New-York daily tribune., 1855-08-23
RACINE L.

7be,ier On the fret of September.
France has ever been generous in sending some OF
80 gifed children to our shores bnt although We
t.ce bid opportunities, from many Of which we have
lawn both instruction ani delight, Of beho!ding re-
,e-eniatiyes Of FIench genius, in the fine arts in
ps.c and in song, Of French tragedy aud the higher
f..rrhes of French comedy and melodrama no
,iv representative had up TO yesterday ever visited
-.force The Interest with which the French troupe
.srounded by its novelty, gathers, we need hardly
..g additional hight and intensity from the brilliant
--nils and wc-won fame Of the lady who is their
..s- snd attracting talisman.
s., much has been written Of late about MdlIe
rfc and her agents have been so eager To circulate
udyb bi craphies Of her ie and foreign criticisms on
tr acting that although would well wish TO see our
rarts approach the peri finances Of Mdie. Rachel
unbiased by all grauoiose statements, many, if not
r.-t. win enter the Metropolitan Theater with opin-
n un onscousy prccoDoeved either 10 ecstatc favor
cf fsouo Of her brilliant points or in dead and perhaps
hse prejudice against SOME of her supposed shoreom-
1rs. An these yeetag6ts Of oit-rcpestei criticisms
c1 Mdllc. Bachels acting, and stale canards about
Der private story, many Of which are fase, are much
20 be regretted not alone bee 4use artist of the
renee of Rachel ros high above those little chsrlatan
r which may be Necessary give attraction 10 lesser
Eels but because il lends 10 this country unatter0g
reputaoD which the ofthe people do not deserve
ofbuudng its judgment too much on what European
rspers have printed and European critics have said,
instead Of forming and following genuine and inde
pendent opinion
Happily, however, Rachel's esrly appearance be-
tore rs will bring 10 close all this cbatteiDg hue and
,rv and, until the termination Of her performances,
hal cestainly reserve that emphatic judgment which
% many have chosen to express before they have
begup Meantime il is purpose TO simply present,
,,amatter Of natural interest at such moment, the
,.or, Of le. Racbes artistic life, relieved of all
,,srgernted color aud such notice Of her peculiar
,oue, az the circumstances Of It suggest and may
Without anticipating the public opinion, furnish a
,IeIeton Of her character as actress which each
mans own judgment may uubiasedy fill up
The simple romance of Rachels history is indeed
,ueen. of itself to awaken the interest and touch
NE heart of this country wi hout the necessity of
A,owipe around IL dramatic robe. She was born in
he year 1920, being consequently now in her thirty
NTH year. and like most of those who in our own
tOuntr in every sphere have climbed flames shining
,eep she was born of poor and as is said in Europe
n humble p,rents As a chld she sang wild snatehes
around the c,fIee-houses of Lyons and of Paris, the
pstry pttsnce which her treble wrought being to ber
honor as brave girl be il said ballowed in contrib
rtng to the relief Of her poor parents bitter wants.
Who knows bat activity thus early mployed tor such
pses led by its inspiring influences TO precocous de
velopmeD Of genius, which in more passive or idle
childhood would have taken longer to unfold How
ever II came with her it was se and through the
tatered gsrb of the little mendic4nt songstress her
genius seems to have stolen The beauty of her voice
sDd the outward marks Of the divine particle within,
which she bore in her dark, glltering eye and pro-
t-,dv ad nd hrou nf
f1ed one evening the Boulevards the attention of
he celebrated music-teacher DIR. Choron, who ad-
ht.ed her into his singing class. Under his tuition
ihe continued about ten months pursuing her vocal
studies with diligence and success; but she had evil
eenty mission for the drama. Her kind master saw
l. She herself intuitively felt il, the children of
tepus ever feel the fnger-msrk of God. AT the age
Of fifteen she discontinued her studies for the opera,
md vas removed to dramatic class where with
severe and assiduous study she cultivated the hisrl-
tnic art
Her first efforts at the minor Theaters were not
much noticed and OF but trihng success; bat Vedei'
nemsnaRer Of the Theater Fraucais had The sagaci'y
toecoppiIe her great merits, and engaging her al
sry of eight hundred dollars for tue first year. an
rcopced her TO appear as Camille in the " Horaees,
ausgedy Of CorDeille.
In France the Theater hes precedence over almost
4, other human affairs and the debut of new actress
,.,es smos "a much sens alton in Paris as the dis
eoyery Of a new world did al Madrid. The iaetthat
yedel had epgs ged her spoke already volumes IN her
hyor Veoel was mighty MANAGER, ana LOUIS
Philippe in hours of Royal ocoseness used Playiauy. 10
ny that the resignation of the dramatic drectorShlp
b, yedel would wake far greater tumut in Partisan
veins than the resignation OF the mlnisteria o"ieau
BY Tbers ,;n =
Comedies and Recnes tragedies, thoushthroned In
tsssic spendor the shelf, had at the perou prior
De advent Of Rachel, wholly disappeared IRON the
x.oe With the brilliant courts, under whose lhsP"-
me influence POesy and the Drama hourlshed, they
l,a nassed from of the scene and if we except the
t5smnbs of ralma and the short time during wh'ch
H,noIson wrote amid the smoke of the kIemlln WIN
one hand mansoes to his soldiers, with the other 10
k ncors the trageaies Of the time of Richeueu and
ofLouis the Fourteenth and Fifteenth bad almost
s,nisAed from the stage. Nor with all the iaitn
rhced in yedes judgment was the interest IN tne re
,useiston Of Coneile oSspecial liveness. That In
ts,..,h,d beon long since diminished if not swept
avsy bv tbeinAuences ofthe sge OF the modern dfSna
which ever reflects the impression oi the ''i'e' A'
Ae period when the French drama was thrown i,'o
sse Of confused chaos by the uneonnecied anu l'i'
coherent Twaddle of the Troubadours aud those "no
buowed the purity of taste of Coneiue ha'u'any
started furore and new era, aud where all was en-
sneersent and disorder the untcs OF Arsoue oeoauo
aeyiizjnr and beautifyng influence. But as SOON HS
tdsr was restored the monotony OF the trageoeS on
ceased 10 make weary, when some hghy S'''eu
artist lac Talms. threw his yiyiiyug powers lu.' '''
sl....,--. - 10 tho audience forget in their al