The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-06-14
EDWIN BOOTH AND THE LOUISIANA
SUFFERERS.

The Richmond Enquirer, some weeks ago,
animadverted very severely upon the unfavor'
able and churlish reply of Mr.. Edwin Booth,
the actor, to tie appeal made to him directly
by certain representatives of the people OF
Louisiana to lend his valuable aid in the
work of raising funds for the relief of the
sufferers by the flood. The New York Herald
replied in an article under the caption of
.'Genteel Backmailing," defending the &C
| ton of Booth. To which the Enquirer re.Orts
on the 9TH inst.
| The following is an extract:
We declared that Mr.. Booth, Miss Cnsh-
man, and all the great actors, owe everything
to the favor Of the public. They have their
reputation, and that is their fortune; for
"an established name is IN estate in tenure,
| throne in possession" And while We
would be the last to declare that the public
had not received something valuable in re-
turn, yet we are far from willing to assent
to the Herdlds proposition that it is their
debtor Let us examine into the matter a
| little closer, and see if we cannot strike an
equitable balance sheet. Mr.. Booth began
his career some twenty Years ago, and, We
think, in the city of New Orleans. He in
d lOItuuc Ills ldtucI, III tudt
fathers name and fame, and that was
about all the claim he had to public
favor. On his fathers reputation he did
a thriving business, and in time grew rich
| became millionaire. He at length, after
the full enjoyment of its fruits, lost his
| wealth by indiScree. investments. This
was not the fault of the public, and was
something with which it had nothing what
ever to do. He had the money, and it was
| given to him as much from good feeling and
veneratiOn for his father on the part of TIE
public as for the pleasure or qualification he
himself was able to inpart in return. His
father had been idolized by the South and
his whole family were claimed by us as u
part and parcel of our Southern family and
Edwin Booth would only have had to ap-
pear in any city from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande to secure a crowded house for
every night in the year. His father had
played the last time he ever did play at
the Old St. Charles Theatre in
New Orleans, and never did any actor
receive so grand an ovation on this continent
as was then accorded him. Three days after
he died on the calm bosom OF this same Mis-
sisslpp and in the very midst of the theatre
of its present desolation and suffering. The
man whose name headed Thu committee,
Governor Paul @. Hcbert, was then Gov
VI LpuiotdHh. anu NHO" tuC
well, and having the circumstances of his
devotion to that valley in which lie found
hospitable grave and Of the love the people
had manifested for him stored in his memory,
he addressed the son, believing that .e
would eagerly seize upon such an oppor-
tunity to lend his assistance to his old friends
in the South, and to assure them of his re-
membrance and sy mpathy. But they were
mistaken. They received not only stern,
but churlish denial, which was only calcu-
lated to cause them to regret they had eyer
applied to Mr.. Edwin Booth at all, but had
not rather sought some actor of lesser note,
but of greater charity.
And now, as tor all these distinguished
artisls, who, during the past few ears have
built up their great fortunes upon the
wreck of our Southern managers and the
ruin OF our humber actors, whose merits
have been forgotten or lost in sight amid
the glare and glamour Of the high reputa-
lions made TOO often by the injudiciOus
praise of the press. or by that species Of
paid pufftry which is the reproach Of the
times and an insurmountable obstacle in
the pathway of all true merit,-as for all
such, we repeat, We can only say it looks
very unkind in these favorites of fortune to
turn and sting the bosom that has warmed
them into life. and then make virtue of
their ingratitude!