Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-22
She Comes to Correct Many False
Impressions That Have
GAINED ROOT AND GROWN HERE.
Her Late Fathers Methods Are Not q Sort
of Acrobatism.
THEY'RE OF MUCH PRACTICAL BENEFIT
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE prspA,


passage. She comes to this country to ex
pound the system of her father She an,
her brother, Gustave Delsarte, who diet
some few years ago, have been, since tn,
death of her father in 1871, the leading
teachers and exponents of the Delsart,
system.
Nearly all the teachers using the name o
Delsarte in this country, who lay claim t.
any eminence, have received their in
struction from one or the other of thes'
two Since Gustave's death Marie ha!
generally been regarded as the one person
pre-eminently competent to illustrate ant
exemplify his methods. During Del.
sarte's lifetime, and even from the tim,
that Marie was a little girl, she showed the
most remarkable aptness for her father.
instruction, and he seldom gave lecture
where he did not have her on the platform
with him to exemplify his instruction.
Delsarte's Only Correct Model.
She was, according to Delsarte's own
statement, the only person able to repro
duce all the so-called attitudes and physiog-
nomic changes of his theory. After the
fathers death, she and her brother and the
other members of the family who were then
living continued to reside in the famous
old Delsarte house, at the corner of the
Boulevard Councelles and Pare Monceau,
where every year hundreds of strangers,
largely American, came to them out of
curiosity.
Nine. Girsldv Delsarte, like all other
members of her family, inherited a great
nnnt of foil ont in 1nrg
She is quite as celebrated in Paris as an
artist as she is an elocutionist. She and
her sister, Madeleine Delsarte, who are
the only surviving children of the seven
original ones have both exhibited in the
Paris Salon. Madeleine is at present one
of the teachers in the famous Julian studio,
where Marie Bashkirtsef was pupil
The Daughter a Fine Musician.
Nine. Grady Delsarte is also an ac-
complished musician, with a fine voice.
Her father wrote number of songs especi-
ally adapted to all his theories of vocal
culture, and her singing of these was al
WAYS regarded as one of the special attrac-
tions of Delsarte's course.
For some time American friends of Nine
Giraldy Delsarte, of whom she has quite q
number, have talked to her about coming to
America but it is only recently that she
could be persuaded to do so. She has hus-
band and four children in Paris whom she
has been obliged to leave in making the
Journey. But recently rumors came to her
that her fathers name was being misused in
this country and his theories suffered to fall
into disrepute, and this determined her to
undertake the journey.
In announcing her intention to friend
in this county, she wrote: "Je suis navree
que la marveilleuse methods de mon pere
devienne une sorte 'acrobatie-on fait de
lui un clown ct celia me fait horreur. T'I
am overcome to think that the marvellous
method of my father should become a sort
Of acrobatism-it horrifes me that people
should make clown of him"
APen Picture of the Daughter.
During her stay in this city Nine Grady
Delsarte will be the guest of Mrs. H. o.
Havemeyer Mr.. and Mrs. Havemeyer met
her on the wharf to-day, when she arrived,
and she was driven Immediately to their
new house at Fifth avenue and Sixty-sixth
street. A DISPATCH reporter was permitted
TO interview her there, shortly after her ar
rival She is a tall, dark woman, rather
slim, and of a thoroughly French caste of
feature. She appears to be about 30 years
old. She wore a PLAIN gown of black silk
when she arrived, with long cloak of the
same color, trimmed, with fur. Her hair,
which is very abundant, is dark brown.
Her face is remarkable as study. In
general outline and appearance it bears a
marked resemblance to Sarah Bernhardt's s.
The eyes are dark brown, the lips thin and
the nose decidedly aquiline. The sympathy
and range of expression that it possesses
display themselves instantly on even casual
observation. But there is no trace of con-
sciousness or artificial cultivation IN sim
gle movement the face makes. 1t simply
strikes one as being extremely sensitive
and expressive. The same characteristics
belong TO her voice, which is low and sweet
and exquisitely modulated.
Mime. Del Sarte Explains Her Plans.
Speaking in French, which is the only
language she knows, Nine Grady Del
Sarte said to-day:
The voyage is the first one have made.
and it was simply atrocious. / scarcely left
my cabin, and have very little wits left in
me to think or talk. have come to America
because there seems to be a very wide inter
est here in the teachings of NV father.
expect to lecture and expound his
system in as nearly as possible the
same way that he himself did in France. /
have brought with me all the materials and
illustrations that he used to employ, and
those of my brother also. All the songs and
pieces that my father wrote for me when 1
was small have never been published, and
will sing them exactly as used to when
any English, SO all that l do will have to be
done in French. L don't know how your
people will like that. but all the Americans
that have met got along very well with me,
and j shall have to rely on their cleverness
to help me out.
My plans are not yet very definite, and
cannot tell exactly what direction my work
will take. l shall be very happy to take
classes ii l find people who wish to join
them. ! hope, also, to give entertainments
in different salons. But everything l do
will be serious and for the purpose OF illus
t1sting and explaining my fathers method.
do not care to give trif1ing entertainments
solely FOR idle amusement.
The Father Not a Court Buffoon.
When Del Ssrte, in the early years of his
fame, was invited to the court of Louis
Philippe, he replied: 81 am no court
buffoon, =" and refused the invitation, and it
was enIy after the King convinced him that
he was interested and in earnest about hav-
ing the system of elocution explained to
him that Del Sarte decided to 60 His
daughter has inherited the same feeling 81
nave heard, says she, ''that some people
have been led to regard my fathers system
as ifit were species of gymnastics. That
idea horrifies me. Most of my fathers
pupils were actors and singers who came to
him to learn how best to develop their
ability. 1t is of more urgent need to those
people than to others, but everybody who
studies the system and tries to understand it
will not fail 10 receive much practical
benefit
Among the noted actors and singers that
came TO Del Sarte as pupils and carried out
his instruction within the memory of Mime.
Giraldy Del Sarte were: Rachel, Henrietta