "a Woman remained in the state of NOR death to
winch inc refined ba barans OF Greece and Rome had
doomed her Man whispered not as now into her gende
and ever sympa,betc ear the joys and sorrows Of Bis
soul His secret. reserved for Man alone Hence
ar 80 inspiring friendship Hence grew that si,ne,e
band Of love which knit together Pythias and Damon
But, In days, and especially in this land who're
Freedom, with the inimtsbls grace which mark. her
every act, lifts to higher place than ia any
other land and lends to her SWEET influence holier
charm she is lot only Superior to the women Of the
past, but to the men of the psesent. Man shrink.
from ccn6ding to man. Pride and seldsiness throw
an isthmus between them. Bat true woman presses
with gentle touch the secret spring Of the heart and
it at once flies open She is mans ipsprer, monitor
and friend.
II msy DO that this and aimlar thou hts forced the
author in order to insure attention, to surround
sentiment % strange and rare with loud thunder Of
words and lightning -glsre Of pbrsseolosy. This is
not, however, our only cause Of qusrrel With the
: thor Of Damon and Pythias. Long before Mr..
Banim shaped this theme into a drama, we had
LEANED from Schiller glorious song from the ords
of history and the volumes Of rosantc story to
which the incident gave BIRTH to hate the crafty and
cruel Dionysius At the close of Mr. Banims trag.
edy, net only is the just Nemesis withheld, but the
tyrsnt is clothed with mock heroic softness which
allows him, when be quite the scene, to leave rather
gentle memory behind him. And Damon instead Of
exhibiting the stern frmness Of republican man,
allows bis virtue to melt away, like weak Eastern
voman's, under the Influence Of Dionysuss cunning
generosity and the softening thoughts Of home.
Thus s lost the only true opportunity of exhibiting
character or diffuspg love OF real herosm.
The character of Damon ia peculiarly suited to Mr.
Forests powers. And his pcrsona'on Of the Greek,
particularly il the early scenes of the play W" most
able and successful piece OF acting. His personaton
in the second act was especially deserving of com
mendaton, where Damon PUSHES into the Ssu,te
room snd has the bodness to denouuce the yrant in
the very presence of his soldiers and bis slaves Mr..
FoIres. does not exhibit that manly grace and beau
tlul daring with which fancy surrounds the To- OF
the Greek patriot; but he has that mascun, gran
deur Of attitude and both powerful and correct clocu-
ton, which sih the maj ority OF audiences IS more
than comper sation for want Of classica, bearing
In the fourth act again he stand, ont with
bold and telling eject Damon Is represented
as in hi, own home, surrounded by its
stf, influences, ard by his gentle wife and
child. To be true Ito nature nd extra tax should
be laid up<n the lungs TO counterfeit eloquence' II
II ere is ele querce 10 the Affection e heart should
seLd forth ts own gentle tones. II 1t bonow' from
art il should be rather 10 ytptSs tue ear 20 mhhe
The p,ensi Of the words dsguerTeotJpe the feeisg
and conceal the SEA which swells beueatb it In 8
ene like this where it the first requisite Of art to
be faithful TO nature, Mr Fones: wac simple, nstu-
raj and consequently effective. His voice is always
true TO him. lis simple nstursl tones. are equal to
the highest and most impsasicned pitch He need only
spesk yhere Others strain n Mr. Forrest woud only
realize to hinself, how much more eff uye ne
rhen he is natural, and cease all gTglns SOUNDS and
mccarthy Iattles he would rather con'lder nose us
eremies who to his face sppear to applaud ana en-
courage such stertorisn monsrositiss, than tnose
who through respect for nature and the art be pro-
fesses boldly and ftarlessy strike at these Selects
In the exciting scene with Lucullts, there is, Tor
once, room enough for little e1ta foau'ns When
Mr.. Forrest takes the poor slave to task, he LOOKS
Terrific, but ye. perfectly natural. The agony OF the
bour-fbe parting scene with his family-the anxiety
TO redeem his word-the moments passing quick
.he scsfold ready 20 accept Pythiass noble secrce
IL not in time to redeem himthe logged affection oil
the slave con.piring with bis poor vi: to make him
arrive TOO late and SO murder his friend, bat save
his house, all gathering into one narrowing tempes'
A. tie heat may well teDd up the most fearful ex
plosion of rage and Mr.. Forrest rose with the
scene and mounted toward The terrible, when he
u.tors the words:
| ,Tfs only far a. Won Ger yawning gulf;
IN thro v :hes with one swing 10 TN.Sui
In fbe Last act Mr.. Forrest is also effective ana
all VIII, desire to see him 10 O character in which BIZ
Good qualities shine out brightest and his bad one'
are most concealed should not fail - see him al
Damon.