New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-17
THE FRENCH PLAYERS.


PARIS, June 4.-Great discomfort is expressed by
the Parliamentary representatives of the large pro-
vincial towns at the trip to London of the company
Of the Theatre Francois The brilliant dramatic
artists. now starring " it III England are heavily
subventioned by the State. When, about seven
years ago. they were offered an English engage
ment, VI. Theirs at once put his foot down. Inc
day." he said, they go abroad to act shall order
their subventon to be stopped If they want
fresh field for their energies let tirm go to the
provinces, where they will pick up plenty oil
money!
/ think NJ. Theirs right. La ComedIe
FRANCHISE is a national school of dramatic art.
1t is 10 the drama what the South Kensing-
ton Museum is to decorative ART lis
object is to perpetuate good traditions, and to
enable picked company OF actors and actresses TO
stem the torrent of bad taste which is certain to
flow whenever public wealth is rapidly developed
and plutocrats of little cultivation or refinement
come IN large numbers to the top. Governmental
aid has kept the Francais ont of the mud in which
the other Partisan theatres fell under the Empire
and in which they retained by the
wealthy cosmopolitan mob which comes to amuse
itself in Paris
1.-THE dramas laws the dramas patrons give,
And those who live TO please must please II i've,
wrote Garrick no mean authority, for he was
at once n great actor, man OF shre"d H.
! teIlect and theatrical manager. Theirs,
on the grounds urged by GaTick. defended
IN Louis Phipp5s reign the subvention to the
Theatre Francals. and had he lived he would have
increased 1t. but on condition that the company
spent every year a month in the provinces 1t was
hls plan to have entered into an arrangement
with the directors of the first-class play
houses in such towns Bordeaux, Lyons,
Marseilles, Nancy, Lille. Havre and Rouen to re-
ceiye at stated the national company OF
dramatic artists. An arrangement of the SORT he
op1ned would raise the standard of taste through
ont the country and stimulate literary genius IN the
provinces.
Mademoiselle Sarah Bernhardfs accounts Of Eng
lish life IN the Partisan journal which
has hired her at a huge salary to furnish them,
are looked forward to by the public with some
curiosity. Nobody believes that she will write
them She is accompanied by her sons pro-
fessor and by a chroncler of the GaHtois
who. il Is suspected will do the newspaper
work for her and share the splendid emoiu-
meuts The young Bernhardt, who goes with ms
mother is fourteen years old and like to her as a
boy can be to a woman. l often see him with her
IN the Pare Minceau which Is her villa, on the
PLANE de Courcelles. NJ Emile de Girardn takes
q paterual interest in the youth, who
L. destined 10 the bar and politics. The
have accompanied the dramatic artists Of Mo-
Heres House to London, complain of the wretched
dressing rooms provided for the ladies Of the com
panv. A first-rate actress at tine Francas is lux
uriousJv installed between the acts. She has
large saloon furnished with touches, easy chairs,
mirrors stretching from floor to ceiling, and cheval
GLASSES which enable her to judge Of the effect OF
her robe in its ensemble, aud IA each OF Its details.
splendid ceramics ornament the consoles and
the mlntcl-pece; aud windOw-gardening Is
c,rriad to perfection on tho balcony. Rare
pictures and marble and terra-cotta busts
Of the fair occupant, give charmngy artistic I'm
ish 70 the chamber. At the Francas greater sever
ty is affected in the dressin gro)ms OF the actresses
han in most of thc other theatres Mesdemoiselles
Croizette and Sarah Bernhardt, however have de-
narted from the tradition of elegant simple
itv and indulge in fantastic imaginings
10 an extent which would have made the tragedy
o,cens and leading condolences of former days 10
stare with sheer amazement. One severe Winter
III. epslaver of the Due d'Aumale had her apart
mont hung round with ermiue. The curtains were
thiclIy fringed with the dark tails, and the floor
covered with Russian sable. COuches and
sofas were in crimson satin, tufted with but
ter-cup yellow and the firing woman was mulatto
dressed in the lIvcie5t COlOr- and adorned with the
-howest Jewels. Eighteenth century pictures
adorned the walls. They were christi nlng present
Wroilette by Prince Of Royal House
and Israelitish wealth Mademosee Sarah
Bernhard, not 10 be Outstrpped IN eccentlcty
caused her drcssing-rOOm 70 be done up n black
velvet and silver. and settces having the form OF
collins TO he ranged round it. NJ. Perrin did not
ike the noise and confusion which arose out OF
changes of furniture. But as the two gifted
actresses were determined 10 have their own way
Lc tbougbt in Dotc not TO get IN their way. There
was one of them all-pOwerful with the DIRECTOR
General Of Fine Arts. and she threatened II her
whlms were interfered with. TO paironHe
f4N. IN HI-
opuvTing 10 Dust NJ Perrin and obtain
for. himself the much-covetrd post OF man
ager OF the Theatre tnucai- which Is disposed
OF by the French Government.
Sarah Bernbardt has a genius for getting
herself before the public She Is a woman of talent,
has a melodous though sometimes husky voice. and
, pair of fine eyes which seem 90 consume the atten-
mated yisage in which they set. Victor Hugo told
me that in his opinion, she is an ideal Nara
de Neubeyg IN "Ruy Bias; but that she
has not the communicative pathos or tue e1-
oulsite tenderness of Madame DOrval, who
never he was sorry to say, acted III TINS
piece She was sublime as she was touching
in Marion DelOrme Sarah Bcrnhardt has some
thing of Rachel's talent for recitlng TRADES IN
verse. She impresses and astonishes ana SENDS
thrills through her hearers but according to Victor
Hugo does not arouse the finer sensiDities of the
soul. Her self-consciousness intense, and she Is
very selfish woman, though in her peculiar way
a very charming one. One of her charms Is
that she is utterly unlike every other fair charmer
of the French stage of which we know anything,
and STANDS apart from all of them. Ii was con-
sidered that the line of beauty lay in the gentle
curye until Sarah Bernhard taught that skeleton
might compete successfully for the grde Of Venus.
sb. does not seek to hide the meagreness oil
her FORM Her clothes drape her like
winding-sheet Her mouth is large. and she takes
no pains to hide its uncommon size by practising
smile which would only show the edges of her teeth.
The mode she has adopted Of dressing her