West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-01-18
Sarah Bernhardt's Account Of Her
Excursions I'm the Air.
Paris Correspondence of the London Telegraph

,rars Correspondence ~ the London Tclssrsrh
There has been published to-day q
book which will certainly be the sensa.
uon of the Paris winter season. |, is AN
account, written by Mile. Sarah Bern.
hardt, of an ascent she made hast sum.
mer in balloon. This prosaic descrip
uon OF the dainty volume gives, however.
no idea of its contents. Dams les
Nuages, as the book il styled, purports
to be record Of the personal experience
oi certain cid cane bottomcd chair
which stood in the inClosure Of the Tuil.
cries whence the captive balloon was
wont to make its frequent asccnts. The
chair Is of an observant turn of mind
and among the visitors il particularly
remarks a young woman who was thin
and rather pale She was playing with
a little cane, and she talked horribly
fast" The lady, who is called Donna
SOL IN allusion tS the character repre-
sented by Mile. Sarah Bernhardt in
Hermann" came day after day 10 the
lbileries, and went up in the captive
balloon several times in the same day
The only excuse she gave for this strange
behavior was that cher chest was rather
delicate and she breathed so well ,Ip
there in the air." but her conduct was
much criticised and very humorous is
the skit given by the charming author
of the wonderful accusations brought
against her. The chair tells how some
body who sat down upon il declared
that Donna Sol had no talent as an
actress. Somebody else spoke her parts.
while she only gesticulated A poor
fellow dying of hunger, and whom she
concealed in cupboard, made her
statues for her, and IA for her pictures.
everybody knew who painted them"
alluding by pun to NJ. Clairin, the
companion of the lady's ascent, and the
artist who has illustrated the record of
her aerial journey. The chair, although
very rickety, is thought strong enough
to support the light weight of Dona Sol
IN the excursion she makes in the free
balloon; but IT is found to incumber
the car. The lady wants to throw il
over, when her hand is STAYED bv the
warning that it might kill somebody i'm
the fall, and the chair is reminded of
the terrible stories il has heard OF her
iancy Tor burning cats in order to eat
their flesh; of her favorite dish being
lizards tails and peacock's brains.
sautees au bcurre de singe; and her fa-
vorite Amusement to play croquet with
dead mems skulls. Itmust be explained
FOR the benefit of the English reader who
is not in the habit of seeing Partisan
journals that Mile. Sarah Bernhardt's
is the theme of never ending
Jokes, and that she is credited with ali
sorts of extraordinary tastes. She has
the sense TO turn the laugh 10 her adj
4 "a ~ IA NtrI G.. i
clares that the effect of her getting into
the car was the same as if they had
thrown out ballast. IL is needless 10
follow the aerial travellers through all
the adventures they encountered
Enough that the chair is taken home by
Donna Sol and carefully preserved as the
memorial OF an evcntful day. But be
fore concluding the chair takes care to
give vivid description of the artiste's
sumptuously and artisticalIy appointed
studio and house. The word painting
of the narrative is supplemented by an
immense number Of full page illustra-
tions from the facile pencil Of NJ. Clairin.
whose graceful figure must be remem-
bered by every visitor TO the Grand
Opera. All the faces in the volume,
down to Mile. Bernhardt's friends and
servants, are Portraits 40 that the
handsomely printed volume has all the
of actuality. AS for the au-
thor, she has here proved that she can
use pen with the delicacy she exhibits
in her acting, and with the force that is
manifested in her sculpture. Rarely.
indeed, have such varied talents been
combined in one person, and still more
rarely have they been worn with such
easy grace.