The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-04-25
STAGE AND SALON TALK.

STAGE AND SALON TALK.
A young friend of mine mentioned in the hearing
Of dramatic critic recently that he was about to
make call on an actress "Let me give you bit OF
advice" said the critic "Ca her as early In the
week as you possibly can-before she begins her en-
gagement, II possible. THIN you will be sure OF q
cordial, almost al enthusiastic reception. This will
be especially the II she finds you are connected
with the press. And you will come away thinking
| df she really amounts to anything as au actress)
what a charmlngy ELUSIVE creature she Is, how
warm-hearted and how easily entertained, partlcu.
larry considering that che Is obliged to see so many
scores OF rcw People every week. You will wonder
how she manages to keep up her freshness OF spirits
and especially how 1t Is that deeply Interested LOOK
| In her eyes and the pretty smile about her mouth
never take recess. You will he alto~e,her de.
lighted, and II you are ccrcel,ed enough there may
| nit through todi mind like swallow IN the twgh,
! fugacious suggestion that perhaps your own COED
looks and engaging ways had some thing to do with
your reception. Then II you wish to have this last
idea thoroughly iispelled, go around and make
another call on her. say about Saturday night. yoN
| ind that her dressing .fooin door doesn't open
| SO impusisels as When her engagement was
| all before her; she will grasp your hand firmly
but with howdydo-and goodbye sort OF pressure
good substitute OF the smile, but with iclces In II,
Will be there, but you Will speedily come to under.
stand that you had better make your cali brief. But
| II you want to ind charming and agreeable women
or men either, for that matter) In the green-roome
go around early In the engagement | speak from
| long experience. The artistic temperament is i'm.
pulsve and inconsistent, you knew; and one OF tht
most curous phases OF Its workings istnis captyat
ing effuslveness at the beginning oil tnsaBeihents
| are the icness whch supervenes as the end draws
neat" Critics, as rule sarcastic chaps, and
lr1 hta .t,,N
| castle.
understand that Professor Sousa and MIR. Taber,
encouraged by the kind reception which "The Queen
Of Hearts, met recently at Alsaughs and also by the
| fact that they made snug little Of money on
the engagement, think OF celebrating their opereta
into something more pretentious They viii divide
1t Into two acts develop the comedy element, and
| rhodern2e the topical song. Then, next season,
| they may try II again.
1t Is Interesting to note how the artistic bent In
herited from common ancestor finds expression in
various ways In the children. It tends to prove not
only the heredty OF what is called genius, but es-
tablishes the Intimate knship OF every form of art
One OF the best known artists In the South twenty
Eve years ago was Mr.. william c. Frye an Austrian
| gentleman, who married lady belonging to promi.
nent Alabama family. Mr.. Frye was especially sue.
| cessfu as portrait painter, and the features of
many historic men OF the South have been
by his skillful brush. Calhoun, Clay, and many
other we-known statesmen sat for him, and his
| works adorn the walls Of several Southern state
capitals Mrs. Minnie Coleman, nee Frye, whose
stage name is Margaret Lanner, and who possesses
no small amount OF the true dramatic fire, Is a
| daughter Of the Southern artist. Illness has
| prevented Miss Lanners appearance on the stage
for nearly two seasons now, but those who have
witnessed her work have no hesitancy in predicting
fOrh hAr ,1a
should she pursue the profession which she took up
with such enthusiasm and brilliant promise four
years ago. The clever pen-and-ink copy Of Elhu
Vedder's "Sansome" which hangs on the walls OF
the Joyer at Albaughs is the maiden effort of Miss
Lanner's brother, Mr. William C. Frye,a young man
whose only preparation for 1t was the instinct in
herited from his father. The work has attracted
much attention from patrons OF the theatre and be.
speaks talent which deserves cultivation. The
drawing of the head is strlkngy bold and the detail
| well worked out.
*ell.known newspaper correspondent wears in
his scarf-pin beautiful Honduranan or sire" opal
which at times CLEANS with wonderful variety oil
brilliant lights. 'Im coming to believe in the
ancient superstitions about the opal" he said the
other night. 81 look at mine every morning now
TO md out whether the dry is to be lucky or other
| wise with me. And find 1t very good guide
| When my opal is clear and brilliant in the mornlBg
| things go along smoothly with me during the day
When 1t Is clouded, and a faint milky hue spread.
over 1t, look out for trouble. The other morning
discovered a pronounced milky veil over the whole
surface, and concluded that the gem was either
undergoing one Of those mysterious changes which
sometimes destroy the finest opals, Or else some
thing bad was going to happen. Well, that after
noon missed somehow one of the best items fol
my section that had turned up In q long time. tina
evening had an engagement to take a lady to th
theatre. When she looked at the flowers sent no
she found them badly wilted, although the horis,
swore to me afterwards he had not cut them until
the last moment Then furious ran-storm came
up. When the cab arrived found 1t rickety oil
thing with leaky roof, and the horse went lame o
the way to the theatre. Well, thought, as rolle
Into bed that night, II the change in the opal didn
portend anything worse than this, could stand it
But the worst was yet to come When | took up tn,
paper In the morning 1 found that the bank IL
which every cent Of ready (and for that matter I'M
ready money had In the world had failed. / had
deposited spare $50 only three days before. SO yo
see I've got reason to be superstitious about m
opal"
Although Washington is full OF starving artists
outside dealers md 1t good market for their "col
lections" There seems to be end to the painting
in oil! and water, etehngs engravngs photographers
statuary, and miscellaneous bric-a-brac, whicl
washington Is capable OF absorbing as shown b,
the sales the past winter. This Is a pleasing sign o
an awaking interest In art not only among the peo
pie OF Washington, but among the political "stran
gers and pilgrims" within our gates from all parts o
he country, As In everything else, people nave I,
pay for their education in art, and II they get bad
bitten at these sales they should take the lesson 4
heart and be more careful next time. Congrcssmer
from remote districts, finding II the fashion. atten
the picture Gales, and, a rule, knowing much les
about art than they do about Sanscrlt, buy with
great degree OF discrimination. However, they No
only make business good for the picture collectors
but for Washington frame-makers. This has beer
especially the case regards the sales of etching
sold here this winter. One would expect to find Ou
local picture dealers 0bjecng to these sales. aske
well-known Avenue dealer how 1t was. He sal
the great Halle sale OF etchings worth over $40
to him In the matter OF framing alone. Besides, tn
sale seemed to have stimulated the market for etch
ings and engravings, and he had I'd an unusual de
mand for those species of pictures since II occurred
ii may not be generally known that what Ia rt
garded as one OF the finest private collections q
etchings In this country Is now In Washington. 1t
the property and the pride Of Representative Charlie
l.. Mitchell, of New Haven, whose beautiful res
dence on Dupont Circle s full from top to bottom
nne examples OF all the famous artists who hav
worked with dqudJortts. Mr.. Mitchell's coectiO
contains about ten thousand examples, and 10 sal
to have cost between twenty and thirty thousan
, dollars. Mr.. Gardiner j. Hubbard has q collectio
OF etchngs which is very extensive, and DR.. Goddln
has another.
Its too bad Joe jefferson does not give us some
thing new. We are not tired Of "Trip Van Winkle.
challenge any healthy human being to truthful
assert that he does not enjoy Jefersons delightf,
Characterization OF Rip II he once gets into tn
theatre when II is on; the trouble Ia, people don
care TO go to the theatre when they know is bein
played. They are 30 familiar with 1t they think 1t
waste OF time and money to go TO see 1t any more
) SO that change OF bill is necessary. JeIerso
/ does not play "The Rivals" because he hasn't Mr.
John Drew with him; hut Mrs. Drew does play 18th
Rivals" without Jefferson, and she will be here wit
= 1t In few weeks.
, hear what purports to be the real reason OF MI
Waerss exiravagant purchase Of the sls 900 peach
blow vase for his Baltimore gallery. 1t seems tha
i he was actuated by spirit OF jealousy towar
Washington. After the directors Of the Corcora
| Arr raia in tho Euun.