Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-10-10
Mdlle. Bernhardt.


young person DESTROYS of obtaining a
place in that school. Escorted by her
mother, Jewess. the candidate, slim
and intel)igent-looking girl. came in.
1t was customary on such occasions for
would-be pupils to recite TRADE from
Corneille or Racine; but the present
candidate, unaware of this, was uu-
prepared with ANYTHING of the kind.
Fortunately, however, she knew LIE.
fontaine's Deur Pigeons, and this she
proceeded to recite. Scarcely had the
lines
Deux pigeons s'aimaient d'amour tendre;
L'un d'eux, s'ennuyant de logis,
passed her lips when Auber interposed.
"Come here. mon enfant," he said, 81
want to speak to you" The girl. with
degree of self-possession which
brought smile to the faces of the
jurors, approached the chair. Your
name?' Sarah Bernhardt. CA Jew
esq., "By birth, oui, monsieur; but
have been trained as Christian. ="
"You recite very prettily," said the
composer, 4" and will be admitted"
Before tracing Mdlle. Bernhardt's
career beyond this point it is necessary
to inquire into her previous history.
Born of parents in good position, she
was educated at the college of Grand
champ. Zone OF the most aristocratic
establishments of the kind in France"
Here, thanks to swift intelligence and
intense application, she quickly dis
tanced competitors of even more than
her own age, and on leaving the con-
vent found herself loaded with honors.
But her thoughts had not been ex-
clusively engrossed by her studies. She
had looked as far into the world beyond
the convent walls as she could, and.
probably in obedience to the instincts
of an Unborn talent, had decided what
her course in life should be. 81 in
tend" she once said to the principal of
the convent, to be nun-if 7 cannot
be an actress at the Coincide Franchise. ?"
Her friends, who resided in the Rue st.
Honore, the birthplace of Moliere, &C.
cepted their destiny with meritorious
resignation. They made arrangements
for her going to the Conservatoire, with
what result we have already seen.
Fortified at this institution by lessons
in defamation from Provost and Sam
son, Mdlle. Bernhard appeared at the
Coincide Franchise passed at one
bound from school to the first theater
in Europe. Her Iphigenie showed her
to be an actress of rare promise, and the
journals distinguished by knowledge of
the theatrical art praised the per.
Torrance with significant warmth. This
was deemed a sufficient reason for oh.
structing her progress, and at length,
too ambitious and spirited to submit to
unfair treatment, she left the theatre.
Soon afterward we find her at the
Gymnase, and soon after that at the
Odeon. In order to acquire experience
OF the stage she would play even fairy
IN pieces a machine. Before long her
fame was such that the Coincide Fran.
caise threw open its doors to her. and to
the Coincide Franchise she returned.
NOW, owing to an assiduous cultivation
OF her natural gifts, she stands at the
head OF the French theatre-has estab-
llshed a right to be ranked on the same
level as DesUillets, Champmesle, Ad-
rienne, Lecouvreur, Dumesnil, Clarion.
and Rachel. Indeed. it seems impossi.
bic that any actress could possess a
more vivid and brilliant Imagination.
more exquisite sensibility, keener per.
ception of character, or q more power.
ful mastery of the resources of her art.
That her physical powers are unequal
to one or two parts in which she has an
peared, is obvious enough; but even
when she is at such disadvantage, the
glowing energy of her spirit carries a
spectator out of himself. The effect of
her ecldirs OF passion is simply electri.
cal.
Not content with the laurels she has
gathered on the stage, Mdlle. Bern.
hardt has pursued other walks of art
with remarkable success. In 1869 nj.
Mathieu-Meusnier induced her to sit to
him for a bust. She attentively watched
the process, and criticised the result
with so much taste that the SCULPTOR
recommended her to make an ESSAY in
his art. That very night, on her return
from the theatre, she adopted his sug.
gestion; relative, Nine. Bruck, being
awakened from sweet sleep to pose a..
model. In the result the yonng ar.
tress became enthusiastic yotary of
sculpture, and her first serious work in
this direction, marble bust of a girl
was exhibited in the Salon of 1873
Next came bust of younger sister.
who did not live to witness i S compile
ton. But it was not until Mdlle.
Bernhardt exhibited Apres la Tempete that
her cl-verness as sculptor was fully
evinced. The subject is maternal grief.
an aged woman, bereft of reason by ac.
cumulated misfortune, gazes at the dead
body OF an only son, refusing to be.
heve that he is not alive, yet with a
gllmmering consciousness of the truth
expressed IN her withered face. The
group is pathetic in a very high degree.
MdlIe. Bernhardt has also executed
among many other things, a bust Of
Emile de Girardin and q colossal statue
ior the facade of the theatre at Monaco.
nor is she 4 stranger to the palette: a
striking picture Of Medea Staying the
children has come from her ease; and a
lev months ago, IN order to kill time. she