Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-06
A PRINCE OF ACTORS.
Edwin Booths Unique Position on
the American Stage.
WHAT HE HAS DONE FOB HIS ART.
Toung Edwin's First Appearances Behind
The Footlights.
aIs FATHERS PECULIAR CRITICISM
rwnrrrrN ron rHE D1srArcH.l

WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPkTcH.1
The actor is born, not made. He may be
crude, a novice, but still an actor. Edwin
Booth combines the genius Of nature, with
the power Of an educated. artistic traged1an.
The advent Of genius. [" says the wise Auto
crat of the Breakfast Table. els like what
florists style the breaking Of . Seeding tulip
into what we might call high caste colors-
10000 dingy flowers. then one with the
divine streak. It is q surprise. There is
nothing to account for it. Nature is fond
OF what are called gift enterprises" Gan
the world'sa stage, and all the men and
women merely players" What q world
this would be if all the actors were to act
like Edwin Boothl Our standard would be
raised, that is all-the theater would fall.
and Shakespeare's Hamlet become common
place. Because there is but one Booth in
all the great world of actors, hero worship
falls in its right place.
just 40 years ago Edwin Booth made his
debut on the stage. His father was then
acting in Boston and Edwin was in attend
ance as dresser. One Of the actors wishing
to avoid his duty for the evening, persuaded
Edwin to take his part, all withort the
elder Booths knowledge, who became aware
Of the change In the programme only few
minutes before the curtain rose aFoolf'
was all he said. As Edwin was ready to
take his part. his eccentric father, viewing
him critically but with apparent indiffer-
ence, asked him if he knew that he was Sup
posed to have been riding far and hard
eyes, SIR" ssWhere are your spurs7"
But the young actor had not
thought Of these. aTake mine" The
boy took the boot spurs and went on for the
little scene with Henry II. He returned TO
find his father sitting smoking a. negli-
gently as when he left him, and all the re-
mark offered was, "Give me my spurs"
Booths first professional appearance brought
from his father, then the greatest tragedian
of the world, but to his delight afterWard
learned that his peculiar parent had watched
his first acting with supreme satisfaction,
but had hurried back to his pose in the
dressing room before young EdWin's r.
turn.
THE ELDER BOOTHS PEcULIARITIEs.
A more singular being than the father Of
Edwin Booth biographers do not recount
He was the victim at times Of strange mel
aneholy or humorous fancies One anec-
dote is told of him when he had taken .
fancy to be an absolute vegetarian, and in
steamboat travel at table was placed oppo-
site benevolent Quaker who insisted upon
helping him from time to time, first with
chicken, ham, etc. sThen thee must take Z
piece of the mutton" persisted the good old
Quaker.
Friend, never eat any flesh but human
flesh. and prefer that raw" This same
voice that had electrified audiences, almost
annihilated the Quaker, and another meal
found his seat at another table.
Aa~r U1rrfr, Rnnfh - a.. -
in America, If not In the world, and when
England, with all her national prejudiess
and certain condeaoension 70 foreigners,
has laid her wreath Of lsurek % the name
Of Americas actor we can ask no greater
place. Edwin Booths life, associated for
years with his father in all his vanderings.
strange and sad adventures, left q gloom on
his naturally melancholy temperament, but
it has made him the greatest Hamlet Of the
century. This greatest of Shakespeare,s
plays, though full of incident, its main in
terest is centered in thought and character,
in the moods Of mind through which
Hamlet passes, Edwin Booth brings be-
fore his audience the realization Of
Shakespeare's haunted prince-a noble
moral nature that sinks beneath burden
which il cannot bear. A born Prince, he
was to be the delight Of Denmark, but the
superstitions of the times had him to believe
ms fatner Spit. WalkS a norrla snndass
selzes MN. IN sne meiAneIoiy osrkness ..
.ne nlgns ne sees sne s.I spl[ls osehon nlmi ne
follows u 70 near: II tnoe dlast ever my
dear father love, revenge his foul and most
unnatural murder. Adieu. adieul remem-
Der me- and the ghost vanishes, but leaves
nero, WIN an JAN uP9n IN; nis sou., =
avenge ms ,asner nea.I' In ms cnalacssr
Of Hdn'1es Eo"ln Doosn ieaves nps : slngls
line unstloieo: n9' polns @ snAs ne las 1;..Ss no.
.hat ;ne rsoa.. .sau ....s a.s
~ ~ s.a nhss.1as II az ,-.vsvs-d
.csns Gene he = directs that one of The skulls
tSro.n m hv the Grars. Dioosr shalI have