Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1865-04-15
Kean's Last Effort on the stage:

Of actors who have Jagged too long upon
the stage, the last days Of Edmund Kean
are, perhaps, quite as p.iful as any. Do
ran, in his Annals Of the Stage, tells the
substance of all this story in the following
extract about the later days Of Edmund
Kean:
II shall not soon forge, that January
night Of 1927, on v hich he re appeared at
Drury Lane in Shylock. A rush 50 fear.
ful, an audience 50 packed, reconcil;a-
ton SO comp!e>e, acting 50 fault!ess, q
dramatic enjoyment so exquisite. never
experienced Nothing was heeded-in-
deed, the scenes we're passed over until
Shylock was to appear. and have ht ard
no such shout since as that greeted him.
Fire, strength, bcau'y-every quality Of
the actor-seemed to have acquired fresh
life. l. was all deceptive, however Tho
actor was all but extinyuished, after this
convulsive but seemingly natural effort.
lie lay ia bed at the Hummuus Hotel all
day. amusing himself melancholy with his
Indian gewgaws, and striving to find a
healthy tonic in 'cognac.' While immo.
a'ing himself, he still clung to hope Of
rescue; and he strove to create one moro
new character. Ben Nazir, in Mr.. Colly
Gratteu tragedy OF that name. His
power OF memory was gone; but be bad
fa,uitous idea that be had mastered
his par.
To those who saw him from the frcut
there was not trace Of weakening Of any
power in him. But, oh, ye few who stood
between the wings where a chair was
placed for him, do you not remember the
saddening spectacle of that wrecked genius
"A man in his very prime, with not merely
the attributes Of age abou, him, but with
some the inirnitics of it, which are wont
to try the heart of love itself? Have you
forgotten that helpless, speech'ess, fainting
mass bent up in that chair; or the unsavo.
ry odo: Of tha. very tr> wn, very hot, aud
very strong brandy and water, which alone
kept alive the ohce noble Moor? Ave.
and still noble Moor, for when his time
came, he looked Abou. as from dream
and sighed, and painfully got to his feet,
swayed like column in an earthquake,
and in not more time than is required ia
the telling Of it, was before the audience.
as strong and as Intellectually beautiful as
Of old; but o"ly happy in the applause,
which gave him ',tle breathing space,
and saved him from falling dead upon
the stage.
He aroused himself to make his last
| appearance, as i proved, on the stage, ia
injunction with his son, in Othclo, Mr..
Chas. kean playing lngo. The night was
the 25;h Of March, 1888 Edmund Kean
was so shattered in frame :ha: hc had
scarcely strength to pass over the dress Of
the Moor; so shattered in nerve tha, be
dreaded some disaster. Brandy gave some
little heart to greatly fallen actor, but he
anxiously enjoired bis son t. be ever near
him, in case Of some mischauce, and he
went thsougd the part dying as he went,
till after giving the sweet utterance, as OF
OLD, to the celebrated Farewell ending
with 'Othelio's occupat,on's gomez be
attempted 10 utter the next speech, and in
the attempt fell on his sons shoulder, with
a whispered moan, attn dying-speak to
them for me = The curtain here descend.
ed on him forever, and the rest was only
slow death, with intervals Of pc"
>---
The EATRAvAGAST STYLE. extrav.
aeances Of style-simle or hyperbole run
mad are Old aud familiar, but are still in
use. Curran describes a politician as
one who, buoyant by putretaction, rises
as he ro,s.' BeIthazer Gratian, in discus.
slug the recondi'e subject Of mental phil.
olnphy, says: thoughts flow from tho
extensive coast Of Memory, embark on
the sea Of lmag'na,; n, arrive at the port
Of Genius, to be registered at the custom.
house of the Understanding" Mather
says: We often chi!dshly cry for a knife
TO cat the fingers Of our souls A Ger.
man writer says thot yonns girl is fish.
ing rod i; the eyes are the hook, the smile
the bait, the lover Tie eaJs seon, and mar.
,iase The batter in which he is fried. A
young gentleman once began romance
in the fgura,I,e style:
| "Albert rode with the speed Of an at.
| row to the garden. sprang like the wind
! from bis s,eed. like squirrel over the
hedge wri,hed like a snake through tho
| pal,ngs, few like hawk 10 the arbor.
| crep, up to her all unseen, threw himself
passiona,ely at her feet, swore fyanticallv
that he would shoot himself, was however
Immediately heard, seated himself in
! blessed delight at her side, sank on b,r
bosom. swan in a sea Of blss-all thia
va. the work of A second