The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-12
Anecdots OF enc EIder nooth.

Mr.. Elihu Burritt contributes 70 the Feb
ruary number OF Pdckdrd's MoRthly an inte-
resting article, under the title of "Breathing
a Living Soul into Dead Words" in which the
following anecdote is told of the elder Booth:-
1.-THE elder Booth was man who threw
into his impersonations an amount Of heart
and soul which his originals could scarcely
have equalled. He did "Richard HIP 10 the
life, and more. He had made human passions,
emotions, and experiences his life study. He
could not only act but feel rage, love, despair,
hate, ambition, fury, hope, and revenge with
depth and force that half amazed his auditors.
He could transmute himself into the hero of
his impersonation, and he could breathe q
power into other mems written words which
perhaps was never surpassed. And what
is rather remarkable, when he was inclined
to give illustrations of this faculty to private
circles OF friends, he nearly always selected
some passages from Job, David, or other holy
men of old. When an aspiring young pro-
fessor of Harvard University went to him by
night, to ask little advice or instruction in
qualifying himself for an orator, the veteran
tragedian opened the Bible and read few
verses from Isaiah in a way that made the
Cambridge scholar tremble with awe, as If the
prophet had risen from the dead and were
uttering his sublime visions in his ears.
He was then residing in Baltimore, and
pious, urbane old gentleman of that city, hear
ing OF his wonderful power of elocution, one
day invited him to dinner, although strongly
deprecatipg the stage and all theatrical per-
formances.
ga large company sat down to the table,
and on returning to the drawing room one of
them requested Booth, as a special favor to
them all, to repeat the Lords Prayer. He
signiied his willingness to crafty them, and
all eyes were fixed upon him. He slowly and
reverentially arose from his chair trembling
W ia nm rda n tNUO Ho
had to realize the character, attributes, and
presence of the Almighty Being he was to ad-
dress. He was to transform himself into
poor, SHINING, stumbling, benighted, needy
suppliant, Offering homage, asking bread,
pardon, light and guidance. Says one OF the
company present:-It was wonderful to watch
the play of emotions that convulsed his coun-
tenance. He became deathly pale, and his
eyes, turned tremblipgly upwards, were wet
with tears. AS yet he had not spoken. The ST.
lence could be felt; il had become absolutely
painful until at last the spell was broken as il
by an electric shock, as his rich-toned voice,
from white lips, syllabled forth Our Father,
which art in heaven, etc, with pathos and
fervid solemnity that thrilled all hearts. He
finished; the silence continued; not a voice
was heard nor a muscle moved in his rapt au-
dience, until, from remote corner OF the
room, a subdued sob was heard, and the old
gentleman (the host) stepped forward, with
streaming eyes and tottering frame, and
seized Booth by the hand Sir, said he, in
broken accents, you have afforded me plea
sure for which my whole future life will feel
grateful. l am an old man, and every day,
from boyhood to the present time, thought
had repeated the Lords Prayer; but never
heard it before; never
"'You are right, replied Booth. ITO read
that prayer as it should be read caused me
the severest study and labor for thirty years,
and / am far from being satisfied with my
rendering of that wonderful production.
Hardly one person in ten thousand oompre-
hends how much beauty, tenderness, and
grandeur can be condensed in a space 80 small
and in words SO simple. The prayer itself
sufficiently illustrates the truth of the Bible,
and stamps upon it the seal of divinity 80
great was the effect produced says our in
formant, that conversation was sustained but
a short time longer, in subdued monosylla-
bles, and almost entirely ceased; and soon
after, at an early hour, the company broke up
and retired to their several homes, with sad
faces and full hearts, "