New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-06
A SKETCH OF THE ACTORS LIFE.


the sad intelligence Will come with a painful
shock to many minds. Mr.. Fechter a man of
genius and he might have led for many years yet
a gracious beautiful and benefccnt life. IL Is sad
to think that such faculties and such capacity
for usefulness should have given SO little happl-
ness to their possessor and so little beneht
TO the world Mr.. Fechter, once the idol
Of fashion IN the capitals Of France and England,
dying, at ifty-four, in an obscure town III
Pennsylvania, has passed away in comparative neg
ect, a disappointed and emblttered man, whom al
viii depore, but whom few will sincerely regret.
The reason Is obvious 10 all the world. lie was IN
tensely selfish devoured by self-esteem; arrogant
and sensual IN nature: and, though devoted 10 art
for the sake of its beauty and passion, conscious
OF no moral purpose TO be served in its ministra-
ton. There are some lives which create love and
difflse kindness. That of MIR Fechter con-
stantly attended with strife, bitterness, and trouble
Dickens. by whom he was greatly admired, said Of
him that he had perfect genius for quarIellng"
The defect was deeper than this. Ii was, perhaps,
the craze of genus. 1t certainly was a fatality of
eyil-and it has been the means of bringing an
ceptioDal life to shIpwreck aud premature end.
Charles Albert Fechter was born IN London, Eng
land, October %, 1924. His father, a native OF
France, was of German lineage; his mother, ma
tive of Flanders, was Of Italian lineage that In
him were united distinct and opposite characters
tics of race. In boyhood he was taken to France
and sent to school, for short time, at Boulogne
sur-Selne In 1910 he acted. in private theatrical
entertainments at the Sale Mohere," in Paris In
1871 he was a member of a strolling company that
acted in Florence In the same year he returned to
Paris, and, for a short time, studied at the Conser-
vatoire, with view to the Theatre Francais. The
next three years were devoted study of the art of
sculpture. In 1874 he made his debut at that the
atre as Seide in VOltaire's " Mahomet.' and subse
ouently he played Valere in MOliere's great COM
edy. He was next heard of at the Theatre Royal,
of Berlin, where he acted miscellaneous business,
under the management of NJ. St. Aubn. In 1S47
he again appeared in Paris, acting at the Vaude-
VILE and in the same year he took a theatrical com
pany over to London. In 1913 he filled third en-
gagement IN Paris, and from this time till 1850 he
was reigning favorite on the French stage. His
great success in those DAYS, was gained as armand
DuraL-in Lies Danes aux Cameas,"-of which
he was the original representative. In 1860, on
October o. he mode his debut IN English DIR anna
acting nj the Princess's Theatre, London, as Ruy
Bias Afterward he appeared in The COrsicda
Brothers, Don Cesar de Bdson, Hamlet and Othelio.
On the 9th of January 1863, he opened the Lyceum
Theatre, London, under his own management, with
The Dukes Motto"-adapted by John Brougham
and to act till the Autumuof1SG "Bel Dcmonio,"
Hamlet" "The Kings Butterfly" 1.-The Mounte-
bankD IL Belphegor' ~ THE Roadside Inn" "Ruy
Bias and 1.-THE Master of Ravenswood" were
among the pieces that be produced After leaving
the Lyceum he came out as Obenreizer in "NO
Thoroughfare," at the London Adelphi; and
subsequently he made professional tour of the
British provincial theatres. In 1870 he came to
America, appearing. January TO- atNblo's Theatre
as Rug Bias He afterwards acted Legardere ,Janu-
airy 26), and Hamlet February a. HIS next i'm
portant undertaking was the management Of the
Globe Theatre (which had been called SelwYn's, in
Boston, Here he was to bave unlimited sway, and
$4,000 year; but he had not been there long
before he quarrelled with James W. Wallack, ir.-
one of the most amiabc and best of men
and presently with Arthur Cheney, the proprietor.
The remainder of his career has been full of painful
vicissitudes. The Lyceum Theatre IN this city was
built for him-upOn the remains of the Old French
Theatre-but he did not open il. La 1874 he was
associated for a little while with the Park Theatre,
which was Opened-Apnl ID, with Loves Pen
anceD-under the management of William Stuart.
Here ne appeared in conjunction with Miss Lizzie
Price, whom he subsequently, married. lie retired,
after that time, to a farm which he had bought, in
Ouakertown, nnsylvania, where he now lies dead.
Three years ago Mr.. Fechter had the misfortune to
meet with a fall the Ice, which broke one Of his
legs; and since then his health has been infrm.
His last appearances IN New-York were made at the
Broadway Theatre in December 1877, and Janu-
ary. 1873 when he acted M0nte CristO. CbeHreizer,
Hamlet and Rug Bias; but these performances ex-
hiblted enfeebled powers and were environed with
imbecllity and they attracted but little attention.
AS an actor Mr. Fechter excelled in the domain of
mslodrama-by which is meant the drama Of stu
alton; and in this he required moments of conyul-
sive passion for the full display Of bis peculiar pow
ers. At such moments he became inspired with a
kind of frenzy-reckless and lawless. vet not un-
governed-which sometimes produced wonderful
effects upOn sensibillty and Inauguration, causing
intense excitement and suggesting splendid images
avenglng Fury or the dreadful ana mylnclbe
Fate. His performance OF the C0rs'eda Brothers
was for example, as nearly perfect IN this way
anything that has been seen upon the stage; HIS
performance of the Count Of Monte CriSiO,
Though little proLx with m1nutlB and
therefore tedlous-tor he was rather pro
sale artist in his mechanism, and not
used TO deal much IN uggestlveness-contalned
many OF these stormy and thrilling moments. hls
ttird act OF RBy Bias. his fourth act of Claude Wei
potte mia Legdrdere and his Alpine scene IN ObcH-
rezer might be cited and dwet upon az illustrating
the SPECIAL excellence of has acting. Wit Shakes
peare he not succeSsful-tOr the reason that he
carried into pOetc tragedy the colOqulal tone and
the familiar manner; and thus IN STRIVING 10 be
natural - ne sometimes became absurd. HIS idea
Of speaking blank verse 70 make 10 sound like
prose. and he invariably Land hIs emphas on move
msnt-O the destruction OF character and of poetry.
1t was his expressed opinion that Hamlets
solilOquy on life and death is an imped-
iment 60 the action oil the tragedy and ought
therefore 10 be discarded. He made striking
points IN HdmiefS with the Queen IN act thnd.
and IN HdBilePs killing OF CiaHdts. Tins WAS ex-
actly what might have been expected from
nature essent ally melOdramatIc and theatrical.
Those persons who kc 10 see large, line, and true
calls OF ShakespeaIes conceptions personilrd IN
poeucal manner could not be content with Dir.
fechter's Shakespeareag efforts VITA ms roman
the ideals of mtlUdrauId. and with Ills elective
methods of Expressing them, all persons were con
tent It was only wHen Mr.. FecnteT's powers IN