Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-03
THE STRUGGLES OF AN ACTRESS.
After Toll and Endeavor to Reach Port
and Sink In Harbor."

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"Whom do you consider .the finest
French actress that you ever saw
"lf yuu ask me-" repi ii Mile Rhea,
"what French actress pleased ME most in
div,dualiy, then can at once reply, Al
NEE Desclee. All, she was wonderful
And what a strange woman to those who
did not know her well Her art was of
the purest, most natural kind. 1t was so
like nature that half the time she seemed
not To be acting. You kn"r' If you are
pupil at the conSeryatoire, ,hey do Pc
cuiiar thing when you have finished your
course. Tney write your name in a large
hook, where hundreds of names have been
written before. and they make II little
note of il. When Desclee had finished,
what do you think they wrotei This:
Not bad looking. Viii do for small
parts. 1t sounds trifiing, does il notf
But, as | said before to be considered
capable of doing minor roles at the Fran
cais, is no little thing"
Did Descl 20 to the Francais"
"She went TO half a dozen theatres, and
she was everywhere abused by the critics,
and often laughed at by the public. 1t
made her bitter. She grew TO hate the
theatres and the public, but worked on.
Two famous men watched her care fully.
The men were Meilhac and Halevy.
Soon they wrote Frou Frou, and insisted
on Desclee for the leading part. They
were laughed at, but they got Desclee.
The first night came In the opening act
the artist, for she was an artist, walked
on to the stage as il she were in her own
home. Everybody said, she is not acting,
See how fine her art WIS In the second
cct the spectators were watching her
closely. When the climax to the third
act electrified them, they stood up from
their seats, waved their handkerchiefs,
and shouted. Desclce had won at last. The
manager of the theatre rushed to her
dressing room to congratulate her. You
have conquered them he said. She re-
piled bitterly, Is it so3 Well, hope they
will like me long enough to enable me to
pay for my Fruu Frou dresses, which cost
1900 francs
"One triumph followed another In
the PrinceSse Georges she was magniti
cent There WAS no straining for effect
Everything was nature. In the act where
the Princesse Georges discovers her hus-
bands perfidy, every actress who had
previously played the part used to speak
the line to the husband, Il forgive you be-
cause love you,' in most theatric man
ner, almost shrieking the last half OF the
sentence. Desclee did it exquisitely. She
spoke the first three words as if the par
don came from her heart. Then she
waited for a moment as if seeking for n
reason, dropped her hands helplessly be
fore her, and said quietly, but in tones of
intense pathos, because l love you Ii
was simplicity itself, and it was nature.
Her triumph was short lived. The dis
ease which afterwards killed her soon fas-
tened upon her. Many night she acted
when suffering most frightful agony.
Shortly previous to her death she wrote
letter TO friend, In which she said, Is
it not hard? A lifetime OF struggle, toll
and endeuvOr; reach the port at last and
sink in harbor.' Believe me when tell
you that France has no Desclee on her
stage tO-day."-New York Mail and Ex-
press.