New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-06
BERNHARDTANDC OLOMBIER
THE SUPPOSED TRAGEDY A FARCE.

fFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF Til TRBUsEl
PARIS, December u.
The Bernhardt-C olOnnbier affairs has had a Pick
wckian ending and for the parties to II eyeTyhIn
is really for the best in the best Of worlds Fresh
editions of Sarah Barnum" are soeagerly awaited
that the book pending their issue costs fifteen francs
instead of three francs fifty confines. Orders pour
in by telegraph from publishers all over Europe.
Marie ColOmbier declares that she never meant to
libel her ci-eraH friend, and Sarah confcsses that
now having looked into the WORK, she is OF opinion
that the cap was not meant for her,
and that she Judged hastily what other people
told her about il. There can be no doubt that
Sarah Barnum is Sarah Bernhard; aud It is TO
he presumed that the scene in the gay actresses
house in the Rue de Thanh Was gotten-up affair to
float Mana Sahb,' as no drama Of the kind was
ever launched before and to give flip to the sale Of
the unclean biography. Marie with an air Of good
humored naiyetG, has nearly admitted this. This
morning her hair-dresser wa attending 70 her
duties she could not keep quiet a moment, 80
tckled was she M the noise the invasion of her Hat
by Sarah aud her break fast party had made She
shook with laughter during the whole forty
minutes that he with her, and when another
actress who dropped in asked whether much vain
able brlc-a-brac had been destroyed she said
mo, my dear, my assailant showed nice discrim-
nation in only breaking almost worthless things.
a
horsewhip. It seemed only though she did;
and when she was hunting for me like a mad shing
all over the house / was concealed behind
the curtain of door leading from my
drawn Q room 10 my bedroom. Her fury was
haf-assumcd, half-reai. She had had copious
breakfast and drunk lot of champagne, which
acted upon her nerves 50 tina imagined she was
in earnest when she only playing part"
"But surely you do not mean what yOn wrote TO
the fjgaro this morning You deny having meant
to bcdaub her in writing he book"
The denial is only to the d entity Of the so
ciGt6 des Gems de Lettrcs. who were to elect
a member. Any who reads must see at once
of whom | was thinking. 1t is impossible to
libel poor dear Sarah. There is no sensation
described in GOncOurt's last novel that she has not
experienced But it is accepted thing that
nobody must say in public what every one knows Of
an actress"
Marie Colombier studied at the Conscrvatore
with Sarah BeTnhardt and obtained there in grad
uating the first prize in comedy and the second ia
tragedy while her Sarah was first IN tragedy and
second in comedy. The author of the book was IN
America with Bernhardt and wrote a very funny
account when she returned TO Europe OF her i'm
pressions of that country, and what befell
the star of which she a satellite,
during the theatrical tour. She is really droll,
though indecent in her style of writing, for which
reason she is paid large salary for contributing b
weekly to the prurieut al Blas. Her chief quality
is go" Ii carries off many defects of logic and
grammar. In her book on Sarahs American Cam
paigu she thus describes hero impressions on en-
tering the port of Havre: What happiness to see
again the French sky, real gendarmes III Their
hree-cornered hats, French cafes and rest
aurants, and real trees all green and
Icafy." One from this might fancy that
Coin in tha
The articles are full of bulls of this sort, which
Frenchmen of boulevard,er habits think vastly
amusing.
Marie ColOmbier might an allegorcal hg-
ure to represent the fat kline which the lean kline
devoured IN Pharaohs dream. She is a good-hu-
mored brazen creature, absolutely devoid of any
sense of decrncy. In boulevard parlance she is
bonnie dlle, which means that she Is jolly boon
companion, and, If she is easy to move
to anger, does not haIbor malice. She also
piques herself on not winning men who are not
wealthy. Her fiat in the Rue de Thaun is Deauti-
fully arranged and furnished luxurousy. Sarah
Bernaardt has no sense Of hunOr and is not aware
that she makes herself ridiculous with her atfecta-
tons Marie amuseS herself and her fast friends lshe
has DO others by taking her OIL Owing to the
laughter she has thus caused sarah aud she have
often quarrelled but always to make up again.
The horsrwhIp incident opens curious vista in
the theatrical word here. 1t Is a very con
temptibe world and the men belonging 20 it
are more dcspicabe than the women. None are 30
vile as those Oouleyarder dler,; those second and
third rate journalists who deal in scandal aud haunt
actresses bUudOrs. FIst-Tdte actors gel 90 through
sheer ability, and are not, therefore, - he con-
founded with the herd of SWINE. Got and Reguier
are essentially estinable. CoqUein the younger Is
most respectable il his private life. The e der
brother pride, himself on being lady-Ger; but
be is charming in his domestic lie aud gives all his
earning, to his wife 10 invest She il coarse yuI-
gar looking and very ugly middle-aged woman,
entirely devoid Of lemJiIe charm. Hen temper is
masterful and her ia baud does not attempt 10 re-
act agus, it at nome. As IA makes a great deal of
money she has boarded already splendid fortune
Bat the best as we'll IL the sua.ltr fry of Paris
actresses lead vicious lives. Ii they did BOT 1t
would be impossible Tor them 10 AGat. All actress
VINO sets up to DE vrtuOus Is hated by her proies-
sonal sisters, and. if fair and charming, by art
critics managers, dramatic ant hors ana actors. All
that is asked Of her by hci relatives when they
happen to be respectable, is That she dos not rush
violently down the steep place. she does not
conduct herself worse than p!easuIv-.ovlAg man
who does give the rem 70 h. wees. Sic Wi DO
The pie ares which Edmond de- GuncOuu gives OE
theatrical life are all true. The French stage was
not 50 utterly vicious before AleXandTc Dumas
6Is produced upon il his Dame aux Caneihs."
This brought into fashion the sacrifice Of every
K l HAA