The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-05-31
HISTORIC DRAMATIcs.
The Passion For Acting That Asssrss
Itself IL Man.

1kselt 2 Man.
Some psychologist has asserted mat
the Instinct IN many men. great 81
small. that leads them Is pose II order
70 give dramatic egfeet 10 tieir words
or actions has a times been s. strong
Is 70 be unconquerabie. even by deatll
History records M amusing instance
Of this in the ease % sir Frlnc!s Burs
dett, who was condeinned 10 the Tower
for high treason. Sir Francis resisted
the order Els house was attacked IN
detaehments Of cavalry aud insantry
An infuriated mob ragged onteide
When the door was broken down. bur.
dett was found calmly seated ii his
library. an taiant son upon his knee.
whom he was teaching 70 read Magma
charta.
william Pitt, perhaps Che greatest OF
British orators. was, according % Grat.
tan. an Incompatible actor pitt
would seize upon every trihlng oecnr.
renee with the rapidly OF lightning
which could add force TO his eioauence.
It Is related that ON one occasion when
attaching a Radical motion late Al
night the lights OF the house Went out
Pitt paused, and then in the darkness
his voice rang out:
go on! II the constitution mlst he
wounded, let It receive its mortal stab
now in this dark and midnight hour!p
Action on the motion was postponed
and finally lost. One Of Pitts oppo.
nents afterward said:
He made us feel ike conspirators
doing a bloody deed simply by the lack
Of candles and his marvellous yoleer
Pitt was fully aware OF the eject Of
this. He once solemnly begar, d speech !.
upon colonial reforms by the words.
sugar Mr.. Speaker when he was
interrupted by smothered laugh from
some OF the younger members.
he paused, glared from bench to
bench and then in white heat OF fury
cried out Sugar! Sugar! Sugarp'
three times.
80 powerful We're the tones Of the
orator that Il frightfui silence followed
He looked at tie awestrrck members
and said contemptuously, "who laughs
at me and sugar now?' and went on
with his speech.
ON another occasion, while hurting
contempt at Lord Efingham, he sud.
denly appealed to'a figure in the tapes.
try on the wall as IAN immortal ances.
tor Of this degenerate lord, Indignant
at the disgrace of his race and coun.
Try So fine was the action, we are
told, that the house thrilled with ex-
element only remembering afterward
that the great shade" whose wrath
ne deprecated was worked by a needle
upon the canvas.
The passion for acting could 20 no
further than in duke Of the great
French house of Rohan, who, being
told that he had only half an hour TO
live, caused himself to be taken nm.
dressed in court costume, with all his
orders and jewels, and seated in the
oanqueting room, where he received
his friends with grace and dignity.
Finding himself growing blind, he rose.
exclaming, "Ah, the King is Ilerer' an.
luted and fell dead.
Napoleon, according to his biogra.
pliers. possessed dramatic talent of no
low grade. Indeed. it has even been
asserted that he took lessons OF the
player Talma. At any rate.
me Corsican on no occasion lost sight
Of the dramatic possibilities of word |
Or an action How the devoted leglons
must have thrilled when under the
shadow Of the pyramids he delivered
to them his Soldiers, from these pyra. |
aids forty centuries look down upon
,our'