New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-01-24

OF fact the largest audiences Edwin Booth
ever attracted were in the years after Mr..
Irving had come to this country; and
the greatest run of money ever made In
any one season was made by Booth and
Barrett after Mr.. Irving was pretty we'll
known in this country. Any one familiar
with theatrical affairs knows perfectly
we'll that Mr.. Booth was concerned not at
all about the fortunes or distinctions of
other actors, save as he rejolced IN their
success, and also knows that Mr.. Booth
was ever dearer and closer to the people
in the last years of his professional life
than in the days when his genius was
more consuming flame. AS there were
but few years of difference in the ages
of Booth and Irving, and as Booth was
in the very best of his intellectual period,
so far as age is concerned, when Irving
came to America, it is singular that a
person pretending to be informed as to
Booth should imagine that Booth
had seen in the light of Irving's star the
waning of his own. We are told in the
quoted paragraph that Booth "did not
believe in the new school," What new
school2 The school of natural express
sion? The school that discarded elocu-
tionary methods and the grand manner?
Heaven bless your five wits, Edwin
Booth was the very father of that scool.
He was the actor wEo, putting away the
old fashion, revolutionized
acting in this country as distinctly and
positively as did Garrick in his time and
country. Forrest rallied at the new school
and the elder Wallack marveled at it,
but the people were dumofounded and
then delighted, and that young man
down at the Winter Garden Theater"
had given a n'w impulse to the American
drama so positive that the influence of
it spread to the English stage, and if
Henry Irving stands in any relation to
Edwin Booth, it is in that of pupil and
disciple. Mr.. Irving does not hesitate
now to imply as much. This season he
has said repeatedly, with loving retros-
pect, that he looked upon the acting of
Edwin Booth in Manchester thirty three
years ago as 1t were revelation-the
grace, the naturalness, the beauty, the
divine inspiration, the truth of his work
delighting and animating the younger
actor. "Why," said Mr.. Irving, che was
like flash of lightning, illuminating
everything; and have always thought
OF him and loved him from that time.'
Mr.. Booth was the first actor to read
blank verse in the manner of ordinary
speech without elocutionary method.
He discarded the ''grand manner so
utterly as often to be criticised for "too
commonplace" treatment of Shakespeare
an ideals. The persistence with which
, some writers disregard the fact that Ed
win Booth flung away vast fortune
in the attemptto establish great theater
in this country is the more vexatious for
the extravaganza praise they bestow upon
Mr.. Irving, who was but follower of
Mr.. Booth. However, it is hardly worth
while to quarrel with the perversity that
sets Mr.. Irving against Mr.. Booth, and
styles the former the representative of
''the new order of things'' in dramatic
art, and the latter the exponent of the
Of the old-fashioned. Edwin Booth is
yet the ideal Shakespearean actor OF
modern times; his star shines undimmed
as yet uncha,lenged. - Chicago Int,
Ocean.