Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-01-28

money from admiring connoisseurs. In 1880.
Paris became the residence of the Feljx family
and little Rachel, rising from the merely finan-
cial department, joined with her sister as
singer at the cafes on the Boulevards. While
thus employed, it seems she attracted the at
tention OF M. Chorop, founder of the Royal In
shtution for the study of sacred music, who at
once TOOK charge of her fortunes However, he
soon discovered that she was more suited for
the dramatic than the musical profession, and
he accordingly placed her under the tuition of
NJ. St. Aulaire. In 1886 she was admitted as
pupil at the Conservatore.
Her first appearance in public as an actress
was in April, 1887, at the Gymnase, when she
played in piece called LA Vendeenne, I"
without making any particular sensation 1t
Is from her performance of Camille at the Thea.
tire Francaise, on the 24th of June, 1853, that
her European reputation is to be dated, and to
the end this character has remained the most
celebrated In her repertory. The mere reader
OF the tragedy will, indeed, regard the Roman
father as the principal parsonage in Les
iioraces, and look upon CaEille as a compara-
lively minor part But to those who have seen
Mile Rachel and know how elaborate super
structure she raised on the small foundation
Afforded by the poet, Camille is the character
With which she will always sc EN- identified. not
withstahding the superior grandeur of her
iHsafs series of characters, esteemed of
the old French repertOry followed Immediately
upon Camille, and before the season of 1873
whs ended she had attained a reputation rare
" gained upon the modern stage Notwith-
ing the value of tradition, the classical
tragedy, which during the last century was re-
g'ided as - national glory, has now but slight
bold on the French mind save when il becomes
a vehicle for the display of an exceptional
talent such talent was found i'm Mademoi-
selle Rachel. and the old tragedies remained
on the French stage as her exclusive property
New plays were, indeed, written with the view
To olllustration by her genius, and perhaps the
'Adrienne LIE Couvreur' of NJ. Scribe was the
work In which she drew the most money to the
treasury Of the st. James Theatre Never
theless her impersonations of the old classic
characters will retain the longest hold on the
memory, and that wondrous combination of the
nlghest hnish with every appearance of n
thorough abandonment to the passion of the
moment will for years be looked upon as a
marvel to which few artists could offer even a
Proximate comparison. The Greek heroines of
the playbook seemed artificial, courtly crea-
lures, decked out in recoco attire; but, ami
mated by MademOiselle Rachel, they became
intensely natural figures, inspired by those
strongly defined emotions that are so conspicu-
Gus In the mythical personages of antique
Hellas.
Although of late years her London perform.
where her engagement usually followed a
series OF French CanderiHes, her first appear
ance, which was in 1910, took place at Her
Majesty s Theatre. However, her permanent
position as regular London Starr began at
the more western establishment.
After her last engagement in this country,
which took place in The Year 1855, she paid that
visit to the United States which brings the
record of her professional life to its close. Re-
ports OF declining health or of cOnvalescence
formed the staple Of intelligence respecting
Mademoiselle Rachel since her return from the
other side of the Atlantic, until conjecture was
dissipated by the melancholy fact recorded at
the head of this article
The London Star says:
. Mile. Rachel leaves two millions of francs
to her eldest boy. She died a stanch adherept
of the Mosaic dispensation, though oft and oft
runored to have joined the prevalent form of
Christianity in France. A Rabbi from Toulon
presided at her last hour She is to be buried
in the Hebrew Cemetery at Paris The Figaro
has devoted twelve columns to a kind of am
mum ontherHm of anecdotes. letters, and oc-
curreDces during her short but brilliant career;
and some OF these letters odd enough.
There is one in exceeding bad French from +.
NJ. the Due de Wellington, who can 90 to her
benefce, as he has to attend Parliament, of
which he is a member. The account of her
singing La Marsellaise' is full of pquancy."
The Paris correspondent Of the London Times
writing on the 7th inst. says:
The remains of Mile. Rachel are expected
this evening in Paris. The body, which is en-
balmed, is accompanied by her brother, Raphael
Felix, her sister Sarah and the Rabbi who was
called from Nice to attend her in her last mo-
ments. >There is no truth in the statement of
an Italian newspaper, that the deceased had
cOnfOrmed to the Roman Catholic faith on her
deathbed. The funeral will probably take
place Tomorrow