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amoah at Dec 15, 2022 06:43 PM

p. 221

182.
prince whose humanity destroy our idea of
his spiritual nature.

Booth's less impassioned characters were like
the flowing of a mighty river unruffled by
winds and torrents. His Reuben Glenroy bore
the aspect of the floral landscape slightly
bending to the passing storm---it had all the
flow of manly passion entwined with his virtues.

Booth's face in repose bore a pleasing so-
lemnity of expression. In acting as if aware
of his pigmy stature he would at times straight-
en his frame as if in aid of his mental work-
ings or to aid any replication he was about to
make in dialogue. On or off the stage his face
ever bore the aspect of perturbedness---a rest-
less anxiety of soul ever seeking to expand
to emerge into objects flitting in his imagina-
tion. His organs of expression were matchless.
The facile play of his countenance when elo-
quently declaiming or in ironical disquisition
or if we may so call it one of his speaking
pauses where his expression received a double
impulse all these rapidly flitting passions of
human nature accompanied by his well modu-
lated voice enforcing masterly delivery elimi-
nated the passions of every complexion to the
delight of the auditor.

We liken any audience who listened to
Booth's intense illustrations to the sunflower
which opens and bows to the rising sun con-
tinues to turn in response to his course and as
his glories sink in the evening so still waves
the flower in admiration to his declining disc.
So did the emotions of his auditors turn and
bow before Booth's animated sketches of na-
ture and art. His voice was deep but eu-
phonious. His mightiest emotions were ever
indicated in his subdues acting and quiet ges-
tures that spoke like "the handwriting on the
wall." This we call the eloquence of acting---
it is a style that good taste cannot too much
commend in opposition to absurd rant and
noise.

A celebrated divine orator and scholar in
descanting upon pulpit eloquence enforced his
opinions in the following sensible manner :---
"Energy rarely needs noise though a full
clear round tone should prevail. There are
times when extreme loudness so that the voice
does not break is necessary as in the prophet
'O earth! earth ! hear the Lord.' Yet
we have all felt the power of a whisper or a
deep low utterance distinctly giving forth
some earnest sentence. Talma the French
master of the stage declared that he studied
forty years to be energetic without noise. Deep
emotion is averse to noise except it becomes
frantic ; and a preacher should never rave. It
is majestic melting terrible in 'a still small
voice.' The vociferations of many of our
preachers have no more eloquence in them
than the roaring of 'Bashan's bulls.' "

The Rev. Dr. Bethune's advice as above will
apply to our modern stage with commendable
force.

Booth after he became domiciliated in this
country perceiving the equality freedom and
benevolence of our institutions the obvious
contrast of the reward of labor here as com-
pared with European trammels and its enjoy-

ments so unfettered by taxing restraints finally
concluded to become a citizen of the Republic
and declared his intention of becoming a citizen
which resolve made it necessary for him to
adopt some line of policy congenial to his in-
terests and domestic happiness whereby might
be gained the two-fold purpose of ingratiating
himself personally and professionally into the
good grace of our public sentiment and its
peculiar notions and at the same time to se-
cure the indulgence of africultural pursuits so
much cherished by his wishes. Such feelings
he forbore not to communicate in private con-
verse ; and his sane actions ever proved their
sincerity. He ever sought after a tour of pro-
fessional exertion in the cities the rural re-
tirement thus coveted ; and we have heard him
with much impressiveness expatiate on the
blessings of country life with all the poetical
eloquence of a Virgil.

He early purchased a farm in Maryland be-
tween the village of Bel-Air and the Susque-
hana River about thierty miles from Balti-
more. The land in that section of country is
not very fertile and Booth's farm did not ap-
pear to our eye a paradise or abounding in
those comforts which usually characterize a
Pennsylvania homesstead. Its staple products
were corn hay poultry and hogs which ever
found a ready market in Baltimore. His father
---a very plain weel-disposed and sensible look-
ing man of the English farmer aspect---superin-
tended the culture and general disposition of
the estate. The many ludicrous stories about
Booth's attending the Baltimore market selling
vegetables corn-stalks hay and holding the
"fatted cal" by a thong in the intervals of his
business at the theatres we never knew to be
true ; albeit we resided some time at the City
of Monuments and had professional intercourse
with Booth as stage director. Many of those
tales were lively inventions of merry wags
founded no doubt upon some of his eccentric
data when in the crazy mood and told in
order to make the thoughtless laugh. The con-
siderate actor and moral man always bewailed
such jokes at the expense of so much intel-
lectual ruin. If Booth imitated humanity at
all it was the style of the respectable farmer.
This was his ambition---one worthy of all
praise and commendable in the scholar of un-
obtrusive manners. We have seen him often
at old Mr. Briarly's "Farmer's Inn" in High
street Old Town Baltimore where the Har-
ford County farmers "most did congregate" to
take their meals and bait their horses.

Booth shunned all notoriety ; he lived in the
most frugal and simple manner and was ap-
parently ostentatious in nothing. We have seen
him in the theatre in society at his residence
in High street Baltimore on the farm : in all
those positions when Booth existed in his
purity of mind he was all that man should be.

He was rather taciturn yet chatty when the
vein of genial converse was touched. The
tales of his freaks vagaries and many eccen-
tricities were numerous and almost improbable
to believe. These relations as we have said
were too often exaggerated. We do not think
that wit or humor were prominent qualities in

Booth's many and curious traits of character.
When he yielded to pranks his sinister friends
said that they were immoral and slyly mis-
chievous.

One story is told of him of rather a fiend-
ish nature. Once in descending the Mississippi
river to New Orleans two itinerant preachers
were passengers with him. During the voyage
they exhibited much zeal (as is usual with
them) in the dissemination of tracts and other
religious missives. Their impressiveness an-
noyed Booth excessively and they became in-
trusive to those inclined to social enjoyment.
Booth hit upon the following mode of retalia-
tion---which (if true) was not a fair joke. Hav-
ing with him a large sum of money in bills and
gold after all had retired to their berths and
were performing in nasal concert Booth placed
a portion of his money under the pillow of one
of the parsons and the balance under the bed-
ding of the other. Early in the morning ere
they arose Booth alarmed the passagers and
the Captain with the story of the loss of his
property. Such events among so large a body
of people are even to the innocent most dis-
agreeable and annoying. A search was pro-
posed and made---when to the amazement of
all the booty was found upon the two clergy-
men! Here was an awful catastrope! The
general astonishment and indignation was if
possible increased when the reverends were
detected ! Their protestations of innocence
were received with doubts and sneers---all their
representations were unavailing. Agreeably
to the summary Lynch code of the western or
Mississippi steamboats made and provided in
such cases by custom the innocent culprits
were to be stripped flogged and and then put on
shore among the pestilential wilds which bor-
der the dreary course of the steam. At this
point Booth conscience-stricken made a clear
expose of his nefarious trick ; and the ven-
geance of the passengers was on the point of
reverting upon the mad tragedian--a fearful
but just retribution for so serious a freak---but
a knowledge of his eccentricities and a power-
ful prepossession in favor of his talent over-
ruled the retaliation which his conduct thus
invoked.

What Booth's religious impressions were
we do not know. A mind so powerfully cast
in thought and refined in sentiment must have
been imbued with grave reflections : for Chris-
tian principles instinctively predominate in all
men as the passions and excitements of the
world abate. In the decadence of life the in-
nate principles of pure religion arise to our
thoughts to plead most fervently in contrite
spirit for the past and to look wih prayer
serene to the future state promised even to the
penitent offender. Booth in his closing hour
of life (if the account be true which we have
received from an unknown gentleman who at-
tended him and administered the last offices
which Christian charity can offer on this
earth) in that mementous crisis the sharpest
of all our earthly trials poor Booth was not
without his fervent prayer of repentance to
the Great Author of his life who then re-
claimed his spirit.

p. 221

182.
prince whose humanity destroy our idea of
his spiritual nature.

Booth's less impassioned characters were like
the flowing of a mighty river unruffled by
winds and torrents. His Reuben Glenroy bore
the aspect of the floral landscape slightly
bending to the passing storm---it had all the
flow of manly passion entwined with his virtues.

Booth's face in repose bore a pleasing so-
lemnity of expression. In acting as if aware
of his pigmy stature he would at times straight-
en his frame as if in aid of his mental work-
ings or to aid any replication he was about to
make in dialogue. On or off the stage his face
ever bore the aspect of perturbedness---a rest-
less anxiety of soul ever seeking to expand
to emerge into objects flitting in his imagina-
tion. His organs of expression were matchless.
The facile play of his countenance when elo-
quently declaiming or in ironical disquisition
or if we may so call it one of his speaking
pauses where his expression received a double
impulse all these rapidly flitting passions of
human nature accompanied by his well modu-
lated voice enforcing masterly delivery elimi-
nated the passions of every complexion to the
delight of the auditor.

We liken any audience who listened to
Booth's intense illustrations to the sunflower
which opens and bows to the rising sun con-
tinues to turn in response to his course and as
his glories sink in the evening so still waves
the flower in admiration to his declining disc.
So did the emotions of his auditors turn and
bow before Booth's animated sketches of na-
ture and art. His voice was deep but eu-
phonious. His mightiest emotions were ever
indicated in his subdues acting and quiet ges-
tures that spoke like "the handwriting on the
wall." This we call the eloquence of acting---
it is a style that good taste cannot too much
commend in opposition to absurd rant and
noise.

A celebrated divine orator and scholar in
descanting upon pulpit eloquence enforced his
opinions in the following sensible manner :---
"Energy rarely needs noise though a full
clear round tone should prevail. There are
times when extreme loudness so that the voice
does not break is necessary as in the prophet
'O earth! earth ! hear the Lord.' Yet
we have all felt the power of a whisper or a
deep low utterance distinctly giving forth
some earnest sentence. Talma the French
master of the stage declared that he studied
forty years to be energetic without noise. Deep
emotion is averse to noise except it becomes
frantic ; and a preacher should never rave. It
is majestic melting terrible in 'a still small
voice.' The vociferations of many of our
preachers have no more eloquence in them
than the roaring of 'Bashan's bulls.' "

The Rev. Dr. Bethune's advice as above will
apply to our modern stage with commendable
force.

Booth after he became domiciliated in this
country perceiving the equality freedom and
benevolence of our institutions the obvious
contrast of the reward of labor here as com-
pared with European trammels and its enjoy-

ments so unfettered by taxing restraints finally
concluded to become a citizen of the Republic
and declared his intention of becoming a citizen
which resolve made it necessary for him to
adopt some line of policy congenial to his in-
terests and domestic happiness whereby might
be gained the two-fold purpose of ingratiating
himself personally and professionally into the
good grace of our public sentiment and its
peculiar notions and at the same time to se-
cure the indulgence of africultural pursuits so
much cherished by his wishes. Such feelings
he forbore not to communicate in private con-
verse ; and his sane actions ever proved their
sincerity. He ever sought after a tour of pro-
fessional exertion in the cities the rural re-
tirement thus coveted ; and we have heard him
with much impressiveness expatiate on the
blessings of country life with all the poetical
eloquence of a Virgil.

He early purchased a farm in Maryland be-
tween the village of Bel-Air and the Susque-
hana River about thierty miles from Balti-
more. The land in that section of country is
not very fertile and Booth's farm did not ap-
pear to our eye a paradise or abounding in
those comforts which usually characterize a
Pennsylvania homesstead. Its staple products
were corn hay poultry and hogs which ever
found a ready market in Baltimore. His father
---a very plain weel-disposed and sensible look-
ing man of the English farmer aspect---superin-
tended the culture and general disposition of
the estate. The many ludicrous stories about
Booth's attending the Baltimore market selling
vegetables corn-stalks hay and holding the
"fatted cal" by a thong in the intervals of his
business at the theatres we never knew to be
true ; albeit we resided some time at the City
of Monuments and had professional intercourse
with Booth as stage director. Many of those
tales were lively inventions of merry wags
founded no doubt upon some of his eccentric
data when in the crazy mood and told in
order to make the thoughtless laugh. The con-
siderate actor and moral man always bewailed
such jokes at the expense of so much intel-
lectual ruin. If Booth imitated humanity at
all it was the style of the respectable farmer.
This was his ambition---one worthy of all
praise and commendable in the scholar of un-
obtrusive manners. We have seen him often
at old Mr. Briarly's "Farmer's Inn" in High
street Old Town Baltimore where the Har-
ford County farmers "most did congregate" to
take their meals and bait their horses.

Booth shunned all notoriety ; he lived in the
most frugal and simple manner and was ap-
parently ostentatious in nothing. We have seen
him in the theatre in society at his residence
in High street Baltimore on the farm : in all
those positions when Booth existed in his
purity of mind he was all that man should be.

He was rather taciturn yet chatty when the
vein of genial converse was touched. The
tales of his freaks vagaries and many eccen-
tricities were numerous and almost improbable
to believe. These relations as we have said
were too often exaggerated. We do not think
that wit or humor were prominent qualities in

Booth's many and curious traits of character.
When he yielded to pranks his sinister friends
said that they were immoral and slyly mis-
chievous.

One story is told of him of rather a fiend-
ish nature. Once in descending the Mississippi
river to New Orleans two itinerant preachers
were passengers with him. During the voyage
they exhibited much zeal (as is usual with
them) in the dissemination of tracts and other
religious missives. Their impressiveness an-
noyed Booth excessively and they became in-
trusive to those inclined to social enjoyment.
Booth hit upon the following mode of retalia-
tion---which (if true) was not a fair joke. Hav-
ing with him a large sum of money in bills and
gold after all had retired to their berths and
were performing in nasal concert Booth placed
a portion of his money under the pillow of one
of the parsons and the balance under the bed-
ding of the other. Early in the morning ere
they arose Booth alarmed the passagers and
the Captain with the story of the loss of his
property. Such events among so large a body
of people are even to the innocent most dis-
agreeable and annoying. A search was pro-
posed and made---when to the amazement of
all the booty was found upon the two clergy-
men! Here was an awful catastrope! The
general astonishment and indignation was if
possible increased when the reverends were
detected ! Their protestations of innocence
were received with doubts and sneers---all their
representations were unavailing. Agreeably
to the summary Lynch code of the western or
Mississippi steamboats made and provided in
such cases by custom the innocent culprits
were to be stripped flogged and and then put on
shore among the pestilential wilds which bor-
der the dreary course of the steam. At this
point Booth conscience-stricken made a clear
expose of his nefarious trick ; and the ven-
geance of the passengers was on the point of
reverting upon the mad tragedian--a fearful
but just retribution for so serious a freak---but
a knowledge of his eccentricities and a power-
ful prepossession in favor of his talent over-
ruled the retaliation which his conduct thus
invoked.

What Booth's religious impressions were
we do not know. A mind so powerfully cast
in thought and refined in sentiment must have
been imbued with grave reflections : for Chris-
tian principles instinctively predominate in all
men as the passions and excitements of the
world abate. In the decadence of life the in-
nate principles of pure religion arise to our
thoughts to plead most fervently in contrite
spirit for the past and to look wih prayer