New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-17

,.4, d thot he never sacrificed another
actor TO himself on the stage Iccnoi
Sbol,.enoorcnn performance. Mr. Vein thinks, was
| Hamlet. but his IdgO was highly aTliS''c' !"
| Ofbello however this judge pIonounces ViiC n0
900. = toiluro ale had genius for quarrelllng
and no doubt his ungovernaOle temper was ''io
,r,r,arv canse of his downfall Mr.. Vein men
tions an actor named Herman HendIick as inc
finest Hamlet he has ever seen. lut he thinks that
Fechter VIII rank high IN the roll of great actors
who have excelled in that character" Those per
| sons who did not admire Fechter's Hamlet are de-
scribed by this witness rs bigoted adherentS Oh
the STACEY school Of acting and he adds The com
prehenslye affirmation that all actors VINO h"o 'ii'
intelligence to appreciate hun owe him an ar'isto
debt"
Mr. Collins prcfaces his estimate OF the actor WIN
the statement that Fechter held place III MS re-
gard which has never since been filled. MI collins
| thinks tnat no description by one who has seen an
actor can convey any distinct idea TO one VINO mas
! not seen hinl-a doctrine which SOUNDS wei .u'
which Is not true. What do VIC know Of GarrcNs
acting. asks Mr. Coilins-mindess, apparently
Of the fact that Garrck, both rs man
and an actor mas been depicted with such absolute
and faithful minutencss that any person may know
u abont his acting II he will but take the trouble
70 SIT DIV tie subject and think upon 1t. There IS
nothing so wonderfully evaneScent about anybody 3
! acting that il must needs battle observation ana
portraiture Mr. Collins one of the greatest literary
artists of any nation or any period. might readily
! bave described the acting of Fechter, inside and
ont lie saws however. that he will not waste
words" in this attempt. The sum of his testimony,
! which follows this disclaimer, IS that FechierS
acting was noble, romantic true to nature ana
broad in style and that in /" making love he was
ri called only by Mario. His best performances,
| i'll D,,, nd
the former he was second only to "thc one
supremely great actor Frederick Lenaitre" In the
| LATTER he WAS second to nobody" the true Hdmiot
| | first saw when Fechter stepped on the stage"
! These words adds Mr.. Collins, "eNpress the
! opinion Of every unprejudiced person, under nifty
years of age whom | have met Here again Is
perceptbe the peculiar mental attitude OF the
! genuine Fechter-worshippers All persons VINO did
not accent Fechter's acting as tremendously great
were "preiudced." or else they were tOothless
| decrept and falling into mental lmhecIIIty. Mt.
| Collins highly commends Fechter as siage-lnah-
ocer and AS an adviser to writers and players, and
mentions his excellence in Eoote Cr'sio fdgar o.
| RGrcnsrood. Claade Ue'aoHe iogqrla., ObsUc,r
ana Mau,jce de LGWGc. Upon his O@dto Mr.
Collins drops the tear Of regret: it was unioru-
nate"
In his views of Fechter a man Mr.. Collins IS
eouglly frank and aiiectiOnate. A few of his elo-
ournt little sentences put the whole truth INTO a
| nutshell: u have met with many children WHO
had clearer idea than he possessed of pccuniary
responsibilities. e.. The curse of an ungOvernablc
| temper was the curse Of Fechters life. When
| he once took offence lurking deyi! saturated his
whole being with the poison Of unjust suspicion
| and inyeterate hatred. The one enemy 10 his
prosperity was the enemy in himself Two pas
sages which follow, III the clear, terse, exquisite
D. la.
Fechter very distinctly and under highly Dictur-
esquc surroundings:
| THE FRS NIGHT OF OBENREIzER.
| | had the honor OF writing tho Christmas story
! called No ThorOughfare' IN literary association
with Charles Dickens. We invented the story at
| Fechter's gift 10 Dickens When our last page OF
manuscript had been set M IN tyre. | returned TO
other literary aLOrs winch ha been suspended IN
favor of d" No Thoroughfare, and which kept me
! so closely employed that | saw nothing Of my
| brethren in ant Tor some little time. Duilng TINS
interval Fechter had read the prooi-sneeS' had t9
| use his own phIasel fallen mahlY IN love with
the subject aud had prepared scenario or outline
| 81 a dramatic adaptation of the story. under
| Djckens's superintendent and approval. = This
! done, Dickens took his departure for the United
| states leaving the dcstinies OF the unwrtten play
safe as he kindly said. III my hands fechter next
presented himself with the scenario. laid the manu-
| script Oh my desk, offered ne pen with a low bow
ami said. Dickens has gone away Tor SIX months;
| he Will find NO 1horoughldTe running When no
| comes back For once, in this case modern
prophecy was actually fulfilled.
| The play wTitten-a far harder task than had
| onti,i ,,ted reculrng such new presentation of
some of the persons of the story almost involved
/ the rec1eating of them-Fechter ut once assumed
| the character Of ObegTcizer IN private life. When
he entered his study or mine 1t was an entrance on
tine STAGE. lie ate and drank " IN character when
he dincd with me or dined with hun. The play
| was i'm his hands all day and at his bedside all
| night At rehearsal he was quite ready to perform
| every other character in the drama, by way Of an
! cXalnple winch might brighten and Improve the
|
| whemlug nervous excitement that possessed him
| .hnweJ itself IN "A curiou,ly suggestive way; his
English speech betrayed. for the first time IN my
| experience, that he was thinking IN French.
When the memorable day arrived and few
hours only intcrpOsed between and the ordeal of
tho fist night. that terrible form Of nervous pros
| tration called stage rlel t-trOm which all good
actors suler or less, az their first appearance
in new part-besan It's attack on Iechter at
lie could cat nothing, not even the French garlic
! sausage which offered the one at aihahie refuge
| 10 his stomach other occasions. Pale, silent
subdued, he sat in corner OF the room ana looked
like man waiting the appearance of the scrlh 10
| conduct INN TO ihc scaHld. | handed HIM his
pine: he was MT even able 10 smoke. " Are you
| ,ong in front To your plays = he asked, with q
| look of blank despair. | could honestly answer
that my nerves were never strong enough TO endure
! that trial on tie first night. Ou VIII be behind
the scenes. then r. "Yeo." 81 For Gods sake come
| 10 IN. room"
| 10 Fechters room.
dressed as to the lower part of him only for
The character Of Ojcnrc:er he sat helpleSsy staring
into a white BASIN held before HIM by his attend
ant m the attitude of a sailor on Channel steamer
comforting a suffering lady. Here Mr.. fechter
| sick sir" said the man, and nothing IN him 10
bring up The reader will. hope, pardon this
literal report consideration of its absolute
| fidelity to the TRUTH | said a comforting wO. o..
and proposed a few drops OF laudanum. Unable to
speak Fechter answered by putting out his tongue.
The color OF it had turned under the nervous terror
that possessed him. the metallic baCkncss OF the
tongue of parrot When the overture began
easily audible in the dTesSing-rOom,- another at
tack made the basin necessary.
In the interval that followed, ObcHrei-cT'S upper
garments were put on, and the last touches were
added to his head and face The next sound that