The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-23
THE DEATH OLE BOOTH.

How derisively would some of oul
piOus ancestors of the last century have
hooted at the statement that the degen.
crate times would come when their de
scendants would mourn the loss of 9
''play actor as deeply as that of the
most distinguished statesman! To them
in their severe simplicity such AN idea
would SAVIOR strongly of sacrilege. Yet
incredible as it might have seemed to
them, we are living in those times to-
day, and large part of the people, not
only of America but of the entire Eng
disappearing race, mourns the loss of
the prince of players-Edwin Booth.
No event could better illustrate the
difference between the ways of thinking
in the eighteenth and nineteenth centu-
ries. With us of to-day the Stage is an
indispensable institution. The Drama
has become a great intellectual and
moral force and the Actor is at once the
servant and the tyrant of society. He
occupies post of honor and profit, sur
passing even those who minister to So
ciety's intellectual and moral needs as
distinct professions. While he lives he
fares sumptuously, and when he dies he
is lamented by all. So in the death of
Booth, who had no superior in his pro-
fession in his generation, and who leaves
no successor at his death the whole
world is the loser, and it manifests its
sense of loss in appropriate terms.
Since the days of Forrest no actor has
so captivated the Imagination of the
theatre-going public as Booth He WIS
endowed with a graceful and imposing
presence. His countenance was hand
some, and enhanced with a sombre mel
ancholy that fascinated while it pleased.
His eyes were large, lustrous and express
siVe, and his voice musical and COM
manding, suited either to the imDer-
sonation of the melancholy Dane" or
of the imposing Richelieu. These quail
ties went far to account for the eXtraor-
binary impression he made upon his au-
diences, but they were reinforced by a
thoughtful Interpretation of the charac-
ter he assumed, by refinement of eX-
preston and by conception of the re-
quirements of his role that, resulting
from close study and intultive genius
often supplied defects in the character as
it was originally conceived by the play
writer. He placed living soul in the
tragedy heroes of Shakespeare and no in
terpreter of the "Sweet Bard of Avon"
ever was so versatile in impersonating so
many widely-differing characters. In
his own country every student of Shaks-
peare and of the classic drama counted
it a special privilege at some time to
listen to his mastery interpretations.
In England he disarmed too ready pref
udices and made personal friends of
hostile critics. In Germany he sat up a
higher standard for commentators, and
in France his rendition of Shakespeare
is the ne plus ultra of Shakspearian
tragedy TO this day. And in all these
countries, while he obtained recognition
of his dramatic power, his personal quail
tiles won him lifelong friends. He
neither sought appreciation, nor tried to
win friendship, but his genius brought
the one and his personal magnetism
bound captive the other. In the fullest
sense one might say of him, as was said
of the noble Roman:
ellis life was gentle. and the elements
So mixed in him. that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world This was man."
Sunday Budget.