Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-12-14

Personal "Reminiscences knduranco-His
Business -Habits-Hia Lonely Life, ETC., Etc.
Special Correspondence ofd.e Commercial: :
- ~ Y T.. JPHLADEPHIA, Dec. IS.
The death Of Mr.. Forrest is an event not on
ly OF local but of national Importance. For full
twenty-five years Forrest regned supreme in
the American Theatre. This term does not by
any means cover his actual service, but take
his great middle career, from 1885 to 1860. Be-
fore the FIRST date he did not hold undisputed
ground, nor has he altogether held it in the last
decade. Previous to 1885 number of the old ac-
tors were in high popularity notably the lustri-
GUS Cooper, and since 1860 the rising young men,
especially Edwin Booth, pressed the veteran
hard. 1 speak only of entire supremacy OF
tri umph without opposition. Neither Edwin
Booth or Thos. A. Cooper approach, or ever did
approach Forrest, in essential greatness, but
they have served at times to devide
| the general applause. But for
a. fair quarter OF a century, Forrest stood
| quite alone and without a rival. In saying this
| / do not overlook the genius OF the Elder Booth
but that strange man, although his performances
at times were unexcepuonSby great, was 90 err
| ratio that he gave no form to the dramatic his
| tory OF his time John r. Scott was another OF
| the wayward geniuses of Forests prime who
might have done much greater things than he
| ever did do, and there was young man named
Augustus Adams who showed the highest oapAc-
| ties and who we have the word OF Forrest him =
| self for declaring would have been one of the
greatest OF American actors II he had lived. In
few words however we have here summary
| Of Mr.. Forests professional Life. IL must not
| be forgotten that he was one Of the leading
''Stars Of the country as early as 1880. This
| Is the tremendous career (perhaps the longest
| forhigh and uninterrupted Successes on recotd in
/ any country that has finally come to close.
IL is an Extraordinary reflection, that notwith-
standing MIR. Forests never waning popularity,
his hold upon the best spirit Of the age, and the
recognition by the best judges OF his excellence
| in his art, that he is even yet misunderstood.
The deeply rooted notion is that he was what il
has been the fashion to term muscular" ac-
tor, - that is, that he depended for his effects
| up1r displays OF physical force and the vehe-
ment expression Of feeling. Never was there a
greater mistake. II is true he was q master in
| the portrayal of emotion but his real claim upon
criticism, and all that is worth anything to his
| success, il by reason Of his intellect. As vel
call Sir Walter Scott a muscular novelist, be-
cause he happened to be six feet high. Nature
had formed Forrest in ample mould, and al
though In his earlier days the overfowing vigor
Of youth may have led him into an exuberanot
| OF expression, his acting taken whole was
| eminently intellectual - by which Imean that il
was thoroughly studied and worked out from his
own ideas OF character aud by comparison with
other models. He did not trust blindly to nn.
educated and unframed feeling - the great
heights he reached In lear and OltelLo prove tina
he did not. But the world believes that he did.
It is safe to say that no actor has been uniYer
sally admired who WAS at the same time so i'm
NAV 20 on al greater length than some o
your readers will care IA, follow on this them o
but perhaps there may be some who will be in
terested in the recital Of an interview had viii
the great Tragedian few years ago. He was
acting at Niblo's. New York, at the time, AM
lodged at the Metropolitan Hotel, immediat
adjoining the Theatre. On being shown to hi
room saw Mr.. Forrest reclining on loung
with his right leg bandaged up to three times il
size and stretched upon chairs. In alarm
asked il he had met with any accident2 "Oh
: he replied, 81 have had another attack wit
this wretched leg the Doctor left prescrip
, | ton OF Harlem Oil to be rubbed on II
telling the quantity--a small portion, only
| to be used at each operation. The yer
' first time, my confounded stupid servan
= rubbed me down with the whole OF it. 1t wa
2 enough to kill horse" | supposed of cours
: act tonight, then" Why not ?" he replied
:" 1t is nearly we'll now. The mischief was don
q | a week ago. The skin was pretty we'll off m
1 leg but have acted every night. t."-And it wa
7; Just that kind of pluck that pulled him throug
Q his early fight with fortune. How we'll remem
Is ber his grim look as he made the speech Th
r incident shows one phase OF his character an
y another little point will illustrate the strictnes
Is ing a summons was made at the door, which b.
% ing granted there entered portly, butler-ls
) looking kind Of individual, who advancing to
little table at Mr.. Forests elbow, depo
@ tied a portentous roll OF banknote
b This Major Domo, l afterwards kne
ie | as the renowned MoArdle who acted in contide
r dental relations TO the tragedian for many year
ie The money he had brought in was the Stars sha
or Of the receipts for the previous night. b" ADO
as usual ?" asked Forrest " Rather better WI
the brief rejoinder. "Umph grunted the Ira
edian an ejaculation which might be constru'
"a, as expressing any emotion the hearer might "a
or cy. This then was his way OF taking care OF !
as money and of getting even with his manager
NJ A daily settlement--that was his motto. or q
he talk that followed l can hnd no further roo
he | but for this :-We were speaking OF King Leo
p and / asked him il he had ever given the pl
!. with the part of the Fool as in the original
said he never had, and that the matter was o.
of his small, or great, (that was the way ne
ec- it) worries. The great trouble he thought "
art to get the right kind Of actor to play the pa
'u- Cast to any one other t9an tne , risn. one,
he Fool was on in ALI the King 3 best SCENES 'Iht
is but one man know" said Mr.. Forrest cal
estly-and have never forgotten the rema
or his manner OF utterng Y, whom Wonla tr'
"a | with the part and that is Mr.. Henry Placide.
is more difficult-much more dnhcult-to
=, rightly than Lear himself. Placide NIGH do
L. but no one else could You do not need to
/ told OF the strength OF FORESTS preludices,
ltl this opinion is an evidence. recognized the
6culty in the path and the peculiarities Of te
tb- permanent and appreciation required, but
thought saw all the difficulties overcome in
case Of Mr.. Jefferson, and suggested that nan
AsI Mr. Forrest secuted the idea however, and 8
Jefferson could not possibly conceive the pa
ow. He also while expressing great admiration
oh. Edwin Booth, who he said had no soul
3al- Shakespeare They call Mr.. Booths Haml
INV a fine performance" but all he knows OF Han
ned is the acting edition. He never went TO-
he fountain head IN ms hIe, and ne never VIII -
are The reflection mat ! mentioned sonle ~