Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-02-23
CHAPTER w.

A few days nfter the performance Of the
white Lady," Kendall, In the course Of his
weekly letter to his sister, sent her fairly
detailed account Of the evening, including
the interview with her after the play, which
had left two or three very marked impress
sions upon him. ~ wish," he wrote, 81
could only convey 10 you sense of her per
sonal charm such as might balance the i'm
preston of her artistic defects, which j sup
pose this account Of mine cannot but leave
on you. When I came away that night
after our conversation with her / had en-
tirely forgotten her failure as IN actress,
and It Is only later, since l have thought
over the evening in detail, that havc re.
turned TO my first standpoint OF wonder ut
the easy liberation Of tho English public.
When You are actually with her. talking 10
her, looking at her, Forbes attitude is tho
only possible and reasonable one. What
does art, or cultivation, or training matterf
! found myself saying, as ! walked home in
echo Of bim--so long ms nature will only
condcscond once In hundred years TO pro-
duco for us q creature so perfect, so finely
fashioned to all beautiful uscsi Let other
people go through the toll to acquire; their
aim is truth; but here Is beauty In Its quin-
tcssencc, and what is beauty but three parts
Of TRUTH Beauty is harmony with the uni
versal order, n revelation OF laws and perfcc-
tions Of which, IN our common cropping
through dull world, we find in general
nothing to remind us. And, II SO, what folly
to ask Of human creature TINT it should be
more than beautiful IL Is n messenger from
the gods, and We treat It ms IL it were any
common traveller along tho highway of life,
and cross-examine 1t for Its credentials in
stead Of raising our altar and sacrificing to
a. with grateful hearts.
THAT was my latest impression Of Friday
night. But naturally, by Saturday morn
ing had returned 10 tho rational point Of
view. Tho minds morning climate is re-
moved by many degrees from that Of tho
evening; and tho critica, revolt which tho
whole spectacle Of tho White Lady had
originally reused In mo revived in all its
force began, indeed, TO feel as If and
humanity, with its long. laborous tradition,
were on one side. holding our own against n
young and arrogant aggrcssor - namely,
beauty, In tho person Of Miss Bretherton.
How many men and women, ! thought,
have labored and struggled and died in tho
effort to reach higher and higher perfec-
ton In one single art, and are they TO DO out
done, cclipsed .in moment, by something
which is u nero freak of nature; something
which, like the lilies Of tho field, has neither
toiieu lor spun, niiu y,' sia,n'' .ne pes"', p,
inheritance anu re""fu Vi lhoS' "no ha'e'
7, soo,,od % ma no tho,cb my foc,ir, 4, her
,,raso,,o - a., n;r,h, hneoro No 4, ,hn snddcp
overthrow OF the critical resistance in me-
lad been n kind of treachery TO tho human
cause. Beauty has power enough, found
myself rejecting with some fiercenoss-let us
withhold from her a sway and prerogative
which ARE not rightly hers; lot us defend
which is ,bo rrnnor royarl no, of her f,cii.
and benvcn horn reflections but Of labor
ond iutolIiyonco % oII tbot Ia complex and
tcnacious in the workings Of the human
spirit
"And then. ne my mood coolel still fur
ther. BEGAN to recall many nm evening at
the Francaise with Won and ono part after
another. one actor after another, REQUIRED to
mo till ms realized afresh WIN. dramatic
Intelligence md dramatic training really
nre, / fell into an angry contempt for our
lavish English entlusiasms Poor grill IL ia
not her fault II she believes herself to DO a
great actress Brought up under mis-
leading conditions, and without any but tho
most elementary education. how is she TO
know what the real thing meausl She finds
herself the rage within a few weeks OF her
uppearance I'm tho greatest CITY in the world
Naturally she pays no heed To her critics
why would shel
"And she is indeed n most perploxing mix
ture. Do what | will l cannot barmonize
all my different impressious OF her, Let mo
begin agein. Nhy is IL that her acting is SO
poorl / never saw n more dramatic per
sonalityl Everything that she saws or does
is said or done with wrath, n force, n viva.
city that makes her smallest gesture and her
lieltest tone imprcss Themselves upon Won.
| felt this very strongly two or three times
after the play on Friday nicht-in her talk
with Forbes for instance whom she has
altogether in her tolls. and whom sho plays
with as though mo wero ths rrny headed
Merlin and She nm innocent Viyien weaving
harmless smells about him. And then. from
this mocLing war of words and looks. this CAV
camarndsrie in which there WAS not n scrnb
of coouetrv or self consciodsness sbo womb
pass into n sudden outburst Of anger MS To tho
impertnence of English rich people, the i'm
pertinence OF rich millionaires who haye
tried once or twice 10 'order, bor for their
evening parties ms they would order their
ices; or the impertiucnce Of the younp swell
about town who thinks she has nothing 10
do behind the scenes bnt receiv, his visits
| and provide him with entertainment And
ms the QUICK imDetuous words cor,o rushinT
ont. Won fcIt tbat brre for once ,ya., ,yornn,,
speaking her real mind TO Won ond tba, with
| a flashing eve nnI curyinr lin an inhorn
rrac. and energy which moar every ,yorh
memorable, II she would but look lie, that
| or sneak like that ON the stareI Rnt ,Lnr,
| Of course is tho ruh Tho whole diGIcrIt,, of
art consist, in losing yonr own nsrsnnniity
| so 10 sneak ond fIuIinr II ognir tronsfnrneJ'
| and il Is n dinIcplty Which Mis- Drrthrrtn,,
| has mayer ev.n ,udcr.tn,j