The New York herald., 1922-12-10

| From the painting for the Shakespeare
Museum. Copyright. white
| translate his rendering Of two lines
Of the original into a semblance of
his emphasis as enforced by his ges-
lures: ITO die? well. to sleep--noth-
ing more," And again, with sudden
widening of the eyes before new
commanding thought, ''To die? yes,
to sleep, to sleep! perchance to
dream" II set new terrific, signiA-
cant gleam upon the lines that follow:
"Ay. there's the rub;
"For in that sleep OF death tohdt
dreams may come"
The scene at the grave, the closet
scene with his mother, the white hot
passion at the end, the brilliant fenc-
ing. all made whole very stirring,
noble and charming, and what loved
in it then-something new. 1t ran to
crowded houses for more than a hun
| dred nights.
Two things should be remembered
about 1t. One was his pronounced
French accent. 1t is safe to say that
if his first appearance in London had
been in Hamlet it would not have
run a week, but his three years of
vivid appearance in romantic dramas
had made 4 so much the usual that !
recall no critical stress being laid
upon it. The other thing was that in
the Ophelio Of Kate Terry, elder sister
of Ellen Terry, whom we knew here
as so charming in the part, Fechter
had the most radiant, touching, beau
tiful dreami of maidenhood to support
him that the stage had ever seen.
The English critics did not take too
! kindly to Fechters Hamlet. Roman
tic, yes, but not tragedy--oh, dear no.
not tragedy!
Let me not turn aside to note In de-
tail the half dozen minor and the half
score amateur Han,Iets that knew
In London, but let me recall one pre-
.entious amateur performance wherein
the First Grapc Digger, wanting to
rival the Prince. would, before an
swering his questions, sink his pick
into the resounding board on which
he stood In the grave. He got a laugh
every time the audience saw and heard
him, and 80 went at it harder every
time. At last the pick split the board,
and like fash the grave digger dis
appeared, while a great splash or
water came up in the face OF Hdn,let,
who was bending over to know where
the wretch had gone. Then up strug-
gled the grave digger like n wet rat.
Tableau! The board he split had
rested on n large rain barrel In what
/ Hamlet calls the "celarage.'
Booth and Sir Henry Irving
As They Played the Part
Nor should another scene with an
amateur HamIet be kept altogether
from public gaze. When the curtain
went up on the last act of this Ham
| lot" q two seated throne was dis
covered" mounted on platform with
out any prop under the back of IT..
This lack was only noted when the
curtain was up and the royal char
acters were sitting down. The prornp-
ter was heard to say: There's no
prop at the back of the throne: look
out" Much goings on. we know, mark
the ending OF the act and tho play.
and when the Queen took the cup to
drink to Hamlet the platform went
over, taking the Queen backward with
II. leaving, however. two shapely
limbs waving In the mir and royal Den-
mark In the dust!
I crossed the Atlantic In 1868 and
It was in Booths Theater in 1870 that
I saw the royal Hamlet OF my desire
played by Edwin Booth. Here was
the young Han,Iet. The haunting face,
the soulful eyes, the slim form. the
! unconscious grace, the fire. the dream.
the nuance of the courtiy and the fate
driven. 1t would be hard to name a
point In tho play where one would
wish the presentation bettered. But IL
one moment OF Il picrces the days
since with moro than grace and
beauty. 1t was the scene with Ophelto.
Get thee to nunncry." For sheer
grace and human ,deiicacy and tender
ness IL was supreme.
1t should be remembered that the
young Hdp,let l saw IN 1870 had been
nodded to it's perfection by long pre-
vious run at the old Winter Garden.
For many years after do not recall
seeing any American Hdntlet OF great
merit.
Camc at last Henry Irving from
London in 1sS3 with a colossal ac-
claim behind him which fioated him
triumphantly through The Bells" and
some other pieces. and In time he
reached his Hamlet" Here, indeed.
was a fine conception of the Prince.
instinct with the mystic that Is OF It's
essence, yet, compellingly human In
It's contact with the world about him.
London long had idolized him in the
part. Great painters had pictured him.
O distinguished sculptor had made a
statue of him. English writer's of dis
tinction in every variety of marveling
appreciation had praised Il and de-
clared Il new. His mobile features
that lent themselves so TO tho express
sion OF the haunted soul with such
facility had clinched II In their minds.
AS one who loves and honors the
memory Of the man I may be per-
mitted to say that the total effect on
me and many others that frst Amcri-