Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-25
NInrr Anderson,s Earlv DAYS.

.sMiss Whittier" in a letter to the New
Orleans Times Democrat, relates some IN
teresting things about visit she made TO
Mary Anderson seven years ago IN the
little old home on Walnut street, Louis
vile, then her home.
| was, at the time, schoolgirl ana
Mary Anderson was sixteen or seventeen
years of age. Her tall, 1.-the, slender fig-
ure lacking the roundness to make 1t
beautiful, and earnest face that wore an
almost moody expression of stud1ous
abstraction, impressed me indelibly when
| first met her. Prof. Noble Butler had
taken several of his pupils to see his pro-
tege, this young girl, who from having
been a student under him, had gone TO
New York to be under the instruction OF
Vandenoff. and now had returned to
Louisville for brief interval of rest.
The house, which has since become his
tOFical. was an old tumble-dOWn looking
structure, which, Notwithstanding the
poverty of its furnishings, had yet an air
of home-like comfort in the small front
bedroom into which we were ushered. re-
member there was an open piano at which
Mary had been practicing, and something
was said about her possible intention OF
ultimately going on the concert stage, for
at this time her profession was not
chosen, and the bud of her genius,
which, under pressure of clrcum-
stances, was soon to burst into full
flower, was still in embryo. She recited
Collins lode to the Passions" and scene
from ssThe Hunchback,o her mother read
ing the corresponding parts in the dia-
lOgue. She threw herself into The ODE
thoroughly, and | have never heard 1t so
we'll rendered: the graceful, boyish figure
swaved with passion as her genius famed
up. Her clear-cut features glowed and
her eyes shot fire as she sounded with her
deep, rich voice the gamut of hatred, rage
and despair. When she had finished, her
little audience sat speeches. with an awe
struck wonder, and / went home wild with
enthusiasm for this girl who had been
sort of revelation to me. Two weeks later
she made her debut before Louisville au-
dience.
Arrayed in the garments & all too short
for the form ''divinely tall and most di-
vinely fair'' that Mrs. Rachel McAuley
had kindly loaned her, she floated out be-
fore the foOtlights as "Juliet." L shall
never forget with what beating hearts we,
her friends and admirers, watched her,
and how we laughed afterwaTd when she
told us that "ROmeo's" hands were in
such a cold perspiration she hated to
catch hold of them, and that he breathed
so hard in the more exciting passages she
was afraid he would blow her away.
Then it was that, unprepared by a nOYiti-
ate of theatrical training, unseasoned in
stage business, undeveloped in figure and
thoroughly raw in action, and in spite of
the fact that she stumbled on her train,
caught her vail in such a way as to al
most tear it from her head in the balcony
scene, and fell with unprecedented and
crushing force finally on the corpse Of
the unfortunate Romeo" her debut was
vet not failure. Some of the local pa
pers damned her with faint praise, but
there was still an impression deeper than
this that she was something eXtraordi-
nary. 1t was left for the people Of New
Orleans to first and fully recognize her
ability, and this they did generously and
enthusiastically. This young tragedienne's
first aspirations for the stage were excited
by Edwin Booths rendition of erich
ard Ill" 1t is said she came home
from this presentation stage-struck and
crazy to play the part Of Orchard" She
Immediately began the study of it, and
soon fenced so successfully with the
broadsword that her step-father, who was
handling Orchards" weapon on one oc-
casion, withdrew vanquished from the
contest, while she fell from exhaustion
amid the scattered remnants of the chan
delier she had broken in her excitement.
This occurred before she was 16 years old,
and the spirit that animated her then is
the spirit that will eventually make a
second Charlotte Cushman of her.