The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-07-20
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4 1t Is o pittabte thing for u man 10 base DIS
idea of himself OF, ii chance likeness to some
famous person. wonder how many lives
have been wrecked on tile rock OF n personal
resemblance TO Edwin Booth. A fine young
fellow from New York, who had ssfrequcntly
been mistaken for Mr.. Booth, made his
| debut In Ourtowna few years ago III the
character Of Hamlet. Having heard some
thing about him, called upon him ut the
hotel during the afternoon preceding the
first performance. His enthusiasm was beaE-
tiful. He had never rehearsed upon stage,
but he had gone through the play over and
over again in his own room, using the chains
TO represent Ophcli,, Horatio, and the rest.
He knew it was bold venture, but he hadn't
the slightest fear, he said.
Ghost of Shakespeare, what Il Hamlet 1t
was / could not blame the gallery for in
sisting upon regarding the entertainment
throughout as light comedy. The tragedy
lay too deep for their ken.
Another BOotli-bcdcyicd youth used TO
haunt in melancholy attitudes the corridors
of the Winter Garden while his ilustricus
double was playing Hamlet there. After the
tragcdian cut his hair and developed into 4
prosperous and chccfiu,-faced manager, the
fellow must have looked more like Booth
than Booth did himself.
Perhaps you have reason to remember
that amiahle young man, not unknown in
this nciShbnrhood,. who was distracted from
Il useful and honorable career by all llnfur-
tunatc resemblance to the Ctandus portrait.
Alb me! there was an cXcellcnt-ict me
say-tailor ruined to make Il ylainous poet.
The last time | saw him was at the unvailtng
Of Wards wonderful statue at the Ccntru
Park. His hat was pushed back from his
forehead, and (aftcr he had run his fingers
casually through his hair once or twice. the
likeness to that noble bronze head was really
remarkable. But | lad Il great pity for the
young lady who was sitting by him, and to
whom they say he is engaged.
a frighttul example of the evil that might
be wrought by personal resemblance, such
as we have been noticing, is furnished b.
that ancient wandering mountebank whose
indubitabIc likeness TO most Of the cXtant
portraits of the Father Of his Country leads
the bcholdcr TO acknowledge certain fitness
in his anachroui>tic attire, -kncc-brccclleS,
cooked hat, canary. cplorcd waiStcoat, and
all,-and to look with charity upon the as
sumption of the clSly-suggested title
esprit OF '7G." But it is when the hoary
headed rogue adds to this patriotic cogno-
men that of the "Great Matrimonial Pro-
mo;cr," vcnds cheap photographs ut excellent
profits, and with his little electric apparatus
prctcnds to work miracles upon the human
system, adding the lcguilcmcnt of Il free
grab in the bag that you discover the
Spirit of -, and wonder how many of the
| old sinners lies are to be laid at the doUr of
his immaculate prototype.
1t is fortunate that there are some who can
mastcrthc illusions of resemblance. THERE'S
my friend Brown, tie well-known publisher;
notwithstanding he is constantly bowed to on
Broadway and in the Park, under the suppo-
Sition that it is none other than certain IL
luStriols statesman, who shall be namelesS,
he stcadEl>tly declines to consider himself Il
great man, and has gone no farther into poll
tics than TO allow his name TO be used i'll Il
respectable list Of forty vicc-prcsidcnts ut Il
late political demonstration An obscure
Shakespeare of whom we Wot has never per-
mitted himself so much us Il sonnet, and to-
day is making excellent cheese in 4 western
State; and village Booth, of the genuine
type, had tho manincSs to spoil the Likeness
bv raising IL mollstachc aud entering upon the
scientific cultivation of vegetables and nall
fruits.--Th OH Cabinet, IN S;rtinr,s for
ti1IiSt.