Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-30
ROSELIA ROSSEIL.
The Romance of the FlOwer-Girl Who
Was Bernhardt's Rival.


Was Bernhardts Rival.
The flower market in the Place Cadet
is one of the sights of Paris. Americans
who strOlled along its sidewalks in the
spring OF 1899 often stopped to admire the
big punches of red roses, gardenias, and
lllacs sold by an old woman in a worm
out gown and battered bonnet, whose big
eyed, black-haired little daughter made up
punches of Parma viOlets for the gentle
mems buttOnhOles. In the month of May
OF that year very shabby little girl made
her appearance at the COnservatOire. The
older girls laughed at her faded frOck and
her red knuckles and chatfed her on ac-
count of the old woman who sold flowers
in the Place Cadet, but the little one re-
turned them as good as they gave. "My
mother sells flowers in the Place Cadet
because she would rather do that than sell
her daughter" was all she said. and the
other young ladies were silenced.
In "A few years all was changed. The
old tloWer-peddler had given up her daily
drudgery and tall, beautiful lass, with
cOal-black eyes and magnificent raven
tresses, had taken the first prize for
tragedy at the Conservative. The
second prize had fallen to a long, slim slip
of a blonde. The name of the first girl
was Roselin Rosseil; that OF the second
was Sarah Bernhard.
The story of this dark-haired girls life
is real Partisan romance of the nine
teenth century. The interpreter of RAJ
cine and COrneille, the inimitable An
drOmache, passed from tragedy to melo-
drama, from The Cid' to Article Al"
and thence, "facilis est descensus
Averni,' to the little theatres along the
Boulevard. Her health finally compelled
her to abandon the stage. She saw her
self condemned to idleness, the heaviest
of all burdens to an actress. The NOR
bidity and restless energy of this thor
Oughly Partisan nature are embodied in a
saying she was forever repeating: "SOme
die of inanltiOn; l die of iDaction." Then
came poverty; and this poor plaything of
circumstances appeals now to the gener-
osity Of her old companions. She has
Just had beneht, and her comrades of
the stage hasten to volunteer their SER
vices. The play chosen was a creation of
her own, for she is poet as we'll as an
Eliza" drama in five acts, the
scene of which is laid in Egypt.
Mile. Rosseil kept daily record of her
triumphs, disappOintments and suffer
ings. Some years ago she became so
weary Of life as to contemplate suicide as
a means of escaping from the ennui that
consumed her. Before lighting the fatal
pan of charcoal she remembered the elo-
quent preacher, Father DidOn, and think
ing religion might possibly provide heal
ing balm for wounded spirit, wrote to
him, asking him to come and see her. He
did so. Mile. ROsseIl described the meet
ing in verse.
when returned to my senses there
stood a youth. His face is grave: around
his form l see the coarse frOck worn by
the voluntary slaves of faith, love and
charity. His eyes reflect goodness; the
martyrs pallor is upon his cheek.
Ibis IDS move. seek Christ. He alone
was good. Live for others. Love Christ
and look aboye.'"
The priest had known what suffering is
HIMSELF trials as bitter perhaps as those Of
the actress. He showed his wounds to
cure hers. Il have been able to endure
life by clinging to the cross"
ROsseiPs was an impressionable ma
ture. 1t always craved excitement of
some kind. Before she became religious
she admired the "men of advanced theO-
ries" and recited verses at the Red Re-
publican Clubs.
Wishing to create the part of a Chris
tan martyr flung to wild beasts in a
Roman amphi-theatre and to realize what
the martyrs feelings really were, she en-
tered the lions cage at the circus in the
company of Bidel, their tanner. She
made the following entry in her diary
March Z, 1879:
81 have been unjustly accused of en-
terng the lions cage for the luxury of
IAN emotion L wish to create the part
OF Christian martyr and 10 find out
whether | was brave enough to stand up
before the King of beasts when he fixed
his eyes on mine. Bidel gave me his arm
and we walked around the cage twice
| was only agltated when we turned our
backs to the lions. Face to face they
made no impression on me whatever.
When our promenade was over l tried my
voice and acclaimed the 'Melpomene,' of
Barber When l raised my voice the
lions roared and showed their teeth. /
was not at all afraid and continued my
recitation to the end.
"My reason for not carrying out my
original design of playing the martyr be-
fore the public in "A real lions cage was
because my friend Zidler advised me not
to. y on don't feed the brutes,' said he
Suppose one day some evilly-disposed
person were to give them
something to excite them and they
Elise, the circus-rider, had just lost val
liable horse, a gift from the Empress of
Austria, and Zidler assured me that the
animal bad been poisoned
eliza" was playing at the Vaudeville
Theatre the 18th of last month. The
actress and the play were enthusiastical-
ly applauded. She was supported by
Mile. Hadamard, MOntigny, and MOunet
Tully. The amount realized will never
be known, as Mile. Rosseil disposed of
the boxes among her personal friends
and large sums were in some instances
paid for them. But it will be sufficient to
keep the wolf from the door for many a
long day to come.