New-York tribune., 1907-11-10
EDWIN BOOTH.
IN MEMORY OF A GREAT MAN.

day. He died on June z 1895. 1t seems approprf
ate that few commemorative words about him
should be said at this time. He was a great
actor aud his influence in the world was benef-
cent and beautiful In the rush and whrl Of this
tumultuous time il is we'll that his noble life and
example should be recalled The following word.
are from the pen OF who knew him intimately,
for many years and admired and loved him:
The acting OF Edwin Booth exemphed the sub
stantial and permanent worth of dramatic art-l-a
beauty. its nobility, it's benefcence and therein II
displayed the reason why the stage should exist II
it not for the coming of such an actor now
and then. TO whom nature has given q great soul
well suitable physical equipment and mimesic
and interpretative faculty. the theatre would be a
wilderness Of trash In Booths execution
of his ideals there apparent in great and ever
growing funess the quality Of living rather than
acting. His figures were unconscious OF an audi
ence and OF surroundings. They crossed the stars
like embodied phantOms from land OF dreams
The curtain was drawn aside and the gazer looked
through some vast easement or cathedral arch into
the luminous world of the past. behOlding its actual
denizens. living their actual lives Booths eubodi-
ments of Lucius Brutus and OF RicheIieu, for in
stance revealed historical pictures, animated with
the spirit of a great man, and dinusive of spir
itual experience as they were expressive Of dra-
matte art. Acting which is productive OF
that result accomplishes the utmost and the best
that could be claimed for its province in human
society.
In conversations with me. in the last years Of his
life Booth spoke much OF his father, OF domestic
and personal affairs of religion and the spiritual
life and of many other subjects that OCCUPIED b,s
thoughts. The habitual tone of his mind durins.
his last days. exceedingly gentle. He would
now and then evnce, by a satirical word, some i'm
patience OF the self-seeking with which ne was but
too frequently impOrtuned. More often he would
become humorous, and when he spoke he fire.
quently DID. of his illness and the countless clr
tive measures that had been recommended 10 him.
ne was especially comic With respect the use
of medicine, he approved of the method of that es-
Ua6 anTra Me-
Museum, who whenever ILL., obtained whatever
remedy was prescribed. placed it in bureau drawer
and left it theredeclaring day. that she Eelt
much better for H. He said that he had never
cared much for acting. and Iatterly had not cared
for it at ALL Il don't care 10 read old plays any
more" he said but like 70 read about the old
dramatsts 1 cannot imagine what could have been
the charm OF Garric1's performance Of Abel Drug
ger" (On an occasion in 1875 Garricl wrote:
Last night 1 played Abel Drugger for the Iass
time. 1 thought the audience were cracked Tbev
almost turned my brain.')
He mentioned, in anectionate terms several ab-
sent frtends-Aldrich, FUrness, Hutton Jefferson
and John S. Clarke. Il shall probably. never act
again." he said. and I don't want to travel I
have been travelling all my life. What I wsut
now is to stay in one place. with things that 7
like around me- He recalled. with evident pleas
ure, his professional season with Irving, in London
QSSl L enjoyed every hour of IL" he said and
| so did the season in Germany He spoke os
his first visit to Paris made in 1S6l-'6l under the
Empire. IN company with the artist George II
| Boughton, whom he cordially liked. and he de-
| clared that the city was then entirely delightful
TO him Il always of boyish spirit he said
| 'and II my physical health We're good should
| still be very boyish; but there has always been
an air of melancholy about me. that made ma
seem much more serious than I ever really
| was {"
He spoke o. }. B. Roberts. as Rodericlk Dhu.
/ Many profile pasteboard images had been made
20 represent ROderick's men. who were to start IN
| braCke0 az lef Ch f,rs
| machinery employed raise them proved de-
fective. and AT Rodericks whistle his paDer var
riors arose. wrong side outward. in every conceiv-
/ able posture. but mostly in a state OF forward
| oscillation The effect" said Booth was ex-
| treulely ludicrous" We were speaking OF the
| memoirs that are written by actors. With few
exceptions" he declared they are all alike The
| same comic mishaps everybody on the
stage I could nu pages with stories of that kind
The humorous side OF Booths nature was d.
lishtful II appeared in his familiar talk in his
"reminiscences and anecdotes and sometimes in his
| letters. The attitude that he maintained toward
the world was. publicly. that Of brilliant achisvs-
/ ment; privately. that OF reserve and silence
He was uncOmmOnly apt In telling comic storiss-
MS me dark eyes. mobile features and exPressVs
voice giving effect 70 every word. but he talked
free'- only when in the society OF those whom he
| knew well and with whom he feIt at ease. Speak
ing OF that popularity he mentioned 10 me an
| amusing incident OF his experience at 4 dinner
| party at the Boston hOma Of Oliver Wendell
| Holmes. Tho company was large and the con-
versation animated. He had taken no Part in il.
content 20 be listener. Something presently sug-
gested an anecdote TO him. and he began 70 speak
to his nearest neighbOr. Instantly there was at
| tentlve silence all around the table I never Got
| beyond the first sentence Booth said for tbs
| sudden stiffness and the general attention 50
startled me that completely forgot what had
Intended to sly. and SO stuck fast and said MOTH
! Ing.''
| \ comment made by Booth. when referring tn
/ his Winter Garden days. denotes his temperament
and also shows his sense OF the impression that X
sometimes made upon the minds OF others: "Ths
labors that underwent at that time with domes-
| tic affiictions weighing heavily upon me. made
very unit for social enjoyment OF any kind and
OF course, made people think ma naughty. SELF
conceited and Hamlet-y' all the time; whereas s
was weary and unhappy"
Beneath his reserve there was. in fact abundance
| OF kindness. and. in spite OF many troubles and
latteriy OF radical il-heaIth he kept the sportiys
disposition OF a boy Il don't enjoy going IS
funerals he said. when asked 70 be one OF the
pallbearers at the funeral of John Brougham. AE
the Instance OF Lawrence Barrett he attended tbs
funeral os F. 2. Whipple. in Boston; but the queer
facial contortions Of the officiating clergyman quits
overcame his gravity and his patience. Il knew
MI Nhippe slightly" he remarked TO Barrett as
they left the church, but l never thought should
be so sorry for HIS death."-(Lifs Of Ed,Cn BO0th,
by William WiHtsr)
The writer OF the above printed words hapPenss
TO be in California when Edwin Booth died. but the
actor Was continually in his thoughts and he has
reason TO know that Booth was not forgetful OF
his old contradiction the last words that Booths
eyes ever looked those of this writer's
poem. called "Homeward Bound" The subjoined
lines, from the same pen. may not be deemed an