The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-03-05
AN HISTORICAL QUESTION.

The war now going on betwee
Fanny Davenport and Sarah Bern
hardt in the New York Herald, wit
the editor of that journal standing Q
as referee, besides the theatrical sid
of it, has rekindled interest in tn
greatest single group OF illustriou
percentages in Ancient History-th
first two Caesars, Mark Antony ant
Cleopatra-who ruled the world at tn,
beginning OF our era,
The question at issue between
Fanny and Madame Sarah is this
clash of two brilliant actresses in the
intellectual, moral and physical char
acter OF the Egyptian queen, one Of
the most famous women OF history.
Nine. Bernhard sketches Cleopatra
as she is painted by Plutarch-a most
charming, though not etherially beau
tiful, delicate, amOrOus and womanly
woman; tall, slender, with long nose
redeemed by large, dark languorous
eyes.
But Miss Davenport in her last let.
ter to The Herald defends her concep-
ton OF Cleopatra as played on the stage
and attempts to prove from P.utarch
himself that EgypTs queen was just
the reverse of Sardou's idea as pict-
ured in front of the foot lights by
Nine. Bernhardt. That instead of be-
ing an ideally wOmanly woman"
which is next to an angel, Cleopatra
was of the earth, earthly, with all the
faults, fOibles and weaknesses of an
earthly woman and that she has lived
through the ages because she sacrificed
all for love-"
With considerable force Fanny
quotes the following sentence to show
that the woman who betrayed Mark
Antony at the battle of Actium was
not "delicat -:
"For The played at dice with him,
drank with him; she accompanied
him in his rambles and freaks by night
in the dress of slave"
Again, the historical fact OF Cleopa-
ira pulling up Antony, man weigh
ing 200 pounds at the end of rope, is
cited to show that she was the ANA
zon which Miss Davenport represents
on the boards.
But Miss Davenport, so far as neral
graces and conduct go, makes the mis-
take and commits the injustice OF
judging this famous representative OF
womanhood of antiquity by the Gus
toms and ideas of the present day.
Bernhard, also, probably errs in as
signing too high degreeof iGeality to
Ptolemy's sister. From ancient his
torians are gathered facts, by infer
ence and incidental allusion which
the authors themselves never intend
ed to convey. Among them is the
unavoidable conclusion that Cleopatra
was vOluptuous, amorous, "womanly
woman" but the masculine greatness
of whose mind is shown in her gener-
alship displayed at the battle OF Acti-
UNI where she practically decided the
fate of the world, lost its mastery to
Mark Antony and handed it over to
the CAESARS. That she must have
been possessed of extraordinary at
fractions OF person as we'll as of mind
is proven by her capturing the hearts
of two such men as the "imperial C@.
sar" and Marcus Antonius amid all
the beautiful Patricians of Rome and
the Empire founded by the conquelor
of Gaul.
One phase OF the subject-the color
OF Cleopatra-whether she was of eau
casion wilderness or Egypts hue-has
been kept in the back ground by both
Observation-Disclosures intep tionally or
accidently does not appear. Neither
is probably equal to solving question
which our university students and
professors cannot definitely answer
with the historical proofs.
In the controversy both women ap-
pear determined to have the last word.
The adorable Sarah" is next to be
heard from.
REGULATING ALL CORPORATIONS.
Senator Garter of Fort Worth, has
in the senate bill calling for such a
supervision of all corporations as can
not but be most repuguart to every
business interest. OF this bill the