The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-24
HER RULING PASSION.
The Actress Rachael's Debasing
Greed For Gold.

bdhell uellSuI III Tile peIlOi LiouOCo VI
Nine. Bernhardt will recall the advent
in America of another French actress,
Mile. Rachel Felix, commonly known
as Rachel, says the Baltimore Herald.
| 1t was the success of Jennie Lind
in this country that first gave the
Felix family the notion of sending
their prodigy to the United States.
The Swedish nightingale had taken
from these shores in a brief engage
ment the substantial sum of l, 200, DOC
francs, and Raphael Felix, the brother
of Rachel, and the most rapacious OF
an avaricious family, thought to win
equal reward by taking his sister to
the Americans.
Rachel herself made Mammon her
God, and the stories told of her grasp
ing nature are amusing and a tribe
disgusting, but in regard to this
American tour she seems to have a
a presentiment. She felt that she was
doing an unwise thing. and her pres
ages were correct. The American
tour of Rachel was not only less
profitable than the Felix family
hoped, but it was the means OF has
tening the death of the actress. Such
was the greed of the members of the
family that Alexander Dumas a OF
the projected tour
Should Mile. Rachel succumb to
climate, fatigue or disease, like Mile.
Sontag, they would make the best OF
the misfortune by having her EN-
balmed and exhibiting the body OF
Rachael to the Americans, since they
could not exhibit her alive"
There are a few points of resem-
blance between the characters of
Bernhardt and Rachel. They were
sisters in art and in race. Bernhardt
is thought to be unconventional in
her personal life. Rachael was also
inclined to the same vagaries. There
seems to have been an element OF
about the earlier actress
which is happily lacking in
the makeup Of the divine
and cratic Sarah. People will forgive
Bernhardt her moral eccentricity,
as critics deal forgivingly with her at
tempts at painting and sculptures;
while but few can read of RachePs
knavish avarice without a feeling OF
contempt. Rachel was ''guyed" about
her thin figure as Bernhardt used to
be before she grew toierably plump.
With her aquiline features, her Pc
culiar head, her deep set black eyes,
her long lean figure, she is described
by Jules Janin as looking '1ike a SER
pent standing upon its tall
There was a constant struggle in
her nature between her early habits
of parsimony and the wish to be
thought generous and the love Of os-
tentation. One day she gave a din
ner to some friends, and she wanted a
pineapple as the top piece of a fruit
dish. Pineapples were rather high in
Paris then, and Rachel, rather than
pay 70 francs for one, rented a speci-
men of the fruit, which was to be for
show only and was to be returned.
Unfortunately, a mischievous noble
man who was present and who knew
| the circumstances of the rented pine
| apple, thrust a knife into the sacred
| fruit, whereupon Rachel shrieked and
nearly tainted. WAS the heart of
Rachel hidden in the pineapple2'
| asked a well known poet.
Although she made enormous sums
| in France, thanks to her own genius
and the business sagacity of Papa
Felix, she resorted to every sort OF
vile to add to her stores. On one oc-
casion she found an old guitar at the
| residence of a female friend, and she
begged the antique instrument so
ardently that it was given to her.
| What does Rachel do with it? She
d~ecorates it with ribbons and hangs it
up in her boudoir. A rich admirer
calls upon her.
What is that old guitar, MAIDEN
| oiselle?"
THAT guitar? NV oldest friend.
That is the instrument which l car
ried when l was a street singer in
Russia"
Such a treasure is well nigh price
less. The admirer begs for it, and
finally offers so, 900 francs for it.
| With extreme reluctance, initiated
with the skill of the actress, Rachel
consents to part with the instrument
for the sum named. The admirer
gives his check and departs
with his treasure. He exhib-
its it to all his friends as
the identical guitar which the
divine Rachel used when she was a
street singer. 1t is admired, and the
possessor IS happy as any collector ex.
hibiting his gems to envious friends
| Unfortunately, one day he shows the
guitar to the very woman who gave it
to Rachel. She recognizes, and with
out malice tells the truth of it. The
chagrin of the possessor of this base
counterfeit of a relic may be i'm
agined.
Those who did not know Rachel
| thought that she would make restitu-
ton. Not she! When the story was
told her she only laughed and said
How furious he must be-"
This great genius of the stage had
an acute attack of gold fever. While
she was under age her father took hel
earnings and kept her on short com
mons. When she attained her majority
the first collection she made of her own
earni ngs consisted of 1000 francs. She
insist ed on being paid in gold pieces
VIII ich were brought to her in a boz
She passed the evening in plungingi
her hands into the gold pieces and
playing with them. II felt,n she CON
fessed to a friend, like a wild animal
who has the long-awaited prey in hi:
clutches
She taxed her ingenuity to add tt
her stock of treasures. She sold hel
presents without the least scruple
Once she announced to her friend!
that she had "a perfect passion fol
emeralds." She bought a good-sizec
one and exhibited it to an admirer a:
the Gift of his rival. He, OF course, gave
her a much larger one, as in dntS
bound. Other admirers-there were