The New York herald., 1872-12-13

parts like these he was fain to be content quit
the profession, and he went TO the backwo0ds to
pay whatever was required OF him. He
took his first benefit at Dayton, Ohio,
IN the character Of Tag. playing to $40 4o.n
rms money was paid over to his landlady
Ior board and In company with an acquaintance,
the aspiring tragedian started for Cincinnati on
foot, without cent in his pocket. He walked to
that city, distance OF sixty miles, in day and at
eight O'Clock In the evening entered the Globe
Theatre, where the manager expressed great
pleasure In meeting him, and remarked at once
"The house is ful Mr. Forrest, ana my leading
man has failed TO keep his engagement. will you
take his placer" yes" said Mr. Forrest, ''ror
manager "Ffve dollars" said Forrest. .You
shall have it, rejoined the manager; and, said
Mr: Forrest - never have seen the time when
was all had.n
MR. F0RREsr's EARLY DRAMATIC TRAINlNG-AP-
PEARANCE IN NEW YORK.
IL may be said that Mr.. Forrest acquired the
ease, the depth and the force OF his style acting
In his s s he
played tragedy, comedy, farce and pantomime.
lie acquired such facility and confidence that he
was RAPIDLY advanced to higher tasks, and ne i'm
proved with every effort Attracting the attention
OF Mr.. Caldwell, OF New Orleans, he went to that
city from the West, where he remained about o
year, when he accepted an engagement rom Mr..
Gilfert, the Charleston manager. At the latter
place a en- ms acting was witnessed by Edmund kean.
was among the trst to proclaim young FORESTS
merits Short engagements at Philadelphia and
both places, he made his first appearance in this
city AZ the Bowery theatre on the first Monday OF
November, 1896. These years had been years OF
growth. lie had maturcd IN mind ana method.
In hs person not less than in his spirit nature had
stamped her choicest gifts lie had a form OF
grand proportions. His head was massive and his
face fun OF expression. His voice was equally
wonderful for Its range and intonaton. Eminently
u tragedian his first appearance here was made In
the rival OF kean, and since the death OF the latter
the actor whose rendition came nearest the poets
meaning OF any which has been seen in modern
times His success was great and immediate. In
an hour he sprung to the very height OF his repua
tiOn, and the commendati0n Of his acting was loud
and UNIVERSAL Yet for q time failure seemed i'm
minent. The opening scenes were tame and
with the actor Over-anxiety was fast losing him
his opportunity when, suddenly recovering his
enthusiasm, and carried his auditors from scene to
scene Till the curtain Tell upon triumph which
has seldom been surpassed. 1t said at the time
| that IN the earnest, uncOmpOunded feeling OF the
Moor-the frank spirit, the manly bearing and the
depth OF passionate attachment-there was much
that was partaken by the man, ana perhaps his
| success was less assumption than positive identity
During TINS engagement he also appeared as Mac
| beth Hamlet and other ShakspearIan characters
and secured for himself not only great popularity
but enduring fame.
TIE TEN YEARS OF TRIUMPH.
The ten years following Mr. FORESTS appearance
at the Bowery Theatre may be called the decade OF
his greatest triumph. He played constantly re-
other characters In this and the leading cities of
the country, acquiring fortune as rapidly as
Hamlet aud Richard iii. were among his most
prominent representations, but he also appeared
IN number Of plays oy Amerlcaa M authors the
ten for the actor by John A. Stone the Gladiator"
by Dr. Bird, aud "I8rutus," by J. Howard Payne.
The part OF Metamora and that OF Spartacus in the
'Gadiator' continued to he among his most sue
cessul performances. One o the first uses OF his
means acquired by his constant work in the
OF q house in Philadelphia for his mother
and sisters furtner use of his wealth was in
making trip abroad, and between 1884 and 1885
he travelsed the Whole OF Europe and part OF
Asia. On the eve Of his departure he was invited
to pubic dinner by his admirers, headed by Cham
celor McCoum, who, alter recording in the warm
est manner the various grounds for such tribute,
which displayed his bust in profile surrounded by
the words. "Histrioni Optimo Edwno Forrest,
viro prastant" and the reverse q figure Of the
genius OF Tragedy with the significant text from
Shakespeare, 'Great In Mouths OF Wlsest Censure!n
MR. FORREST IN ENGLAND.
On his return to England IRON his tour through
Europe and Asia Mr.. Forrest accepted an engage
ment at the Drury Lane Theatre and made a great
compelled to taste the bitterness of uisappoint.
ment, for his first appearance In England was made
October II, 1885 in the Gladiator. ana the play
| proved failure. OtheO followed, and he
| played II for twelve nights in succession with
loltiness, manness, pathos and passion that
| His transitions from the most tender exhibitions
4 Of love to the most terrible spasms OF jealousy
|
1 OF the actor became worldwide and 1t will last as
| long as Kean's or Kemble's. Nine years afterward
Mr.. Forrest again went to England, but without
professional views, his object being only to rest
! rom his labOrs at home. He was not long in Eng
land however, till overturcs were made to him for
another engagement In London, and he again ap-
peared as Othell0 at the Princess Theatre in Feb
ruary, lS45. The theatre was crowded with
| highly expectant audience, bu. the result was an
other disappointment, this time in the character in
! which he had previously carried everything before
him. Macbeth followed, and it was greeted with
In hia hirA Y0Ffn rrQn nna fhnf n n ~
| Lcar--Mr. Forrest resumed his former power aud
renewed his old success. An English writer, speak
| ing on this matter with as much iorhearance
as could reasonably be expected, says:-"lt is
| well known that MIR. Forrest referred this treat.
ment to " CONSPIRACY, ana r even traced It to the
present. confess we were forced to opposite
conclusion, and could only consider what we wit
messed as an unavoidable result. MIR. Forests
style on this occasion, strange to say. was wholly
changed. 1t had none OF its old earnestness and
quick electric passion, but seemed, on the con-
trary to he an elaborate endeavor at repcse an
abandonment OF the school OF kean and a going
| over to that OF Kembe-but without giving the
compensations which the latter Is said to have
dered.n
THE AsToR PLACE RIOT,
It Is well known that the actor here referred to
is Macready. Whether Forrest was right or wrong
in his surmises makes little difference or any
in Itself to produce the events which occurred in
this country few years later When Macready
disposition on the part OF FORESTS friends not
to allow him TO play. This feeling was first
1 eXhlbteu IN Pnllddelpna, Out, asi0e from lew
Kisses, no actual violence was attempted upon the
| English tragedan. In New York, however, the
feeling was much deeper and Mr.. Forrest himself
did much by his letters on the original difficulty,
/ to precptate the rot The gst Of hts accusations
were that Macready had induced Forster, the critic
OF the London Erdnater, to write against him :and
1t s certain that mucn That was said OF his acting
was exceedingly hostile. The riot occurred May ~.
ls49. on the Monday evening previous Macrcady
| was driven from the stage. On Wednesday q num-
| Der OF gentlemen united IN note to the actor,
| GREETING the occurrence and asking him to appear
again. This he agreed to do on the following even
ing but his enemies were loud In their threats II
| lie made the attempt. As early as half-past six
| people began to assemble round the theatre, and
soon every avenue IN the neighb0rhoo was densciy
crowded. Astor place was nlied by an immense
| the dome. When the curtain rose there
was an 0utburst OF hisses and gr0ans,
and Macready's appearance was the signal
| Tor another great explosion OF feeling. But the
play proceeded through the first two acts without
| much violence. Four young men In the parqnet