Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-11
SARA BERNHARDT.
SHE LONGS TO SEE THIS GREAT, MAG
NIfIcENT COUNTRY.
Opinions Concerning Her Audiences-The
Coffin Photographs, and Fer Rea-
son for Having Them Taken.
London Cor. New York HERALD

III bLC appearance Va q tcAsUh shoh niCh
Sara smilingly and merrily tripped-I
would almost have said danced-into the
room, which, by the way, was SO Uttered
up with gigantic ships and crowns OF flow
ers that it was quite a puzzle to know
where to sit down without crushing them.
She looked infinitely fresher, brighter and
prettier than had ever seen her on the
stage. Her photographs are perfect carl
catures one of them. They give no
idea of those wonderfully clear, trans
lucent, great blue eyes, with their soft and
melting and now keen and penetrating
glance or her fresh and fair complexion,
which on the stage is hidden under a hor-
rid mask of thick paint of her beautiful
light blonde hair, which lacks just shade
OF being golden and is cnrled IN the most
graceful and artistic fashion of her ten
der and sensitive mouth, the slightest mo-
ton of which is full of character
and expression. | had never con-
sidered her pretty. l now, after a
most careful and painstaking inspection,
decidedly thought her So She was
charmingly dressed, too, and her thinness
OF person, which is so generally remarked,
but which she ridicules herself, was most
artistically disguised. The waves of lace
andrutfie whiehfell about her neck appeared
to hide bust worthy Of Diana herself
wish | could describe her dress. "To know
her is liberal education, was once said
of famous woman. To describe her dress
would mean liberal education in every
ramifcation of the science of dressmaking.
which, alas has been denied me.
She gave me her hand with cordial
grip and the most amiable smile, and with
that coquetish and roliicking playfulness
which makes her such an amusing person
to talk to. She clapped her hands, and
lowed her into the room, Now go, go
down stairs, we must be alone, upon
which summary dismissal the disappointed
soupiron disconsolately vanished. Then
she sat down on very low divan, and,
while putting on those huge gloves above
referred to and looking at me with half
serious and half comieal expression
straight in the face, she said in French (she
does not speak English: Well, here l
am, ready to go through the ordeal p
"You are going to America, madame, u
said.
eyes," she replied, with an expression
of earnestness which made her great blue
eyes appear about double the size they had
been before, i" / have had for such a long
time such an ardent desire to visit Amer
ica They tell such lies about me. They
say am avaricious and have left the Com
edie Franchise to go to America in order to
amass riches. In an appealing tone.) 1
90 to America because have always longed
to see that great magnificent country and
because l like the Americans so much-oh !
they are simply adorable, those have ever
met-and because my present freedom from
the Coincide Franchise gives me an oppor-
tunity have sought for so long"
You have known many Americans,
madame?"
Eyes, in Paris, great many, and l
have found them always SO kind, so re-
spectful, SO adorable (she repeated the
world. You know Americans seem to
have so much more respect for women than
they have in France What villainous
things they say about me in the French
papers-abominabl falsehoods- no
American editor, l am sure, be it only for
the respect he owes to the sex, would ever
print. Americans are often brusque, per-
there is fine delicacy, tender regard for
JllG lSclugS VI WOmCu, WHlCu uIdhCS LuCul
to me most lovable people.
"What aspersions or criticisms do you
allude to, madame?"
You ought to have seen the flashes out
of those great blue eyes and the scornful
curl of those delicate, small lips. The
playful manner which she had formerly
exhibited to the sonpiron had all vanished.
1T never pains me to see serious,
honest criticism of my work, she re.
Piled, giving the glove violent tug.
''Let any one say that l have ever
complained of such criticism-never Let
them say am bad in this or that, have
this or that fault, shall never grumble.
But to go deliberately 20 work to tell lies
about me, in order to injure me, is it not
too bad? In that respect how much SUI
perior the English and American press are
to the French"
And now she turned round, and, relaps.
ing into her old self, said with that arch,
lively coquetry which seems to become her
so well. Let me interview you now.
Do the people know French?"
"The majority of the educated public
do" replied.
Will they understand me ?" she asked
again, still pulling away at those big
gloves.
sob, yes; but will you allow me lit
tie advice p
Delighted to receive it, she said with
a gracious smile and a striking way-quite
her own-of holding open her lips and
showing wonderfully perfect row of brill
iantly white teeth what is it %
"Many Americans who understand the
language theoretically, but speak it i'm.
perfectly, would comprehend you better if
you could speak just little more slowly. !"
"Ah, she replied, :" that is very hard
task. know speak very fast. have
often been told so, even in Paris. But, you
know, the drama and the situation would
lose terribly by such change. My words
would lose their point, their force, their
effect, if l were to utter them with per-
ceptible and painful slowness and distinct
ness. It would be sacrificing my art to
greater chances of popular success, and
that | never must do. must interpret
the author as God and my art have put it
into my heart to do, and the rest must
take care of itself" And moving up
almost to my very face she fixed those blue
orbs scrutinizingly at me and said, "Tell
me, am not right p
l assented and explained did not
mean that you should speak more slowly
in your great dramatic moments or your
outbursts of passion-only in the general
dialogue, where little slowness and dis
tinctness of speech will not mar the effect. !"
"Oh, yes, !" she smilingly replied, "that,
l think, would not be SO difficult, and
would, probably. as you say, help foreign
audience to understand me more perfectly.
mean to study English, by the way, this
summer by way of preparation for my trip
to America next October. I understand
and read the language very well, but un
fortunately do not speak it."
Speaking of audiences, do you not find
great differences in them and their degrees
Of appreciation ?"
Her eyes sparkled. l had evidently
tumbled upon point which especially in.
terested her.
sYou have referred to an experience of
my artistic life, she replied, ethan which
none can be more varied. Audiences are
like individuais-they seem to have an in
dividual character and taste. What this
one sees the other passes by unnoticed,
what this one admires leaves the other