Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18
Finds Critics Were Forced
TOT oncede Genius Of Edwin Booth
rthyS of amousP 5

lips: Blanca. Mrs. Hight: Curtis
Mrs. Germon.
The prices fS- the double bill were:
Dress circle and parquette, soc: pro-
scenium boxes, 50 and SO; orchestra
chairs, 81; reserved seats, 76c; pri-
vate boxes. S.; family circle, Csc;
colored boxes. Soc; coiored gallery
csc. ~
From the Hunter Polkinhorn
take the following con-
corning the Booth engagement:
Among the opponents OF hereditary
genius Il was said that the son of
Junius Brutus Booth could not inherit
his fathers gift. A mother might
transmit to her offspring her mental
qualities, but father. never. These
doubters came to the theater to score
a knockdown proof Of the truth Of
had trying ordeal in appearing be-
fore an audience who remembered the
superb acting OF Junius Brutus Booth,
in Richard III peculiarly one OF
his mastery creations. Before the
play was half over young Edwin con-
quered critics, doubters and habitueg
alike. As great as was his illustrious
father. the son stood his peer every
inch. Not only he, but his ill-starred
6EOt16Es JOHH w llhSb 0O0tHb innGLtCC0
IN great degree his fathers gifts.
Edwin Booth Is the pride and orna-
ment OF the American stage. In per-
son he Is Ideally handsome and has
the glowering luminous eyes, the
speaking face, the changeful voice.
vast in volume, and Of marvellous fiex-
Utility and range. AS tragedian he
compares to Edmund Kean. His Is
the only Hamlet in the world; as
~. L. -.~Nwa .wNA
fascinating beyond what words can
tell. He gives to love.language mum.
berless shades, gentle, naive, tender,
tragic grace. His Richelfeu is ma
lures self: he never oversteps the
bounds: no measured and artificial
cadences; no unnatural pauses; no
afHectation; but tho great cardinal,
albeit but a weak old man, rises In his
majesty and shows us at last the Sc
cret of his mighty power. which made
him the master Of France. against all
steel, poison. malice, domestic and
foreign levy"
One may assume that the man who
wrote the foregoing lines thought Ed
win Booth was q pretty good actor.
Some name on the bill copied may
mean something to you. The men and
women were mature actors in 1856
20 years ago-or they would not have
been in John T. Ford's Holiday
Street stock company and would not
be acting with Booth. It cannot be
that one Of them is yet in life. The
Rambler hopes that II their souls live
and hold remembrance of this world.
they are happy. hope they approve
this story and will send by that means
which some call inspiration q few
thoughts for the next ramble.
= -
T AM wondering II the actors that
= are gone are scattered through
Elysium or live in one neighborhood
Of that happy place. seem to re-
member that poets and philosophers
had an Elysian grove apart from
other souls. A traveller who came
back from that bourne told me that
he plucled a golden branch that was
a sign pointing to the Styx. Crossing
the river with Charon he got by Ger
berus, entered the cavern where MI
| nus held his court and soon found
himself in a forest Of myrtles where
lived the victims of love-Eryphyle.
Evadne and Didon the Phenicienne.
Just beyond the myrtles the road
parted. the right fork leading to
Elysee. Then he came into a pleas
ant country purple lighted. Poets and
| philosophers were in converse. Graceg
and muses. danced on the turf. Homer
sang. accompanying himself on his
rustic Tyre. Scion. Democritus and
Pythagoras were near. OrpheCs,
Euripides and Sappho sat beneath q
laurel, and Horace and Lycoris were
beside a brook. Apart and at the
trunk Of dark yew sat Virgil.
I do not recall that my literary
friend met. actors in Elysium, but the
Rambler viii bet this weeks salary
| that Thespis and actors from the
theaters Of Dionysus and Megalopolis
were there. am sure that the Ram
bler's old friend Quintius Roscius OF
Lanuvium and Rome was there.
knew Roscius well when he was ap-
pearing in the plays OF Plautus,
Terence and Seneca. At that time
the Rambler was q reporter, or
diurnorum scriptor. on the Acta
| Of largest circulation In Rome, and
with a mailing list reaching from
Hiericho to Londinium, in Anglia, and
Dublinium. in Hibernia. At that time
took down the debates In the Forum
and reported all the shows In the old
Pompey Theater, near the Campus
Martius. / used to meet Roscius and
his troupe in the popina OF Gaius,
where we could get a good lunch for
a seSterce, q three-course cena for
a dinarius and an amphora Of Faler
mum from the slopes OF Mount Mas
sicus for about two nummi.
Perhaps the old actors you knew
have their private grove and are tell
| ing of the parts they played, Of the
queer hotels they stopped at and Of
the theaters, op'ry houses and town
halls they played in. Perhaps they
are talking Of the stageceaehes.
steamboats, and trains they travelled
on--trains that ran when sleeping
cars were few and before the days OF
| diners--trains that stopped at Cum
berland, Altoona, Lynchburg, Green's
boro, Sanford, opelik9. Cheyenne.
Rawitns, Elko, Humboldt, Reno. etc,
that passengers. might have 80 min
utes for dinner"
Here follows one Of the letters to
a'KimbalI, Va, Jolly 8.
Dear Rambler: Your article in
| The Sunday Star on June 20 on IA.
nous stage folk brought to my mind
pleasant memories had the great
pleasure Of attending the opening of
| Albaugh's Grand Opera House on
| Nov. 10, 1854, by the Emma Abbott
English Opera Company and have the
\ beautiful white satin souvenir pro-
1 gram on which was printed the dedi.
cation address written by John ".
Hood, ESQ, OF Baltimore, and de-
Ilivered by Edwin B. Hay Of the Wash
ington bar. am greatly interested in
your articles. Respectfully,
4 MRS. r. BYRD JUDD"
The Rambler has received this note
| from the composing room:
Dear Harry: Replying to your
1 kick this am. that the Composing
i Room had outraged Cicero ma that
i your last Sundays copy does read
/ 'uuod scripsi scripsp and that you
i ........i...l H. a.aoli1A