, 1872-12-22
From Our Opn Correspondent.

was inefably Forests superior; and young peo-
pie who have been taken with the greater mod
esty Of later and more effeminate actors. may
endeavor to compare the production of recent
pieces with this huge old mans readings but,
after Ill the dispute, and notwithstanding his
excess OF heavy and almost brutal force, person
al irnmodeBty in the competitions ofpriVate life,
and nearly inhuman qualities Of ee1f-estimation
and resentment, Forrest is the American actor
He has exercised that marvellous power over
the imagiuations of boys and young people,
which was exetted in the days of his prime, over
people at 1a1ge, by idiosyncratic statesmen.
It amuses us, in our day, to read of Tom Ben
ton, and John Randolph, and even Mr. Clay,
roaring away at ordinary people as it they had
special privileges On this earth.
FoRnEsT's coScET.
, ,FoEestar1ogated to himself as much greatness
as any Of these statesmen. When deferred to
fully and wholly, he capable Of kindly
moods and Of spasmodic fits Of generosity. But
his life was bounded by applause, from the time
he heard the first clap and shout when he
tumbled in the saw-dust, down to that unhappy
day Just before his death, when he read Shak-
speare to email audiences, and, seeming to ap-
preciate his Decline met his end as suddenly 80
Mr. Greeley. He lived. and moved, and had his
being, only to be considered q man OF as much
merely impersonated. The actors life is very
epl to be captured By the author whose phrases
poetry be such, does :, :uten man eyer ,4a
For1es. would Won not % hsvo anybody an say that he vas
not the greatest q s'Macbeth," the greatest
ss Romeo,S the greatest "Hamlet,' etc, which
ever Lived: He never wanted to inquire into his II
his pieces were being mouthed by people afraid
Of Lis enormous will, many Of whom basked IN
his sunshine and never told him the
truth for thirty or forty years: L his
LIE be written, it should not be written by any
Of these persons, but by some one who can do
full Justice to the actor sufficient justice to tho
man, and more justice to his times than to
either.
My acquaintance With Mr: Forrest vas ehort,
and it remains amongst my quaintcst 1eminis-
cences. I had lived in the admiration and the
dread Of him. He had retired from the stage
for several years about the time that came TO
the surface aad began to inquire beyond my
Z family and playmates; and, when first. went to
the theatre, and was captured by its gorgeous
scenery and the heroic motions Ct the people on
the stage, was met at every corner ny come
older person saying THAT ls nothing 70 Esa 20
the statement that he could stick up his hatchet,
when he threw it on the stage in " Metamora,"
nine times out OF ten; that he could drag
ssLucul1us" by the scruR of the neck, With two
fingers, from fly to fly, and sometimes precipitate
him SO violently into the blanket below that
the mans bones would stick through it. In
short, nobody could see play or an actor but
some fellow would start up and e1clalm, For
rest !" and then al the human faculties were at
once 5enumbed. He exercised an appalling in
auence In theatrical matters down to the day Of
his death, when the drama in America Was 80
sp1endidly established that We can produce the
plays of Shakespeare in New York better than
Macready had ever attempted to display them.
This mar's name unnerged truer artists. His
personal life also had passed the limits Of the
stage, and become 3 feature In such great occa-
sions as the Astor place riot, and II COURTS OF
Justice, where names like Willis and O'Conor
we're put inicriorly to his Own. It may be doubt
ed whether any male actor, Garrick excepted,
ever had such associates, and certainly none
ruled them so absolutely.
FIRST MEETING WITH H1M.
In 1861, Mr. Forrest. after i've yea1s retire.
Dent, appeared upon the stage again, and COM
1nauded the attention of his old and long host
Of admirers. When he opened in New York, at
Niblo's, people came from Boston and all parts Of
the country to renew their former appreciation Of
him In the interim, class Of critics and
= youngsters had grown up, who were not under
the glamour Of his old reputation !; and, while
and appearance. he drew vast houses, and made
more money during the period Of the War
than at any other time in his life
He came to Philadelphia, where he o. Vas 5 the
urdi1uted measure OF home-appreciat1on,
and there lie played splendid
engagement. It Was late In November, or per-
haps about the first of December, 1861, when bis
pniladelphia engagement commenced; and the
proprietor of the paper which employed me,
1aying maintained cordial relations with Forrest
gnce ooyhood was afraid that the professional
caitic-nn aged EnSlshman, fnu Of Erejudlee
wlLch would call down Forests wrath. At this
distance NAV point as a high compliment to
Forests force Of character, that his mere wrath
could affect the operations Of large daily jour
Ill at 41,a
and ameuable to wholesome restraint, the pro-
prietor ssnt word to me that he would like For
rests performances carefully written up, but
under no circumstances should indulge in
critical mood. I accepted the work IN the
genuine spirit OF he1o-worahip, for fully be-
Ieved in this man before I had ever met him
FIRST SIGHT OF TIE OGRE.
The opening piece was s'Hamlet,"'- "a part
sembliug rather male-dowager than Prince.
wrote column or two On his first perform
ance, in which there was very little butter, but
good deal Of oil; and the vain actor believed, I
insread Of laborious attempt to Keep within
i tho limits Of puffery without appearing to be
entirely funkey- He was really q splendid
reader at that time; and saw him nine years
with beauty, depth, and resonance Of voice
which arc marvellous now in my memory.
Nature grandly endowed him,-too splendialy
in fact, so that, when old age came,
tie intensity which may have looked beauty in
time OF youth had become excessive, and
touched prosaic people as coarse and redundant
There was this, however, in the man, which
made him Prince, Commander, and Ring: abso-
1ute belief that he was as great q parsonage in
fact rs the king1y people he impersouated.
When I had written my sketches Of his
Hamlet hls assistant, John McCullough,-
now tile proprietor OF tho California Theatre,
which is one Of the best theatres in the country,
told me- that Forrest Eas tickled with these