The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-02-05


Of the great tragedienne, who Is nov
filling such large space in the pub
, lie eye, connot fail to prove Interest
ing to our numerous readers. a good
~ number Of whom will not fail It
witness her performances. Though
scandal has been rife with the nam'
OF Miss Bernhard, it is hard to con
. ceive how one 80 gifted and 80 stu
dious should be prone to vice. AS {
general thing. it is only the indolen
that are 80 afflicted:
SARAH BERNHARDT.
About fifteen years ago the jury o.
the Conservatory, headed by Auber
assembled with due gravity to con
duct the entrance examination Of a
young person desil Gus Of obtaining q
place in that school. Escorted by
her mother, a Jewess, the candidate,
a slim and intelligent-looking girl,
came 10. It WAS customary on such
occasions for would-be pupils to re-
cite TRADE from Corneille of Racine,
but the present candidate, unaware
Of this, was unprepared with any.
thing Of the kind. Fortunately, how.
ever, she knew Lafontaine's Deuc
Pigeons, and this she proceeded to
recite. Scarcely had the lines
Deux pigeons s'aimaient d'amour tendre,
L'un d'eux, s'ennnyant de logis,
passed her lips, when Auber inter-
posed. Come here, mon enfant,"
he said, II want to speak with you"
The girl, with degree OF selt.posses-
sion which brought a smile to the
faces Of the jurors: approached the
chair. "Your name?" Sarah Bern
hardt." "a Jewess by birth,
oui, monsieur; but have been train
ed az Christian" "You recite very
prettily." said the composer, land
will be admitted.
Before tracing Mdlle. Bernhardt's
career beyond this point, it il neces.
sary to inquire into her previous his.
tory. Born of parents In good pc.
sition, she was educated at the COL
lege Of Grandchamp, zone " the
most aristocratic establishments Of
the kind in France" Here, thanks
to swift intelligence and intense ap.
plication. she quickly distauced COM
petitors OF even more than her own
age, and on leaving the convent found
herself loaded with honors. II In:
tend" she once said to the PRINCIPAL
OF the convent. ito be a nun-V I
cannot be an actress at the Coincide
Francaise." Her friends, who resfd-
cd In the Rue St. Honore, the BIRTH
place OF Moliere, accepted their des"
tiny with meritori0us resignation.
They made arrangements for her go.
ing to the Conseryatoire. with what
result we have already Been.
Fortified at this institution by les
sons ia defamation from Provost
and Sampson, Mdlle. Bernhard ap-
peared at the Coincide Francaise-
passed at one bound from school to
the first theatre in Europe. Her
lphigeuie showed her to be an &C.
tress Of rare promise, and the jour.
nails distinguished by knowledge Of
the theatrical art, praised the per-
Torrance with signal warmth. Soon
afterwards We find her at the Gym.
nase, and soon after that at the
Odeon. IL order to acquire expert
ence OF the stage she won Id place
even fairy In pieces a machine. Be-
fore long her fame was such that the
Coincide Franchise threw open Its
doors to her, and to the Coincide
Franchise she returned. Now. ow.
ing to an assiduous cultivation Of her
natural gifts, she stands at the head
OF the French Theatre. That her
physical powers are unequal to one
or two parts in which she has ap-
peared Is obvious enough, but even
when she is ut such disadvantage,
the glowing energy OF her spirit car.
ries a spectator out OF himself. The
EFFECT OF her eclails OF passion Is sim.
ply electrical.
Not content with the laurels she
has gathered on the stage, Mdlle.
Bernhardt has pursued other walks
Of art With remarkable success, and
has become an enthusiastic vot8ry OF
sculpture. But IT. was not until she !
exhibited Apres la Tempete that her
cleverness rs a sculptor was fully |
evinced.
Mdlle. Bernhard lives in the Ave-
nue de Vil|iers, In a house built from
her own designs. Having been kept
for few moments 10 a small ante
chamber. over the flreplace;in which
there ia 4 full.length portrait Of the
actress by Mdlle. Abbema, you cross
a hall ornamented with mirrors and
OF Chinese life, and then
find yourselfin what may be described
as either drawing room or studio.
Over the fireplace, which is singularly
massive, hangs the portrait OF Mdlle.
Bernhardt by NJ. Clarin. It repre-.
sents her sitting on a couch, in a
cloud, as 1t were, Of drapery. How
gym metrical the face, how bright the
eyes, how. graceful the sun Of all
But as We are absorbed in The con.
OF this striking picture
lhe original enters. greeting you
unless you are astranger to her-Wlth
unmistakable heartiness. She Is
dressed asa man, but wears her trOus.
trs and peajacket without any loss OF
grace. 1t Is with extraordi-
nary animation that she pluDges into
Really" she says,
Il an 80 industrious that / can hard
~ find time even for 4 morning ride.
suppose this is the reason why !
continue so thin. No; l DO not sleep
10 a coffin; did 90 once to familt.
arize myself with the idea OF death,
out now find 1t not 80 comfortable as
! bed. II Is curious how many idle
stories there are about me. My fa.
vorite dishes, I hear, are burnt cats,
lizards tails, and peacock's brains
,autees au beurre de SINCE. Nor Ia
It true that I play at croquet with
skulls, although I have here the
skeleton OF a man who destroyed
bimself on account OF disappotnt-
nent 10 love. You ask me what my
theory OF life Is; 1t ia represented by
The word will, just as my theory Of
art ia represented by the word Ma.
;ure.' 'Quand meme,' you know. is
nv device. II ia now five o'clock