The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-27
MISS BRE7HERTON
gy MRS. HUMPHREY WARD,
AUTHOR or "RoBrRrELsMERE."
CRATER "

weekly lCttCr 20 his SISTER, sent her larry
detailed account q the evening, including
bein;crvioW with her after the play, which
had LETT two or three very marked imprts
sions upon h.m 81 WISH ne wrote, 81
could only convey 90 sou "a sense 81 her per.
sonsl charm suca as might balance tho I'm.
preston OF her artistic defects, which ] SUD
pose this account Of mine cannot but leave
on you. When ] came away that night
after our conversation with her ! had en-.
tircly forgotten her failure as an actress,
and 10 Is only later, since ! havo thought
over TIC evening IN detail. that have re.
turned 20 my lfst standpoint 81 wonder 40
the easy liberation Of the English public
When you arc actually with hCr, talking 20
her. looking at her, Forbes attitude is the
only possible and reasonable ono. What
does art, or cultivation, OF training mattcri
/ found myself saying, as walked home, IN
echo Of him-so long as nature viii only
condesccpd once IN a hundred years 10 pro
duco for Us creature so perfect so finely
fashioned 60 al beautiful usosl Let other
people 40 through tho toll % acquire, their
aim Is truth. but here is beauty On is quln-
tesScnce and what is beauty but three parts
OF TRUTH Beauty b. harmony with the uni
vcrsal order, a revc alton Of laws and perfec.
tions OF which. ia our common cropping
through a duh world We hud Ia general
nothing 70 remind US And, II SO, what folly
20 ask Of human creature that 10 should be
more than beautiful II is o messenger from
the gods, and wo treat 10 as II II were any
common traveller along the highway OK life,
and cross-examine II for its credentials IA
-. Sea rIf and aQgrIfTIrrr
It with grateful hearts
THAT was my latest Impression Of Friday
night But, naturally, by SATURDAY morn
ing bad returned % the rational point o.
view The minds morning climate IS re-
moved by many degrees from that of the
evening, and the critical revolt whicd The
whole SPECTACLE Of the White Lady had
Originally reused IN me revived IN ell its
force ! began. indeed, % feel as II l an4
humanity, with us long. laborious tradition,
were On one side, holding our own against
young and arrogant aggrcssor - namely
beauty, iu the person Of Miss brethcrton'
How many men and women thought
have laborcd and struggled and died in the
eGorsto reach O higher and higher periec-
ton ia ono single art, AM are they % be out
done, eclpscd 10 a moment, by something
which Is a mere freak Of nature, something
which, like tho lilies Of the field, has neither
toiled nor spun. and yet claims the special
inhers. auce ana reward Of those who havoi
IL seemed 90 me as ths-igh my feeling in her
presence OF she night tefore. as If the sudden
overthrow Of She critical resistance in mo.
had been a kind Of treachery 20 the human
cause Beauty has power enough, | found
myself rejecting with some fierceness-let "a
withhold from her "a sway and prerogativc
which are not rightly hers, let Us defend
against her that store of human sympathy
which is the proper reward, n0 OF herfacile
and heaven born PROJECTIONS, but Of labol
and intelligence otail that is complex and
tenacious in Ne workings of the human
spirit
"And then. as my mood cooled still fur
ther, began 10 recall many am evening al
the Franchise With Won and ONE part after
another, one actor after another, REQUIRED %
Tue, till, as realized afro4h what dramatic
intelligence and dramatic training really
are, 1 fell into an angry contempt for oui
lavish English enthusiasms. Poor grill il is
hot her fault II she believes herself 20 be o
great actress. Brought up under mis-
leading conditions, and without any but The
most elementary education, how is She O.
know what the real thing meansi She finds
herself the rage within few weeks OF her
appearance in The greatest city IN the world
Naturally she pays no heed 70 her critics
why would shei
And she is indeed a most perplexing mix
ture. Do what l Will, l cannot barmonize
nil my different impressions Of her. Let M
begin again. Why IS II that her acting is SO
poori never saw more dramatic per
sonality. Everything that she says or does
is said or done with a wrath, a force, a viva
city that makes her smallest gesture and hei
lignrpst tone impress themselves upon you
felt this very strongly two or three times
after the play on Friday night-in her talk
with Forbes, for instance. whom she has
altogether IN heT tolls, and whom She plays
with as though be were the gray headed
Merlin and she an innocent Nivien weaving
harmless spells about him And then, from
this hooking war Of words and looks, TINS ga,
camaraderie, in which there was not a scrai
OF coquetTy OF self consciousness, she would
pass into a sudden outburst OF anger as otne
OF English rich people, the i'm
perrineuce Of rich miih0naIes Who have
tried once or twice 70 order her for theii
evening parties as they would order theii
ices, or the impertineuce Of the young swell
about town who thinks she has nothing L.
do behind the scenes but receive bis visits
and provide him with entertainments And
as the quick, impefuous words came rushing
out, you felt that here for once was "a woman
speaking her real mind 10 you. ami that WITH
a flashing eve and curyng lip, an inboru
grace and energy which made every word
memorable. II she would but look like thai
OF speak like that on the slagel But there
of course, is the rub The whole difficulty OF
art consists in losing your own personality
50 TO speak. and finding itagain transformed,
and IL Is a difficulty which Miss Bretherton
has never even understood
After the impression Of spOnianeity and
natural force, think what struck me Inosi
was the physical effect London has already
exercised upon her ~ six weeks. she LOOKS
sound and healthy, She Is tai and
fully developed, and her color, for oil It's
delcacy, Is pure ami glowing But. after all,
abe was born in a languid, tropical climate
and it is the nervous strain, the rush the In
cessant occupation OF London which seem %
DC teI4Lg upon htI $40 EtNo NE Two OF
three times painful impression Of fatigue
On Friday--iatgue and something Ike dc
preston. After twenty minutes talk she
threw herself back against the iron pillar be
hind her, her White Lady's hood framing q
face 50 pale and dropping that We all go- up
20 70, feeling that it was cruelty % keep her
up a minute longer Mrs Stuart asked hcT
about her Sundays, and whether she ever got
out Of town. Oh, she said, with a sigh and |
a look at her uncle, who was standing near,
4 think Sunday is the hardest day OF all IL /
Is our AT home day, and such crowds come /
just 70 look ~ me, suppose. Tor / cannot |
talk 10 q quarter Of them Nbeeupon Mr |
Worrail said IN bis bland commercial way
that society had its burdens as well as 10,
pleasures, aud that his dear niece could /
hardly escape her social duties after the Hat
tering manner IN which London had vel
coined her Miss Bretherton answered, with /
a sort OF languid rebellion, that her social
duties would soon DO the death OF her But
svidestly she Is very docile az homc, and /
they DO what they ike with her. 1t seems !
10 me that the uncle and aunt are good deal /
than the London public; IL is borne /
In upon mo b. various indications that they
know exactly what their niece's popularity I
depends on, and that 1t very possibly may /