New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-16

of il rather than in the poets verse. With all its
shortcomings. the acting of this brief scene
was revelation to the majority of the spectators.
They had seen in the acting of Molierc's comedy
all that art that culture, that talent of the highest
order could achieve But art speaks difficult IAN
guage, culture demands similar culture, ana no
briliancy Of mere talent Gets the pulse beating
The touch of nature that makes two strange
natures kin is n touch of genius which Bernhardt
alone among the actresses Of the Franeais possesses
She hurried but no hurry could obscure the fault-
less purity of her elocuton. She was nervous put
the agitation which shock her frail body seized
upon those who saw her. She not quite mis-
tress of herself but neither had the au-
dience control of their feelings. 1t seemeu
but moment that she was upon the stage, Dut III
that moment an English public had their hrS'
glimpse of the power with which profound and ter
rihle emotion may be depicted IL is no figure oil
speech to say that during the last lines she heid her
hearers breathless and spellbound
Mile Bcrnhardt's ascendancy is so marked that
pass at once from her Ph6dre TO her Mrs. GARRISON
an impersonation not less remarkable in Its way
The younger Dumas's play, IL Etrangere,' deals
with phases of life which are anything Dnt
English: neither are they altogether French. Inc
two CldrksOns. male and female, are supposed
TO be Americans, but they are types whom
II
wife is the dau ghter of Southern planter and his
mulatto mistress. Get hOmme daigne remarquer,
ma mere. Jc sus nee de cette remarque." As
child she is sold away from her mother, who parts
from her with a counsel of vengeance, and to that
vengeance the girl devOtes her life She marIes
ClarksOn in order to obtain to accomplish the
ruin Of her fathers sons, and that done, she floats
through Europe like angel evil, attracting and
destroying every man with whom she comes in con-
tact She has never loved till she meets Gerard.
the lover of the Duchess of SeptmOnts
and il is upon the rivalry of these two
that the action of the play hinges. The Duke OF
Septmonts is also one of Mrs. Clarkson's lovers but
not loved by her. The Duke is a ruined noble, who
has retrieved his fortunes by marrying trades
mans daughter, that ceremony being already
eighteen months old when the play opens, during
all which he has utterly neglected his wife. Mrs.
Clarkson makes her first appearance in the drawing
room of the Duchess at a charitable f6te TO which
the Duke introduces her, to his wife's just in
dgnation. The scene between the two women is
followed by another, where the Etrangere re-
ce1ves the Duchess in her own house. So much
of the story l repeat as a hint for the
pattern of character TO which Bernhard devotes her
powers. Mrs. Clarlson is not amlable, she is
not respectable, she is not good, she is
devoid OF nearly every attribute which wins
affection. Yet in the hands Of this actress
she becomes a sympathetic creation. and quite
supersedes the unhappy Duchess IN the regard of the
audience That is a triumph Of very peculiar kind
so rare that / am inclined to think Bernhardts
popularity here Will be as much enhanced by her
representation of this as Of any other part. The
part il, at any rate, modern. The whole play
is modern. Criticise it rs you like, it is
nineteenth century life; photograph the worser
sort of life that went on under the Empire Bern
hardt wears the dress that is worn to-day in Lon
don: only better made, and worn with n grace OF
which she alone has the secret. The undulatng
movement of her slender figure has fascination all
its OVID, Just as the force of character which is
stamped on her features seems individual, and
doubtless is individual as well as scenic The look
the voice. the subtlety Of manner, the infinite vari
ety. the admirable lightness and exibllty Of her art
are all fairly within the grasp of such audience
as this. The result is that, from beginning 10 end
of the play, She almost monopohzes their attention.
There are other admirable actors on the stage
Coquelin, above all, whose Dac dc SepimORts is
a masterpiece of finished comedy, and Crolzette.
whose stOrInIer scenes have lack OF power and
miss none of their due effect. But Bernhardt was
enough Tuesday that she had easily transferred
her empire from Paris to London and that no dra-
matte lessons taught by the Coincide FrancaIse will
find so many apt pupils in England "a those which
are to BIZ learned from Mile. Sarah Bernhardt.
Gw.s