Conclusion
In depicting the career of William E. Burton as Actor, Author, and Manager, we are aware of the secondary value of his authorship, as compared with his dramatic achievements. Nevertheless, his pen was a ready and fertile one, and produced much that was meritorious, though belonging to an ephemeral order. His plays, however, continue in the list of present theatrical publications. Of his editorship it may be affirmed that his conduct of “The Gentleman’s Magazine” and “Literary Souvenir” was marked by taste and discrimination; and nothing but unqualified praise can be bestowed upon his superintendence of the compilation of humorous literature known as Burton’s “Cyclopædia of Wit and Humor.” It is by far the most complete repository of mirthful composition ever published in this country—or elsewhere, so far as we know,—and enjoys the peculiar advantage of being the only one in which the productions of American humor have any thing approaching an adequate representation. The selections throughout are indicative of great critical sagacity, and a keen perception and sympathetic appreciation, in the general arrangement, are everywhere suggested. As manager he certainly fulfilled all conditions, as we believe the relation of his successes in that sphere will sufficiently attest. But whatever his capacity in the vocations named, all is dwarfed by his transcendent powers as a comedian. He is remembered, and will be remembered, not as the author or manager, but as the great actor who swayed mankind with his supreme gift of humor. Many of the creations of his genius went away with him in death; and the traditions of his triumphs will long be distinguished in dramatic annals. Lastly, we have seen him a Shakespearian student and the possessor of a library perfectly glorious in its expression of devotion and homage to the great poet,—and linked with that proud association we leave his memory and his name.
Footnotes
1 Dr. Doran, in his “Annals of the Stage,” referring to Kean in various parts, says: “Among these, Sir Giles stands pre-eminent for its perfectness, from the first words, ‘Still cloistered up,’ to the last convulsive breath drawn by him in that famous one scene of the fifth act, in which, through his terrible intensity, he once made so experienced an actress as Mrs. Glover faint away,—not at all out of flattery, but from emotion.”
2 First produced, May, 1833.
3 Wormwood, in “The Lottery Ticket.”
4 He died in 1832.
5 So the memory of Burton in New York to-day may still be a warning of the danger of inviting comparison.
6 Henry Curwen, “Sorrow and Song.” London, 1875.
7 “When Edwin Forrest was in Europe on a visit, he was asked whom he deemed the best American actor; he promptly and unequivocally replied: ‘Henry Placide is unquestionably the best general actor on the American boards, and I doubt whether his equal can be found in England.’”—Henry Dickinson Stone’s “Theatrical Reminiscences.”
8 The first appearance of Mrs. Russell (whose maiden name was Shaw) in Chambers Street was made September 3, 1849.
9 Lester Wallack’s first appearance in New York was made at the Broadway Theatre, Sept. 27, 1847, as Sir Charles Coldstream in “Used Up.”
10 An amusing experience may be related apropos of Mr. Norton. Not liking a part in which he was cast, he addressed the following letter to the manager:
“Mr. Burton, My Dear Sir:—It was not necessity which drove me to America. I wished to travel, to see the country, and, after having satisfied myself as to whether it pleased me, professionally or otherwise, to arrange either to remain in it or return to England. I consider myself greatly insulted by being cast for the part of Scaley in ‘Nicholas Nickleby.’ To offer such an indignity to a gentleman who has held a good position in the Olympic Theatre, London, under the management of so great an actor as Mr. W. Farren, where he has played Sir John Melville, Sir Lucius O’Trigger, Sir Arthur Lascelles, etc., I consider a great insult, and positively request you to take me out of the objectionable cast, and in future to keep to the promise you made on engaging
“Yours, W. H. Norton.”
Shortly he received the following reply:
My Dear Mr. Norton:—When I engaged you I thought you were merely an actor. I find that you are a gentleman on your travels, and I have to apologize for detaining you. If you proceed, let me advise you to visit Niagara about this time. Take a tour through Canada. After that take your way through the country generally, not forgetting the caves of Kentucky, and in mid-winter return to Niagara, a splendid sight. But should you feel inclined to defer your travels, W. E. Burton will be happy to retain your services until the close of the season.”
“What could I do or say?” said Norton, relating the incident. “I literally roared with laughter. He had beaten me completely. We adjusted the difference, and I remained with him for two seasons.”
11 Ireland, in referring to certain qualities of Burton’s acting, says: “While in homely pathos, and the earnest expression of blunt, uncultivated feeling, he has rarely been excelled. His grief at the supposed death of Walter Gay, or poor Wally, as Captain Cuttle affectionately called him, was one of the most touching bits of acting ever witnessed, and has wrung tears from many an unwilling eye.”
12 In the British Museum, and the Bibliothèque Impériale at Paris, are perfect copies of this work.
13 Southey’s “Uneducated Poets,” p. 87.