Sybil: A Tragedy, in Five Acts

Excerpt from Sybil: A Tragedy, in Five Acts
My Dear Friend -
It is now eight years since "Sybil" was written, and six since it was put upon the stage. In committing it to the press I desire to dedicate it to you to mark my regard for you as a poet - though you will persist in keeping your light under a bushel - and my affection for you as the almost daily companion of over four years residence in Washington. On whom could I more becomingly inflict the dedication of the drama? You were the first to mention it in the public press, even before its production; and the sympathetic sharer in its earlier successes, when the newspapers brought us accounts of the enthusiasm created by the young and brilliant tragic actress - Miss Avonia Jones - then representing the heroine.
I have never seen Miss Jones in the part, but can well imagine how greatly her powerful acting, superadded to her admirable presence, tended to kindle the public to a generous reception of the piece.
It is needless now to recall in detail the too flattering recognition of a majority of the critics - inspired, doubtless, more by enthusiasm for the actress than any knowledge of the author - or the equally unmerited severity of a minor branch of the fraternity. Leaving the latter in the hands of the audiences, I offer sincere acknowledgments to the former.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.