The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-06-25
SARAH BERNHARDT.
The Great Actress Early Failures and Later
Successes.

The Great Actress Early Failures and Later
Successes.
Paris Correspondent London Telegraph
As all London is now talking of Sarah
BerDhardt who has long been one of the
wonders of Paris, a short sketch of the great
actress professional career will doubtless be
perused with interest by your readers
Sarah Bernhard is of Jewish extraction; her
father was an advocate at Harve; her mother
was Dutch. She entered the Conservatoire
in 1861, and was the pupil of the actor Beau
Wallet. Mile. Bernhardt pursued her studies
with such success that she gained the hrst
prize for tragedy, and was
in consequence entitled to
debut at the Theater Fran
cais The debut, however, was failure;
and her. next attempt-this time at the
Gymnase-proved a complete fasco; so COM
plete, indeed, that, after the second repre-
sentation, the discounted actress lied from
Paris, and, in a farewell letter to the author
Iabiche, wrote: "Ayes pitie dune pauYre
petite toquee" Returning after short
interval to the capital, Mile. Bernhardt per-
formed at the Tneater of the Porte Saint
Martin. but here again she failed to please.
Undaunted by misfortune, Sarah Bernhardt
paid a visit to one of the directors of the
Odeop and asked him to receive
her This was M. Duquesnel, and to
him she said: 81 have been turned
away everywhere, but try me. 1 assure you
that there Is something there" pointing,
not to her head, but her heart, and they
soon found out at the Odeon that there was
s.something there" Sarah Barnhardt made
her debut at this theater in therole of "Syl-
via, in the "Jeu de PAmooret du Hasard."
In this character she did not shine, but when
Alexander Dumas intrusted to her the lead
ing female part in his 'Xean," her success
was assured and although the play was ill
received, the house rewarded her with per-
feet storm of applause. During
the bss1 proving ster rhss she seal asa
than those of the stage, Mile. Bernhardt
assisted with the ambulances, tending her
wounded countrymen with untiring care
and devotion. Then came the peace, and
on February 2, 1872. the curtain rose on
"Ruy Bias" with Sarah bernhart as Queen
of SPAIN" Her triumph was immense, and
M Victor Hugo declared that she realized
the type of which he had dreamed for Donna
Maria The Theeter Francois took Nile.
Z Bernhardt almost by force from the Odeon,
but at first her success was comparatively
slight. She was not fortunate in the parts
allotted to her; and even now, although all
PARIS rings with her varied fame, she has
had fewer original characters to create
than have fallen to the lot of far inferior
actresses. But Mile. Bernhardt proved, in
several of Racine's tragedies, that she alone
of living French artists is capable of wearing
with grace the mantle that slipped mere
than 20 years ago frem the shoulders oil
Rachel Atlength, in la lille de Roland, y
the talented lady, who had for SO long been
feeling her way upon the stage of the Fran
Gals, found a coDgenial character, in which
the charm of her voice. the bright intelli-
gence of her dictlon, and her statuesque
grace, had full opportunity for display. He,
success was1mmense, and it sealed the future
of an author who had waited even longer
than his interpreter for public recognition
No Englishman can have watched Mile
Bernhardt, as La File de Roland winds hel
arms round the venerable form of Charlie
magne, without thinking what an exquisite
'sCordelia" she would make, and without re-
grettlng that Shakespeare is practically ban
ished from the French stage. Her mex
tragic creation was that of the bline
Postumis, in "Rome Vaincue;" and here
again, it was her remarkable impersonatior
that redeemed the dullnes of heavy trag
edy. Her part in the sEtrangere," although
inferior IN interest, and even in importance
to that of the Duchesse de Septmonts, was
distinctly individual creation, and you viii
have an opportunity Of observing to
night IN London bow completely this giftet