New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-21


sny very especial sacrifice in meeting whatever
pniudces must be expected in Joining hands with the
members OF the dramatic profession. IApplaus.l
He had shared as a member OF a somewhat unpopu.
lar though net unpopuous denomination whatever
disadvantage might be attached 10 attack He con.
fessed that he belonged TO the Pachydenaou. Order
which il became actors generally TO clohe themselves
in NJ soon a. possible TO become thck-skinned race
who are not easily siung by malignant enemies-not
that all persons were to b- supposed mali gnant
who would Judge them or himself 10 be undesery.
ing for they should do great discredit TO themselves
and extreme undesert 10 those 70 whom he was
sneaking if they were TO suppose there WAS
moi vast amount of truly honest and respectable
prejudice either against their profession or his
position. Speaking now in purely extemporaneous
manner iet him say one word in regard TO . matter
which concerned him deeply and that was an afro
cious story which had been going the rounds of the
public press-which, with the most entire
Difference to the representatives. there.
cus-eved a. TO what e1sted-had undertaken
10 saw that what had occurred in his private core.
spondencc with very distinguished lady whose name
ought 10 continue to be honored il had been by the
dramatic profession. II had been understood and
ported that he had received a letter from Mistress
FANNY Kembe protesting against his appearance at the
Dramatic Fund dinner. He thought Mistress Kemble
too much of lady to suppose that she would interfere
in any manner with his personal behavior; but aside
nom that he begged them to suppose that no such let
ter had ever been written or received loud applause.
Some members of their profession having quckness of
parts for which they were always distinguished, but
which often displayed under more favorable cir
oumstances had taken upon themselves TO imagine, OF
at any rate 10 believe what had been unwarrantaby
asserted by the public press. But let him say in re.
gard that distinguished lady that in the pursuit OF
some knowledge Of the character of the stage he had
received extremely valuable suggestions from that
e.timable lady which he hoped another
occasion To lay before them Continued applause.
But dropping that he came to the Dramatic Fund.
He could not indulge in any extended remarks, but II
seemed to him that the Dramatic Fund though It had
been somewhat unfortunate in the orators engaged on
various occasions had never been unfortunate IN the
attention II had received from them and the public at
large He thought he might call their attention to the
fact that one of the most generous. and one oi Inc
enrlest donations in the infancy OF the AsSocaton
was from that lady whose name had just passed ms
Inns Several times they had had most generous do-
nation The Dramatic Fund extremely interesting,
and he wished to il encouraged. lie et that they
owed 10 the pleasure which they had received IN
their youth when the pleasures oil the IMAGINATION
and the kndlier sentiments were klnded oy the stage
lie recoeeted yerv well boy with what infinite
pleasure and unspeakable zest he accompanied his
ather to the Federal-street Theater IN Boston. lie
recoIlected that old theaer, and every one Oh lhe
worthy men who appeared upon the stage ana there
some of the most innocent, and he might say the
most profitable hours of his life We're passed
To him it feast OF imagination. The green cur
tain hid bssful paradise and when IT arose every
drop of blood in his system sweled with JOY and graft
tude. II never occurred 20 him that there could be
ANYTHING wrong in the pleasant emotions and kindly
feelings of the kndled imagination which the scenes
of that old theater excited in his BOSOM lie recOi-
lected that some years later, when tins very lady
whose name had already been before them so often
first came to the United States. that although at that
very fine he had begun his divinity studies, yet he
was recommended by one OF the worthy professors
TO 90 10 hear this wonder who had just come 10 the
United States. II was kind of lesson IN eocutlon
They knew that they disguised under very pleasant
and moral names some things that would be more
honestly ascrbcd 10 their love ot enjoyment Laugh
teri. fIe recolected that his advice was to 60
once but he very glad TO say that he went sew
n , al he II
he had had of attending the theater he had rolled It
as n sweet morsel under his tongue eyerslnce. lie had
never been the theather in New-i ork Out had been
TO the opera-making a distinction without differ
actly the thing he Welded 80 tar to the sug-
gesons of prudence and discretion. He begged
to say, however, here, that IN avowing these
sentiments, he made much smaller Sacrihce than
they would suppose because they grew naturally out
of that philosophy and religion which, he blessed i0d,
it was his privilege from his youth TO receive and en-
terrain. He had never been able to think viely oi
human nature. He had never been able to think that
God had endowed human beings with any faculties or
talents for which he had not somewhere made
stape. He had never believed that so wonderful
gifr as the dramatic .,,ttnr afnr T Wr had " believed
that the commission which the possession
Of that extraordinary power gave To human nan being
was as genuine n commission 10 90 ana iuill on TT
rand ard delight the world as the possession oi any
other faculty or talent which the Almighty had con
fcrIed But he must say-to refer back 10 one pom.
to which he had already rtered-that he never coua
regard otherwise than with regret thar person 80
seemingly endowed at every point ior tne pro
motion of human happiness on Yasr scale
a. Mr. Kemble herself, had, under any circul-
stances. permitted herself to retire from the
field on which her earliest and greatest hohois were
won and for which her cndowments eminenty nj her.
He believed there was class OF persons VINO were
made To be actors and actresses and that their natura
endowmcnts and procivities formed oi themselves
right and duty, and that these wonderful gus Snou
l.. .f-.I, lao amy 4.
an arbitrary or capriciOus endowment when
they had right 10 abuse. lie Dche'ed ,ha'
if gentlemen of the dramatic profession would re-
gard their own calling high vOchtlOh not merry
in snv worldly sense but in the high sense IN which
any other commission of the Almighty was regarded,
they would elevate their profession not only IN lhe
eyes but in the eyes Of the world andthey wouiu soon
move 10 the world not only they sometimes sall
father ippantly that they were 8rstes IN technical
,ense brt that hev were artises in high sense az
the sculptor the poet or the painter ana uepl'i VI
the same sort Of consideration which DelohgIq " no
other e,thec representatives OF humanity re never
could see why the dramatic profession anu MS own
should be at such serious loggerheads ne never coui
why the friends of morality ana relglon shouli
not be the friends of innocent enjoyment vi hSi or,
Of dramatic and mimetic talent. he sa" NJ proper
grounds for this immense antpathy between thein,
and he believed that actors had yet to DO Justice 10
cergymeR as we'll a. cergymen TO nctors he assured
them that if the clerical profession III al V'ryi' anu
classes were only more unembarassed oy tnen
position toward the laity, they woupu !nu d
more liberal, and larger and freer, justice
done to the profession by that class OF men man per-
haps by any other class of men in the who'll; commu-
ui,y Cheersl They knew what it was to labor with
the brain and with the voice. They knew, too It-
tie what it was to act Laughter He said it in no
nyidous way but he recognized the rae, tia. .he.
all belonged Ia the talking professions ana ,l' my
derived their livings from the swinging m 1t thai Fe
little but very free member, the tongue; lie oeneveu,
too that from their artistic and csthetilc cunure
they must know that the dramatic proIestl'n 'o.au
-.