The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-12

from his lips like music. You have the
art, too-his example, no doubt l
wish you could restore it on our stage
Give our actors a metrical speech to
deliver. and--endure it if you can.
They either gable away the sense or
hammer the melody out of it, one or
the other-or both. You have been
taught better than that my young
! American, and 1 congratulate you. l
think too, | caught an echo of your
fathers voice in Shylock- l have
good memory for voices. If l had the
faculty of imitation 1 could tell you
I exactly how he delivered some of his
favorite lines. You have the same &C
cent-the very same. With my eyes
/ shut. l think you might lead me back
to my place in the pit 80 years ago.
AT the time L did not know much
about the famous rivalry. Kean,
dare say, had worked hard for the first
/ place, and meant to keep it, no mat
ter how. Being in possession, all the
odds were in his favor I doubt if the
public ever gave Booth reason TO be-
lieve he could supplant the older man.
| When an actor gets his decree here,
! he is pretty sure to hold Is as lonS as
he has anything left in him. And Kean
was a giant almost to the last. 1t
seems to me your father was better
off in America than he could have
been here. Kean couldn't touch him
there, [ am told, and from all l learn
| there is more to be proud of in an
American reputation than an English.
I have heard your father regretted
England, but can you tell me why?
For Intelligence and judgment our pub
lie cannot be compared to yours; and
for liberality, the highest winnings
here look like pittance besides
yours"
j 1t was explained that the era of
great theatrical prosperity in the
United States had not begun in the
lifetime of the elder Booth.
All, but there was always the salts
faction of acting TO people with brains,
Do you think nothing of that? Upon
my word. 1 wonder why such a lot of
you come over to London without con-
sidering- how your time and money may
be thrown away. 1 am very glad, for
my part: I see the best Americans
without having to cross the ocean. But
l am sorry for them. What phantom
was it that brought Forrest here? A
lusty cock on his own dunghill, he runs
abroad into his neighbor's barn-yard,
and gets crowed down for his pains:
ard then he SulkS, and tries TO set two
countries by the ears. I think myself
he was badly treated. There was a
great deal to admire in him. People
may say what they like about Mac
. | ready's superiority, but I can testify
that Mdcraady was not above taking
the business that Forrest invented, and
using it as long as he stayed on the
stage. Some Of the best points he made
il Macbeth" We're Forests, not his
r own. I don't blame him for that any
more than 1 blame Forrest for copying
Kean'S effects. An actor is permitted
; to strengthen his parts, according &c
MoliercS maxim. But I do blame hin
/ fa,. ,1f ofra Fvia Ia h
stranger. and for letting his name an6
influence be so misused as TO drive g
aVage-temDered hothead to frenzy
The responsibility for the bloodshed II
. New York does not belong wholly tC
the man who melted that riot. II the
Einglishman who Dragged of his cult
walton had kept his arrogance and van
, ity in hand. in the first place. the catas-
trophe would not have occurred. Thai
is what 1 have always believed and
said.
THE circumstances Booth remark
ed, were exceptional IN every particu-
lar. If the two men had not been JUS
what they were, the quarrel would have
taken no serious form. Forrest,
think, was not half so self-confdent a:
he pretended, and that made him the
more sore under reproach. A little
: kindness from Macready would hav,
won him: but Macready had no indul-
gence for anybody's faults, as I under
stand, and he made an enemy withou
: caring for the consequences"
, Until it was too late" said Reade
He cared when it came to be a matter
of life and DEATH.
Probably; and so did Forrest, I sus
Dect, if the truth were known. Tht
event was a warning, at least. No sucf
thing could happen again"
do you think 500" Reade asked. &c
hope you are right: but when a per
sonal rivalry is taken up as a nationa
feud, people lose their senses on boil
l sides, and both sides will go wrong.
suppose they cannot stay wrong for
ever"
mot with u.s. said Booth. 'If any
body remembers the affair. it is only
to be ashamed of it"
81 am not surprised to hear that
have more faith in the quick generosit,
of your countrymen than in the SLOW
justice of mine"
My counuymen have no cause II
complain of your lack of justice, Mr.
Reade. Yor should go and hear VIVA
I they viii say to you on that subject.
"All, yes; they would treat me we'll
very well-too well. 1 used to think o
going, and have laid out many a Dlal
: with our friend here. Lectures-ao; i
would have been teaching my children
: 10 SttAHt-5ASs i IllASnN nave IUtIi
! a now story. or put q new play upo,
the stage. It is too late now. | am TOT
old to 60 through such q round of hos
5 pitality as they would give me. shoulC
; never come back alive
Il thirk you would indicate you
wishes in that matter, and they woulC
= be respected"
S Impossible. A guest must not die
: tate the manner Of his entertainment
e and it would be ungracious to rejec
1 any welcome kindly offered. And eve1
if I ask it, / should prabably not b
t too well pleased to be left alone Be
: sides" Reade added with more serious
: ness than he had yet shown. there i
t another consideration. I could not b
G at ease-it would so against my con
S science--to accept what I should get il
/ America, thinking all the time of tn
Y niggardly way we use your people. Yo'
? don't remember perhaps what III
. Americans did for Thackeray. J dc
d And for Dickens, who had given Their
= little reason TO like him. He had man
e doubts about his wisdom in facin
e them again. / never had. They ha
o shown what they were made OF wher
in spite of their unsettled grievances
|. they sent pity and help to Lancashire
J 1 told Dickens his suspicious We're un
o worthy of him, and | am bound to ga
Y that one of the first things he did whe
k he came back was to send Tor me t
4 Gadshill and confess how wrong he ha
I been. He spoke with tears in his eyes
e and said he envied me-think of that
envied me for being the first Englis