New-York tribune., 1881-09-25

perlence, appears in any great moment or i'm
oraDt juncture of his life His first thought at all
such times is Of his own vast and overwhelming
SELF He was proud sef-assertive, and perfectly
ravenous OF praise, power and money. Love for
the dramatic art at first instinct soon became in
him vain appetite; he did not love 1T for it's own
sake, but because it was means of personal ex-
nression When no went abroad to act-a young
man of only thirty-he was "the celebrated Mr.
Forrest, the eminent American tragedian.' y
Bounce and bluster. When he found his acting
of Spdrtdcus liked he at assumed national pro-
p rtions, crystallzing the United States into him
self, and publicly approving of the English people
for their tribute to the American Republic. He in
suited Macreadv in the manner of a rowdy and
without the slightest reason justification. Some
body had disparaged his acting, when London
that somebody must have been hired by Macready to
do 1t; Macready therefore scoundrel the aris-
tocracy If Great Britain and the literary prigs in
general had conspired to offend the pet of the
prairie and it was necessary to have a row. From
no motive better than the spiteful resentment of
wounded vanity did Forrest fomen the evil passions
which at last broke forth in the sanguinary riot
in Astor Place. When his domestic trouble came
the same bostcrous nlmal fury famed out with
renewed violence. He was neither reticert nor de-
cent. The idea of privately bearing his private
burdens seems never to have occurred to him.
Another ache had arrived to the great Forrest
ana anoth er row must give it adequate celehra-
lon lie brought against his wife the vilcst of
charges In the fouest of words. He threw to the
winds all discretion and sense. He kept up for
years a theatrical scandal which a public NUS
ance and a CRYING shame. His behavior all through
this self-infcted ordeal that of an unrea-
soning beast. He personally vilifed and vitu-
perated O'Conor. He thraShed N. P. Willis.
He professionally ostracised and ruined
poor George Jameson. He tried the same thing
with John Gilbert. Not an actor who did not es-
pouse his cause could come into the theatre
with him. He threw off his best and most powerful
friends. Once aroused, there was no end to his sus
olclon and no limit to his violent cruelty. These
are facts of common knowledge, and there is no
need of going more into detail But surely here it
may be and ought to be said that no man can be
deemed great character whose dominant idea in
lie Is the announcement ACKNOWLEDGMENT and cele.
bration of himself, or who in the patient thor
ough, far-seeng pursuit of duty, is incapable of
easily aud ceerfully, the praise of other
men. Had mankind been made up of McArdles and
Reeses with their trumpets well polished and in
state OF everlasting toot, Forrest would probably
have been conten'. AS it was, he continued to
the last growing over the idea that someth NO
had been withheld from him that the world
ought to have given. He was "a great man. and
L.
was the greatest actor that ever lived and some
'currilous newspaper in Podunk had denied it, He
was Timon scOwhng along Broadway; he was
Lear parading in Chestnut-st.-and the miserable
human race would not be awed by the spectacle.
here was always fly in his ointment a Mordecai|
N his gate, sulen resentment in his heart and scorn
on his lips. Such a man is picturesque as q ruin
and becomes study for the curious but he is very
Tar from being either noble sau' 'ary. Such
sl,prn II I
'nt such is not the kind of character for which
he reverence of the world can successfully be in
,oked.
When man poses as a genius and martyr and
invites the admiration and sympathy of the world
he world is apt TO inquire what he has done and
What ais him. Byron, gloomily sequestered III his
Venetian palace, and consumed at the heart with
he strife between his inherent goodness and his
Inherent evil, had at least written "Childe Harold
md " Manfred" These were immortal produc-
ions, destined to charm and elevate the human
mind as long time shall endure. Forrest who
hought himself of the Byron kind because he had
lad a divorce case, added such treasure TO the
tore OF human benefits, even in his pursuit of
he stage. lie was successful actor, in a certain
school but his school was not the highest and he
was not Its best representatives He came out In
1876. tie had seen Cooper, and he presently
associated with Edmund Kean: aud on these two
IN
,lination toward the former than the latter. His
physical attributes determined his course He in
herited the traditions of Spranger Barry, Henry
MosSop, John Henderson, John Philip Kemble
ieorge Frederick Cooke and Thomas Abth0rpe
Cooper. He was never-if the conclusions of read
ing can be trusted-thc equal of either of them he
certainly never carried the art of acting to higher
pitch OF excellence than it had reached where they
lett It, The thing wherein he was peculiar the At
}h.t h.
made, the distinguishing excellence that gave HIM
Is victory and made him memorable, was certain
animal splendor and ground-swell of emotion.
lie was tremendously real. He could be seen and
heard and understood. He had grand body
and glorious voice, and in moments of simple
passion he affected the like the barc of trurn
nets and clash OF cymbals, or like tho ponderous
crashing and laundering surges of the
sea. In this quality he stood alone. In all others
he has been OF en- and far surpassed. This was
his charm, and through this he was enabled to rem
Ter whatever service he did render to the cause of
The drama. That service III its sum and substance
consisted in widespread delightful and improving
Interpretation of the art of acting to the lower Or
lcr of public intelligence-an order which COM
prscs the majority of the human race To the higher
'rder of mind Forrest bore no message, and in the
main, was superfuous; and of this fact he seemed
n certain blind way, to be aware-al-
hough neither he any one of his adher-
,nts could understand and believe that it was
possible for any person, honestly and without hos
lty or prejudice, to dislike the snorts and grunts
md brays and belches, the gaspings and gllrgngs,
he protracted pauses the 10 ling tongue, and the
tentorlan roar with all of which ornaments il
pleased him to overay his acting-often remarkably
ine and sometimes great. On this point turned all
ne contention that surged around Forests path
u was perfectly natural. In acting, in poetry
here are popularity, two schools. One is the Ros