The morning call., 1891-04-19
4 Week Of BerllaFdt Before She
Leaves for Australia.
CAREER OF THE DIVINE SARAH"
" Kajalka Roland Reed VIII Try Samuel
BIIdy-O Oliver Byron in Another Sen
Siti0lalBm-" The County Fairs Quar-
t8t-A Play That ELalb the Horn Of
The Hebrew" Master and Man For
Higl and Domestic Notes.

Gigl and Domestic Notes.
Bernhardt is the rage. The difficulty
with her managers Is not how to promote a
draw for her week, but how to aceommo-
date the crowds applying for the privilege
of paying IS for ticket. She opens at the
Grand Opera House on Friday evening next
in Yictorien SardOu's fiye-act drama, La
Tosca"-the plot of which is said TO have
been suggested by certain passages in the
life of Mile, Mars, the actress-and the
book Of the play says she uses this iurld
drama by permission of Fanny Davenport,
who appears to own the American rights Of
this particular work Of Sardou. From pres
ent appearances the Patti excitement will
pale before the Bernhard Juror. Ticket
SPECTATORS are try ing to get their work in
with the Characteristic brass of their class,
whether successfully or not is supposed to
be an open question. But it may be added
that these gentry are not in the habit of
throwing away the time in vain pursuit
BIER DEBUT.
1t is generally supposed the "divine
Sarah" as it is the fashion to call this great
actress, made her debut in Rome Vainque,"
by Alexander Parodi done at the Theatre
Franchise, Paris, during heI youth. But
this is not the fact. Paris had known
Bernhard for several years before the
Parodi production. She had passed for
remarkable artist for one of the more prom
inent SOcetaires Of the Theatre Franchise.
She had first excited attention at the OdeOn,
where she came in 1869, and played, or rather
e. 81 -. ,fr,rrc l1a
charming soto" sceie, I'm PEASANT" by
Coppee She afterward appeared at the
Coincide Franchise, and was applaude1 in
L ETangere," written by Alexandra Dumas.
A DIFFERENCE.
But what a difference between the earlier
roles and her HOSthumta, the matrOD in
ParOdfs tragedy 1t was as if the actress
had suddenly unfolded piniOns and taken
fight upward from her previous modest
walk on the earth. What was Sarah Bern
hardt, indeed, in Il Etrangere, her best
role before she created POsthunia?
strange, capriciOus, heartleSs woman, whom
the poet had conceived as demOniacal, and
whom the actress had only strength enough
to represent as odd and extravaganza Her
outward appearance was striking. She
wore an 0utTe robe 10 red and yellow, and In
her hair had comb of the most OruitholoRi-
cal effect that can be conceived. In this
tinerv her head resembed that of peacock
IL Etraugere " in the scene at the Duchess
OF SeptmOnIs, she surprised by some fine,
naughty movements and by wonderful
facility in dealing out SaTcaSnlS; 10 the sec
oud when she relates TO the Duchess the
history OF her youth, Catherine (BernhardD
exhibited remarkable serpent coils that set
the tongues of Paris a-g0ing for few days.
When, a few months after the first repre-
seniatiOn of IL Etrangere," the salon Of
1876 was opened there was in it picture
ruaAippd tho - mi do salon ~ nj TN at
year 1t represented Nero trying the effect
on q slave Of poison prepared for himself;
the slave was writing on the marble hoOr.
The Parisians asserted that " l. Etrangere
in the great conversational scene had Sug-
gested the YritAIng slave.
PosTHUMIA.
Despite the fact it was not her premier,
Pos humia was a complete revelation to
Paris [ D 10 that evening Sarah Bern
haTdt had guarded an incognIto, behind
which only the Initiated could divine some
thing great In Rome Vanque" she
dropped the mask and showed herself in the
full majesty Of sovereign talent. a youth
ful face and an effective toilet had Cooper
aled in her former success on the stage, but
this time she had instead OF all the splendor
Of dress a black garb. she renOunced tue
effect Of her eyes by closing them. she de-
prved herself of her youth by putting on
gray wig and transforming herself into an
old Woman-the greatest sacrifice young
actress can make for her art. Alone, I0f-
sGken bv her powerful allies, stripped Of
her usual accessories, she impressed her au-
dience incomparably more deeply by the
sole charm Of her talent than she had before
been able TO 90 with her eyes, hair, Jewelry
and dress.
MANY CREATIONS
Were expected to follow Posthumia, but
months elapsed before she appeared with
one Sarah Bernhard is OF delicate health.
She fell i'll, and not till nine months later
lid she reappear on the stage as andre
mache, and later as Donna Sol III Her
mani, and cry OF admiration was again
the echo Of the play. Nine. BeTnhardt is
to-day from 45 to J0-rather 30 than 10
years old. Birth certificates of artists do
not, as every one knows, belong to the pub
lie docume IS it is difficult to learn any
thing authentic on this point. She is very
tall, delicate, slender withal, and plable as
a Diana. Her thinness is as prOverbial IN
America as in Paris.
DUMAS MOT.
In the Salon of 1876 Bernhardts portrait
was twice exhibited. One of the pictures
shows her sitting in a white gown, slightly
reclining on sofa, and at her feet lies an
immense dog. When Alexandra Dumas
saw this poT trait he remarked: I'm chen
qui garde un o." -; in literal English: "a
dog watching bOne.' This phenomenal
thinnesS, which has, however, decreased
latterly, is direct consequence of her weak
time, prevent her from drawing largely on
all the sources Of enjoyment in life. She
rides spirited horses and drives a fiery Rus
sian span. She is passionately fond of
fencing, and il is said her admiTerS-she has
admirers, Of c0uTse-muSt conquer her heart
with the point of the rapier. In her indie
scrbably luxurious residence, in her fan
tastic revels, she adhereS to the traditions oil
her predecessors at the Theatre FRANCHISE
Qunault and Sophie Arnold, De Seyme and
ot-tfe &c nd
sinners, with whose genius and wanionness
tile literary and gallant history OF the nine
teenth century is replete.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Sarah Bernhard is not precisely Deauti-
full. Her narrow IA e, full of lines of SUI
fering, makes as melancholy an impression
as a dreary winter-day. But she has deeply
expressive blue eyes, white, even teeth,
fine nose, whose nOStrils nervously tremDle
in passion, and a purely ehiseled chin.
Without being really a Jewish type-Sbe is
the child Of Alsatian jews but baptized 10
early youth, ana is to-day one OF the most
Jealous attendants Mt St German HAuxer-
rOis-something ID her general manner sug
gesty tie Orient The best gift nature has
bestowed upon her is her voice. This soft,
deep organ is capable OF unlimited mOdula-
ton; its tones creep into the soul OF the
audience, and vaguely suggest sultry
evening breeze, or warm, heavy fragrance
Of pinks When she is on the stage, her
voice dominates the conversation as an
organ does the church service. OF her play
little need be said. II is noble and natural.
This is the secret Of her great success.
HER LAST TRIUMPH. d.
The last triumph Of Sarah Bernhardt, her
Donna Sol IN Hermann was not followed
by a similar one on the stage until recent
years. Her career took turn that made of
her the heiress of Rachel, the woman of the
day. the woman most talked OF, most criti-
clZed and ridiculed, the unstinted praise of
all the papers within France and outside Of
it. This condition OF things apparently I'M
settled her mind, and since 1878 she has