Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-12-01


1t is with pride and qualification
that we find the press, East, North
and South, everywhere acknowledge
ing the histrionic genius of Miss
Mary Anderson, who was so warm
ly appreciated here. Knowing that
a little fun cannot endanger so well
founded a reputation as hers, we cut
from the New York Sun notice of
her train and the embarrassment it
seems to give her fellow actors. We
have long desired the abolition of
this traditional appendage to dra-
matte heroines, and should be glad
to learn that the lady in question,
so original and Independent in other
matters, shcIld muster originality
and independence enough to ampu-
tate the train and reform it off the
earth:
Miss Mary Anderson is a rough
diamond
AS YOU may associate that meta
phOr with the fact that she came
from the far West, and thus jump
to the conclusion that mean Cali
fornia diamond, hasten to add that
she is genuine, but uncut and unset.
Nobody but an actress who had
come from the West West is gener-
ic here; she may have come from
South or Southwest for all that /
know, would have played Pauline
Deschappelles" i'm such a dress.
Not only was it inappropriate as
costume, but it was distressing as
mere clothing.
Its interminable cOnvOlusiOns
transformed the star into histronic
comet. She had so much train and
so little training that her agile
"Claude" had to ford her skirts
every time that he desired to scale
the heights of her pride, and one
was tempted to wish that the engin-
cry of love had provided him with
pOntOon bridges.
Mr.. Eben PlymptOn, who played
the part of Melnotte in headlong
manner, must be pardOned for q
double imPetuosity, for lover who
has to come over a cteUdILr de fTist
of dress before he can overcome the
nucleus of woman herself, needs the
art of an acrobat no less than the
courage of hero.
L trust you will pardon the harm
less cOnceit, but this inexplicabl6
train was to me constant remind
er of Pauline's far Western weak.
ness. In dress, at least, the actress
had the "bOundless cOntiguity" o.
the prairie, and succeeded in con
yerting her lover into a kind of Buff
falo Bill, who found it necessary
every time that he would discover
his heroine to first get upon her trail
The wild Western adrOitneSs witt
which Mr.. PlymptOn tracked hi:
voluminOus Pauline through eacI
act was worthy of q Long ISLAND
fox hunter. When the heroine came
upon the stage she entered in long
itudinal sections. 1t was not posi-
BILE to say exactly when she ceased
TO arrive. Certain subordinate pOr
tiOns kept coming after the van
guard had reached its position, anC
those portions swept in with billow
~ luXuriousness, and curled them
selves round the boards symmetri
cally, and drifted up against the
scenes, and banked themselves III
into what may be called the out
skirts of Anderson. 1t was thu
truly said of her that she filled the
stage. 1t would be still more cor
rect to say that she inundated il
with tucks aud frills, and, like 8
textile anaconda, wound herself
about the picture, as if indeed his
trionism, like embalming, could
preserve art only by sWaddling it.
When Cloud, in full pursuit, came
on in hot haste and struck the trail
it was interesting to watch him
search through its conventions fOl
the fountain head of woman, which
an unerring instinct told him was
at one end or the other. No les
pleasant was it to observe the salts
faction which irradiated his face
when he had terrified out the Pauline
from thesprawling wealth of clothes
] mention this in proof of my as
SertiOn that Miss Anderson is an un
cut diamond. The lapidary who
shapes her will begin with pair o
scissors.
At present she shines but dimlN
through fog of muslin.
Whether she has always PLAYED
Pauline i'm the wild Western cite;
in this interminable guise or only
adopted it in obedience to what SHE
supposed were the preiudices of {
house where Miss Fanny Davenport
reigned and cascaded so long, dc
not know.
But this / do know: If she haC
been more of an artist anu less of ;
Western gunius, she would, first o
all, have attired herself more APP
propriately and becOmingly.
Ae Wanted to Jine.