New-York tribune., 1869-06-22
TIE DRAMA.
/" eNocH ARpEN Ar Ronrn,s ,

l.
true. Told in the painest prose 1t would cause
une heartache. Told in Tennyson's silver vera, s%
frances the Imagination and almost breaks tbs t Ia
No one Is TO be enyied who can read II with Come
No one need pretend to comprehension OF poetic e..
who cannot discern, through its golden medn,S
luminous mind which knows the universal human h.'
and the artistskll which shapes that kpow,s1s
into symmetrical poems OF truth ana -"
There are touches OF the poets sublmas9
power in "Enoeh Arden" which even tug
nyson has surpassed: the Iona -,
vision, for examples the solitude of Enoch watrbn.'
ocean, his tropical island" so STILL the golden ,
on him paused :" the poor sailors spiritual bea5na'
the bells Of home, wheTeat he shudders under ns,
dread OF calamity the slow shaking Of the gray be.S
EnOeh answers cast away and LOST to the story 10
self when told by MuiaB, Lane the prayer OF the ss
martyr, prone upon tie wet earth, and under the No.
sky after he has seen the happiness OF the hous ,'
once was his but must know him no more -,
lastly his bequest OF the curl OF bis dead ,p,.a,s
hair to her who In life is never
see him again. Lear, In his tremendous 49,.
on the tempest-beaten heath, Is a more majestic a.,
awful figure bnt be is less grand aud less pathetic ~
this poor humble lOwy sailor who exempldes that u
abnegaton Of SELF for loves sake, which is the create,
heroism possible to human nature Cold must the hear
be that cannot sympathize with him in his great ane
and his noble seeonquest and sacrificed Tame and dug
must the mind be, that is not lifted, by the thought a.
such moral grandeur and manly fOrtitude TO loiyha
OF magnanimity and generous emotion One thing oslv
seems wanting in the conduct OF EnOth Arden TO NAH
him absolutely Christike in his martyrdom- which Il
that he should have died and made sign. Human an
durance has its limits, however, and are not ansr
We may we'll be content with the ideal as It stands-b
ever beautiful In the of Of the poets eve,
sent on earth. That ideal presented, last night al
Booths Theater, In very simple, sweet, and natural
manner, by Mfr Edwin Adams, whose pcrsonaton Of
Enoch Ardsn-then seen in New-York for the arst time
will hereafter keep its place in our memory with thoE
few sincere and noble efforts of acting which have given
strength and Joy TO u.s. in other days and cndearea Ia
/ stage as the vehicle of a great and delightful ar,
There 10 Reed We presume, for us to rehearse the h
cidents Of Enoch Ardens experience; how he left hi.
wife and children and went to to seek their fortune
how he suffered spwreck, and cast upon lone and
uninhabited island IN the tropical ocean how after a
years Of solitary captivity he rescued and brougf
home by passing ship; how he then found that his wife
deeming herself widow, had married another, and was
happy in a home; how thereupOn he kept his
dwelling unrecognizedso changed was he by hardship
and sueringin sequestered obscure, waterside tay.
ern where in little while he died These incidents Of
most touching story, say, familiar to most readers
Of current literature To be reminded Of them, thoun
Is to see very distinctly. humble parsonage, who
nobler than kings and dearer TO memory than the heroes
Of old romance At first he comes before us as rou
sailors lad, made orphan by winter shipwreck"-a
grown to young manhood bold and skilful fsherman
and coaster the frequent of life from the pels
the sea- admired for his frank manhness and simple hoa
esty. Then, loved by Annie Lee, the prettest
girl in the seaside village-and her he makes
his wife. Then, the strong man and brave sailor.
taking the path Of duty and turning his back on
happiness. He is not man OF great intellectual gifts,
but he can hear and obey the voice Of duty whatsoever
be the sacrifice 1t demands Next see him, Oh that
brilliant island Of anguish "longhalred," "long-
bearded" "hardly human" thinking on his home. and
waiting with steadfast eyes. Last OF all, white haired
feeble shrunken old man, he lies down to die In tie
watersde tavern Of hsi native village, aud We
hear him feebly murmur, Ny God has bowed me down
to what am Not till his heart has ceased to beat will
the secret be known. Kind gentle, true-and fct
her sake, strong-he suffers in silence tl
the bitter end, and wins heaven by deserving IL
finer lesson was never taught than
taught in the poem that presents this hero, whered
the play that was acted last evening, at Booths
Theaer is an eeho It is veact piece written by The
late Nine Julie dc Marguerites. Ireproduces IN exact
sequence the chief situations OF the original work Ad
first shows the Cornish village on the sea coast and re-
ates the wooDg aud marriage Of EHoeh Arden and ANHt
Lee and the consequent disappointment Of Philip Rag
Act second shows the married lovers In adversely seven
years later and closes with EHochS departue on ths
cruise TO China Act third recOunts what befell AhH
after he had gone in the long lapse OF ten eventual yean
This act closes with her vision wherein she bohods As
lost one under PALM and takes this sign that heh
In Heaven Act Fourth represents the tropical isle and
closes with Enoehs rescue Act Fifth brings him homs
| again This is the best act Of the drama-for in this
EnOch converses with Miriam Lane the hostess goes 70
look upon the home that can more be his reveals
his 10 MiriaH and comes to his deathbed In ih
| eliminating climax the play varies from the poem. An
ME with EnOchs children, and other friends gather
around him at the last and Reuben sailor recognizing
the dying man. is about to speak his name, when isa
from Miriam checks his utterance II will be seen that
! the play is simple in its construction The simplicity
however very rarely degenerates into ameness OlU
| the salient points or the story are presented
| The movement is rapid-though, last night the waits
were very long The language Of the play is defective
in being medley of and prose. II should be one
or the other-prOse being far preferable Music Is dey
introduced to brighten the effect Of the wedding festyi
ties wherewith the drs act closes and also TO enhance
the picturesque charm Of the nutngscene, In act td
| wherein Annie Arden is wooed by Philip Ray morris
dance also embellishes this act Ample advantage ha'
been taken OF the opportunity offered for the setting oi
handsome scenery. Mr. WItbam the artist, in a land
scape singularly fehctous both to color and accuracy
of detail has almost literally reproduced the seaside set
tement described in the opening lines OF Tennysons
poem. Mr. Mnard Lewis has been equally successful II
his gorgeous picture Of the tropical isle set for act fourth
! Inasmuch, however, as thought and feeling
| arc more than color, we found more 70
| admire in the lovely p.cture-irom tho
| brush Of the same artist-of the home of Philip and
Annie as seen by the outcast under cover of the night
The play Introduces eleven persons and arge number oil
auxiares. Onlyour Of the parties are prominently I'M
portant-Enoch Annie Lee, Phtp Ray, ana HIRAM Lane
These were acted by Mr. Edwin Adams Miss Blanche dc
Bar Mr. Frank Lawler, and Miss Fanny Morant In the
first two acts of the drama Mr. Adams did no more thah
he has often done before lie was the complete embod
ment of fine, manly, generous, freeand-easy saor-a'
first all gaety but by and by dulled ana sobered by care
In the last two acts however he deeply impressed Us W
| his command OF pathOs. Euochs desolaton on inc
lonesome Island was expressed out OF the most intense