The morning call., 1893-04-22
EDWIN BOOTH.

Mr.. Booth will hardly recover from his
second stroke of paralysis. Those who saw
him last summer on the balcony of his
daughters cottage at Narragansett broken.
crippled, feeble and deaf, hardly expected
that he would again mingle in the busy
throng among whom his life had been spent;
but he has passed the winter in New York.
and at times in his favorite resort at the
Players Club something of his old fire
would come back to him. He was venerated
by all. Time had mellowed the asperiues
of his youth. and had left othlng of the old
autOerat of the boards but genial, kindly,
generous nature.
On either side of the door of the chief
drawing-room of the Players Club withstand
a statue; on one side Edwin Booth, on the
other Joseph Jefferson. No one up to the
present time can contest their exclusive
right to welcome visitors to the home OF
dramatic art Both are Americans; Jeffer-
son, the elder by four years. was born in
Philadelphia; Booth near Baltimore. in
Maryland. Both came of English acting
stock. Jefferson's father aud grandfather
were well known Oh the stage; Booths
father had at one time quite a reputation as
J an actor. But in neither case could it be
said that the mantle of the father fell on
| the shoulders of the son; chiefly hecanse
neither father had any mantle TO leave.
| Both actors worked their way painfully TO
| the front. jefferson had been known for
| ten years as 4 good stock actor before he
made his hit in Our American Cousin
! He had enjoy reputation for fifteen years
| befor lie began to MAKE money with RIP
! Van Winkl e." Booth, with the support of
| his father and brot her, had been fifteen
years on the stage and had gone through
many vicissit nd es of fortune before lie was
recognized as n tragedian.
Booth created the American school of
tragic acting, for Forrest merely attempted
to Americanize English tradition. Booth
rejected the example of Kean, X emble and
Macready. He formed his own cOnception
Of Hamlet, Richard the Third lago, Richie
lieu and Shy 10 ok; so far as he could he dis
carded the mannerisms of his predecessors,
and made realism his aim. The task was
difficult; it is hard 10 depict unnatural
characters in a natural way. Shakespeare
and Bulwer evolved their heroes out of
their inner consciousness. they drew them
in obedience to canons of art and not TO the
record OF history. Booth tried to recon Gle
the two. Whether he succeeded or not is
not now the question; certain it is that other
actors of merit, who have formed different
cOnceptions Of hamlet and Shylock from
his, have failed to satisfy their audiences.
Booth educated the American people to his
understanding Of the parts; it will take
| genius in his successor 10 reconcile them 10
something different.
Perhaps nearer TO Booths heart than
even his reading of Shakespeare was the
| erection of temple Of drama which would
| be worthy of the age and The country. BE
designed the house on the corner of Sixth
| avenue and Twenty-thrd street 10 be the
IDEAL theater OF the world Il was noble
enterprise, but it WAS in advance of the
! times. Many OF the improvements con-
ceived by Booth have been adopted by
other managers; their author failed, lost all
he had, and found himself at middle age
| burdened with a mountain of debt and
broken in courage and spirit.
Some OF the earlier years of Booths life
were clouded by the calamity of the MUIR
der of Lincoln by his brother Booths
own politics are not generally known. His
father, though born in England, was a
siave-owner, and his brother Wilkes never
concealed his sympathy with the South.
| Edwin did, after the murder of Lincoln, in
effect. withdraw from the stage for some
| years. When ne returned to it he had the
satisfaction of noting that Americans were
too far-minded to hold him responsible for
! his brothers sins.
Nr. Booth has lived 10 pay off all his old
debts-many of which were forgiYen-and.
| on his last tour with Barrett rum0f asserts
! that he accumulated a fortune of something
! like half a million. This will 60 to his
| daughter and her children, who adore him
| with love that is touching to see.