The times., 1901-04-28
MEMORIES OF AN OLD ACTRESS.
Mrs. Maria u. WiIks' Recollection.
of Forrest.

(From the Philadelphia North AmeriCanO
At eighty-five years of age. Mrs Maria
4. Wilks, $3.50 SAMSON Street the oldest
living American actress from her asso-
citation with great names Of the America n
stage, remains 10 the world an interesting
memory. The long annals Of the stage
are revealed the moment one begins to
review Mrs. Wilks' achievements and TO
consider the persons with whom she as
sociated two generations ago Edwin For
rest Fanny Waliack. Charlotte CuShnan
the Booths, McCready, Mrs Drew and
Joe Jefferson are some of the renowned
names which start up in remembrance
he modern stage accomplshes much
Dy picture that the old actors could only
accomplish by good acting" she says 1t
was the power developed in overcoming
obstacles that made men and women i'm
the times Of Booth and Forrest the mas
lefS we look for In vain among their sue
cessors. 1t wasn't beauty but tsIent
that won recognition.
And after all, how many reputed stage
beauties are beautiful? ! have seen only
two in a lifetime-Mary Duff and Mrs
Conway. II is the makeup that usually
Is applauded in these days of the ro-
mance-nOvel plays"
What about Edwin Forests life2v
she was asked
The life Of Edwin Forrest was un-
usually crowded with such incidents as
naturally attend the career of non1iar
actor. and also with such Incidents as
are too apt to attend the DEVELOPMENT of
an energetic character He was a man
OF great ability, Of an enormous character
ana boundIeSS ambition / remember well
q story told of his very early days. II
was IN the old Walnut Street Theatre
WhilC acting female part, that Forrest
was was Missed 3y = young man in the audi
euce Whofn ne recognized. Without fin
ishinS his lines the Young actor leaned IN
the footlights and addressed the sibilant
spectator:
D. you! D. you; wait tuI o,at
through with this part and I'll lick yor7'
forrest was as great behind the
scenes as before an audience He is re-
pnted to have been moody and tennest,i-
Gus, but the one opportunity thar / sste
his burning genius TO consume me he
overlooked with the grace Of a cbeyalicr
we were playing 'Richelieu, and / had
Worined myself into the conviction that I
would succumb to stage fright when I
reached the words, II ! knew some brave
and discreet person, whose son could keep
a secret, who had those twin ouaIitfeS
the hate Of gold and the love Of Richie
leu. The moment came, and the words
did not. But / turned to Richelieu with
the whispered command, Give me the
referred to the matter
II think / remember Charlotte Cush-
man as the greatest woman of the stage
She was woman of weird genius som
bre imagination and great sensibiIity. She
was victorious by innate force rather
than sweetness She was not a great ac-
tress, merely, but she was a great WON
an. When she came upon the stage she
filled II with the weirdnss and brilliant
vitality of her presence.
"Junius Brutus Boothe was the Mans
field Of the early days. He was a danger
Gus quantity during performance. lie
could not shake off the illusion that he
really was the character whose robes Of
state and great frown he wore In the
play"
At times when Mrs. Wiks was a stage
faVorite travelling was a tedious under
taking. Stock companies held the boards
in large cities making only occasional
visits 10 the smaller towns in canal hDafS
or numbering, bone-ra clSing coaches
Times have changed everything in the