New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MISS FIELDS LIFE OF FECHTER.

me
,Uss Yield has here presented, in compact form
rracofnl style materials for an estimate of the
,,ro,ossonal career and the personal character OF
Toohtor Her book comprises seven chapters. 1.-Two
~ ,bcm written by herself. one by Edmund Yates
Herman Vein and Wilkie Collins. and one made up
~ notices of the actor, extracted from various
publications Fechters career iii Europe Is IT,
couuted first Then comes a brlcter sketch rem
tive 70 his proceedings In the United Nt",o''
These are supplemented with remarks upon MS
acting in the several characters Of Hdm'e' C'""''
M,luo,te Frederic de MarSQn. Don Caesar d6 b",u"'
Iob;an ana Louis del FrdRch and Monte CfS'o' Nj
I,os contributes two pages Mr.. Nezln three pages
and Mr. Collins twenty pages Amon7 '"O
1racted press notices is the article on Iocn'' '"''
WIS written by Charles Dickens Tor inc A'""'o
.l,optbIy for August. $50. caIelui IN" '"'i
Index. made by Mr.. Laurence luton ooncl'"'S
The volume. There are five Illustrations
rechter vas born in London in S2l, and died az
sormhorse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in
1879. lis mother was native OF Flanders; MS
father wasa Frenchman. OF German lineage. lie
made his first appearance on the stage In $40 91
u vic and during the next twenty wears had
1,lHant and DISTINGUISHED career in that capital
7, $500 he transferred himself to London ana on
tho Enclish stage as actor and manager nc
fcured for ten years. After that lie came 10
America. appearing first al Niblos Uar"eh' as ""y
Bias. and subsequently undertaking the man"Sc,
,,+ Of the Globe Theatre in Boston and, at "a still
1,tor period that OF the Park Theatre IN New
York. the latter house having been opeheu ny
him. in association with MI William stuart MS
American career WAS attended with much NIclssi
1ule Al its close nc had s4uandered every tlne'
.ua all that remained for him was to dle his
or.vo is il, ,Ionpt Vernon Cemetery Philadelphia.
aud a left q
oua TWO children in France This, IN brief outline
was the life that Miss Field and her coadjutors
heve more particularly described.
The ,airit of TINS biography may be indicated IN
tr.n yrords-charity aud admiration. Ii is the
.,raioht forward explicit. candid narrative OF one
WIN can admire an artist without beng blind 10
the frailres of It man--Obtruded. as in tins case
those fraiues were. into the artists public Woik
and life. There WAS twist in Fech'ers mlnd'
SAYS Mss Field " that no human being couId make
straight by argument or any other means leT-
s,nully never held him responsible for either
words or deeds HIS blood was too hot Tor reason
Tns father possessed an ungoveinah.e temper as-
pravated by drink, winch he bcqueathed to ms
brilliant son. No one was ever less htted 10 COM
,n.,5 for the reason that he had never learned TO
command himself In her dispositions upon
rec,t,rs acting Miss Field rlains tor him consIi-
suiiec, arc likely to concede. Upon that branch Of
the svhiect. however, discussion would be untmely
ard useless here The views of the biographer are
cp,toniz.d in the appended extracts from her mar
rauye:
FrCuTEKs CROWNING EXCELLENCE.
ro,e TINS Anglo Franco iemouteSc- TeutOn 40
n re,r!atloa. | had been, from CHILDHOOD, under
tic influence of tie natural schnoI q dc'hS' ne
evoyi,itc comedy Of the Theatre francdlN; the
f.1 o.
cntn.,4rali. LuiuCr OF Charles Dickens the leadcf,
III Ler,, a liberal education in dramatic ant
wondered if / should ever see upon the stage sucb
lover as GarTck and Barry are Nald 10 nave neeh.
II seemed TO ne twelve years ago, ana SeclHo 10
me ia lie present wear of oar LORD, that he Is the
finest actor who best depicts the nobieSt OF All
passions. 40 Art. my art, th0u arr much eH
claims Aurora Leigh. bat love is more AiI
evuiboiiles heaven; but God Is Love anu means
Heaven" II love I've the divine passion. the Uetlnea
non of love should be the actor hlgneSt asplra-
ton To attain b. ideal should j." the actor ;
crnwniue glory When Charles lccItrr as Hay
HAS uttered tlost five small words lnadIy love
lie Queen = when he dared to exclalm before Doa
cesar 81 love her that's all. %h5n, a., uyiHl, lie
gael upon ms sovereign for the last une throw
In. into lns face an expression absolutely marvel
lols in te1uty aud path9s, ielt That tue GcIIea-
ton OF love could 40 further 80.
THE LAsI DAYS OF FTCHER.
In 1876 Techtcr fell upon the ice and broke his
10, This misfortune made him physically lnirui,
and cast additional gloom upon ms career ne
end was not lOGg III coming Appearing IN pubic
winch me bought in July, 1873, having Away
declared that the farmer was the happicst and
most Independent OF men. 10 beSlh career ia
PARIS and to end it in the little village OF Rock
Land Centre Bucks County, thrco miles from
Cuakcrtown aud two hours from Philadelphia 10y
The North Pennsylvania Railroad, Is as sll3hIe It
contrast as can well beiall mortal In an oid, IN
rIe,eniOus country huu>r, few feet from the h1Sh-
W. the ideal stage-lOVcr passed the greater part
o. the last tdree yeaIa OF ms ne no d"i,l con.
sIs,rd OF hity-seyen acres. Iechters SIMMER sil,
room was hung with firearms; ioi ne Geighted
in trld-spOIts, aud was rs me a suOt rs nc was a
feDrrr. Dickens dli not love doSs NOR" He"IIy'
T,ve al these noble brutes shared the actor S room
aud table They were his companions IN all MS
excursions saving S. lien he " cidc the hshhg -Iod'
with which be vas very sklltuL Nature couId not
restore F-chtsr to health. Tor Nedls ever after
the attack OF typhoid fever IN Iars us digestive
organs weIo greatly impaired ana IL was Ao'
unusual for his stomach 10 DC oi,'ehueu WIN gas
Ike "A irum causing great suiierlng ana rendering
,lotliup lnsupportablo. Yet IL tins condition he
enchanted many an audience Imagination
frinunns O, or matter. But matter has ITS revenge
iu thr end Fechtcr disappointed the public again
and aeain.-tle public taking Their revenge ~ AZ
trLutiug bis uOu-appcaTauce 70 dlss patton. lie
W. Oh the road 20 the grave. ne SifIii% I, 80
found hun in pTccMl0us health, ana hdG became
worse a. summer approached. Tue nala,Y DeiHe
Of tie liver and digestive organs center agony
Cas intense AT last FccAter was confined 10 the
house and. gradually sinking INTO stuloI Glc, a.
& O'Clock on tie morning of August ., 1879. Had
Iechter been "a complete man a' ne w's an ACTOR
Ia. death Woull have been 4 calamity. Accepting
facts his best friends realized that he passed away
not too soon foI ms reputation. those OF us
WHO Leheyein Fechters greatness do not care to
remember the bots on the escutcheon. lie was d
l~nefactor in DRAMATIC art: Lot that TACT suhce
Personally hc coald be delightful. and ! owe 10
Inn, hours upon hours OF instruction as well as OF
euil # aiuinent lie believed ia the Stage anu nc
ono was ever more lucid or fluent IN its exposition
He was not one to brook contradiction however!
and shonll have sooner Thought OF playing liam
L. than Of opposing his pet opinions. Like Iandoi
he possessed "A proud cOmplacency and scorniu
strength" a Iesentful impatence; Ike LandoI ht
was chOleric. Like LaudOr lac had mat 10 lmparl
Which was worth learning. In Dlckenss hoisenoi ID
lie master was callel Mr.. Always Right whlt
lbs friend Fcchter received the so'riquet OF Mt
Never Wrong Hove was The rock which wrecked
noble career IciLlesse raut rice his lifelong
Innt,o; il was his Inherited curse. If nature ha'
.,..t,t, ed us ~ WaVWar Ines. and