shams, he devotes himself to pure art. His highest triumphs have been
won in the legitimate branches of his profession, and won by the force
of his genius, aided only by the most careful study and an intelligent
analysis of the parts assumed by him. He has the happy faculty of
entering into perfect sympathy with his characters, and for the time
being he is less the actor than the individual he personates. It is this
that gives the sparkle to his eye, the ring to his laughter, and the
exquisite feeling to his pathos; and feeling thus, he is quick to
establish a sympathy between himself and his audience, so that he moves
them at will, convulsing them with laughter at the sallies of the
light-hearted Rip, or dissolving them in tears at the desolations of the
lonely old man, so soon forgot after he has gone.

Mr. Jefferson has inherited from his father the genial, sunny
disposition for which the latter was famous. He is an essentially
cheerful man, and trouble glances lightly off from him. He is generous
to a fault, and carries his purse in his hand. Misfortune never appeals
to him in vain, and many are the good works he has done in the humbler
walks of his own calling. He is enthusiastically devoted to his
profession, and enjoys his acting quite as much as his auditors. In
putting his pieces on the stage, he is lavish of expense, and whenever
he can control this part of the performance, it leaves nothing to be
desired. Some years ago he brought out "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at a
Philadelphia theater, in a style of magnificence rarely witnessed on any
stage. The scenery was exquisite, and was a collection of artistic gems.
The success of the piece was very decided in Philadelphia, but when it
was reproduced, with the same scenery and appointments, in a Western
city, the public would scarcely go to see it, and the theater incurred a
heavy loss in consequence. Jefferson's remark to the manager, when the
failure became apparent, was characteristic: "It is all right," said he.
"We have done our duty, and have made an artistic success of the piece.
If the people will not come to see it, it is more their misfortune than
ours."

He has inherited also from his father considerable talent as an artist,
and sketches with decided merit, though he makes no pretensions to
artistic skill. In his vacations, which he passes in the country, his
sketch-book is his constant companion. He is a famous sportsman and
fisherman, and in the sum