, 1881-10-02
John McC!lllough's Most Successful
Week in Chicago.
Shakespeare to Be illustrated at Two
Theatres This Week.

THE LIFT. SiF FORREST.

1ie! The american Actor SERIES. As THE II II
Implies, each vnt>.ulS VIII ,c devote! To tAc lit
OF s,1c prominent -s;1.":ica,l actur. Aud Il
E'lw;:, Ftrrr=i l,is long !,tcn s:y1.. Til. Gsc1
-in,-r!c.la Tra:e..iau." tie iaiti: vo:u:uc of III
*tris's cuttai:.: sketch Of his life Ai1u crit
ri..n u:l his methods :.!lu oa h!S ca:cri
written by 4 fellow-:"t-, Lawrence Earret
There is little question but that ST
-rs OF Ibis kind vii! attain, popular
~. To the great public the stage :S Il ihys
cry. and Ike al mysteries invested with 4 tsr
slit, charm. a CERTAIN 1nasHet.s: ATTRACTION
tl,;vh. while i; brings t.su,r Hi
ns':4t To the :ctor, is something hot casiIy an
yzs.l Understood even t.v him. Anectlolc
II ae;ors are. always wi,l"l.: read: s1ayt Incl
!rnts and gossip Gal unwearying listeners
here is still fascination :.bo:lt the "socK nn
niskin u fur wh:va lis ae>vaiti,s furnish }'u
it.!r reason. And the publishers can, therefore
.1i1,t with reasonable degree ri Ccrtaint,
III the success Of This series III lives IF Amer
actars- 1'u THIS particular volume tller.
impaired additional interest from tho fac
hat lis author br!u1lss III TAO profession u
*lc:, Edwin Forrest WIS fur 1la,y years
1rs'snilcnt member. To say that Mr.. Nt,rr1t
Eas csctrtch his task with ..c!.:.e',
and skill, !l:ss srupnluusly .osrA S,,th criti-
3i5:.ls on Forrest tie aciur Is. under The cir
Euns1a1ces, w',u,! H.: slsis!nEtA Il. uaI taste
md hus prepared Il -c,d.lJl<: an. entertaining
more rha:s jus, Tail his u;>;:li.:: As the
r..:,sz II which Forrest h,' -a*>':,s. a.n::
ar:Grs is IT least questionable. a:d ,:at he las
St:':, Lou Partial IN tlc ouljte: NJ his s:lr,s7o.r
through cautious fear IT erfinA. the other way
Is 1,ot UNNATURAL \ 1r:gt',:it himself. Mr+ Lar
real dnes not belong to tie sc!.ut Of Forrest. uf
he2,. or Of Cooper. Ills method is :},. nt;,4si Ut
the tslbus, yet ht hats tried IL lh,ld ttle st.lirs
aft:!sy between 1;1s two 1ne:nuls. His attempts
u
Forrest. 50 lost in csotistc admiral tiun Of his
n'SH genius that lie could sec nu Virtues in an
'ther and had III PATIENCE with n:y one who
tried to thE;nrt his :1nper:ous Will is but lar-
tally Successful. Yet Furrrst hit !g:uy nol,ie
qualities, and il is we'll to hria4 tEen prs,:ni-
ucutly forward to tone down The hirshae5s of
The por1rait wa:ch An unprcjudirtd mind must
form fo. itself CT the subject Of this biosraph-
ical sketch.
There is ltt;c in the book that is absolutely
new. ana there are many facts either omitted o.:
.ir1ailcd which are rSse:lI, 1n the formation
II a true opinion Of Edwin Forrest. He WIS
BORN March ,. 1s1G, ard died Dec l., 49, His
father WAS not 4 rich man. ard I'LL Of EIwil's
early surroundings were those Of poverty. He
TGs Designed for the ministry, but in his own
mind never had any intention OF deyotng him
self TO that profession. At II he went Oh the
stage IS IN amateur and made his first regular
appearance at II. OF his first appearance Mr.
Darre11 says:
At his entrance he won the vast audience at
once by ttle grace OF his figure and the modest
bearing which was natural t. him. Something
or that n1a9tletssu which hc exercised 80 effect
lively in later years ns,w attracted alt who heard
1sE and made fric;,,ls even before ne sp,ke In
the scenes Of tenderness with his mother his
melting voice went TO every hcarl. and won for
aim the tribute or tears; in the sce1cs OF tumult
Rad defiance his proud spirit sD:1.td to surlris
ing hight, anu the rap1urous applause VIII :ch fol
towed testified to bis power. ard when the lust
lying exclamation at tho so-long orphaned
AOrG7* tell upon the ears Of his 1Noiher-alt the
Dent-up feelings of tho assculhi;Ee way 10
torrent uf appreciation which called the blush
ing youth before the curtain. covered him with
the glory nl reSOundin.- cheers. and filled his
heart with those glad sounds for which the actor
lives and codurcs the TRIMS Of his lot
For two years longer he worked in shop: ana
then left trade forever and engaged with tr;av-
cling company His life was hard one, his suf-
lcrng great and the engagement unprotitabc.
He led wandering life for several years, was in
New Orleans in 1874. and later had Il short en-
:saseHe1t in Albany. during which he played for
the first 1iule with Edmund kcan- In 1a46 he
made q hit. US O;,slo ut tho Dowcry
Theatre, New York, and his salary was
raised from ~ to so week.
From this time oates his successful career.
Five years later be took pleasure. trip through
Europe Ncturu,,s to America in 1S:G he 1.l:lIe
his renpucarancc On TIE stage 1T the Walnut
Street Theatre. philadelphia, Us Damon. and
received i tremendous ovation. Returning to
New York he received 500 :: night, md in his |
company WE'RE such sterling AtlOrs US Henry |
placide John S. Clarke. W H. Chippecdae, and |
Charlotte Cushnlan. In lS;G aud in 1915 tic Wis |
ttcd England professionally. winning fArue as I
Spa!tde1&s, Ouc'lo, Lear. ana .MGcLelt- III 1917
he married Catherine Sinclair 1T St. paurs !!
Cathedral, London aud thirteen years later his !
wife procured divorce from him. OF this
lvorcc and tho causes lending to it Mr.. barrett
mas this to say:
The first cloud which seemed to lower over
ng his second visit, when it was said ne became
angry because his wife was unwilling to drive
Nacready from her side during her reccp-
q him, and he felt it CALLING to he ct,n,-
'elled to see any one dear to him cour-
be SincIairs ultimately for Years. and on 1his
occasion had mingled with her othe: friends to
Welcome Mrs Forrest On her rc'urn to England
zig art and the struggling uru.la IN AEncricn,
.dwin Forrest threw open the oours uf his home
o the scrutiny Of the world and appealed to tho
'ourts to remove the skeleton which WIS hidden |
n bis closet With tho proceedings OF that trial. !
which resulted i'll divorce. alinloDy. and sepurs-
Fho are curious for such infur:nnuon are re- |
erred to two large volumes. OF Il thousand pages !
ach. which contain tie rccorls of Il legal Dattle |
for bitterness and for the wide ]
interest it created on account OF the position Of
le contestants, as well as the eminent charac- |
u !
IN 1s49 Forrest was associated with the dis
raceful Forrcst-Macready riot. when the mob
carly destroyed the theatre iu which tho En-
lish actor WAS performing, and would have
ken his life without hesitation had not the | :
Iilitary in1erfcred. From this time Forrest
Gems to have lived In an a 'ntsphere OF strife I
I'd trouble He cstran9ei bis best friends, | I
Is inor1inatc vanity left him few associates in I
IS own profession. His Jealousy made him sus- | t
cious and cruel. Ills popularity stcn.i- | I
; decreased. When unable 10 net he r
led 10 give readings, but tho public had ! Il
ear1cd Of him aud he read-:l5 during the later ] I
'a's Of his life he had actcd-lo empty benches. Il
y died in Philadelphia SUDDENLY and aione. Ills | +
st engagement WIS in Nc:r York iu February i,
4, when he piayed Lear und I:i:he7icu- His s
~ contained several bcquests to old friends u
sG servants and an elaborate scheme by which | 81
fortune, IN the hands OF trustecs WAS to be | G
'piied to the erection and support of q retreat q
aged actors. Unfortunately. tho tru stecs
we oecn powcrless to carry out the tcstator's | h
Is ncs- The amount paid to the divorced / h
1!es large fees to lawyers, IN iufor1,ality | r.
drawing the will, and prospective cIui,n on 4
e estate by relative, have 50 impaircd the | h,
co1ne as to render it insufficient to maintain y,
e Edwin Forrest 3lomc'' -
one u the best chapters iii the book is tha1 -.
ntaning Dir. Batrctts estma,c of Mucrcody
hn6 nfss1.1.