The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-21

seemed enormous. He painted his face
in oils, but its muscles were thus hid
den and made immovable. Their play
was no longer visible 1t was the face
of a manikin, not of an actor. The
real historian is the wigmaker He
has grave difficulties. To resur-
rect Achilles he knows the fig
ures on vases, the excavations
of the Troad, the researches Of Schlie-
mann, the Greek warrior found entire
in his armor. Yet his hero must re-
semble at once the veritable son of
Thetis, the conventional parsonage Gre
ated by Racine, and the spectators who
look at him. He has infinitely more
merit and receives much less credit
than the costumer. Theatrical cos
tunes are conventional. Take TO the
performance of a play, the time of
which is the reign of Louis Kill, to
"Richelieu" or the ''Three Guards
men," for example, the engravings of
Abraham Bosse, and compare. Once,
at the Theater Historique, in play by
Dumas, Catherine de Medicis appeared
with the colossal ruf1ed collar that she
really wore. The spectators laughed
so derisively that costumers have not
since attempted to be faithful as are
wigmakers.
Rachel wore a crinoline in the part
of Phedre. At the Theater Francois is
is portrait of Talma in the part of
Hamlet. He wears frock coat of vel
I'D CO., ho14p NJ civil L.
the art of costuming has since then adj
vanced7 1t has not; it has only made
n change of conventions, and it con-
forms to the prejudices of spectators of
1898 as it yielded to the ideas of specta-
tors of 1917. The stage, to create it's
illusions, must rely principally on wigs.
Voltaire's head was bare as a step
of pink marble, as billiard ball, as a
fencer's foil in the sunlight. In the
superbUstatue which he has made of
him Houdon discarded the pompous
wig and replaced it with fine, soft
and silky white hair, hair
which he would have had If
the gods had not been preoccu-
pied with other matters and forgetfuL
Houdon acted justly, for the writer Of
''Candide" should not be an object Of
derisive laughter among the shades.
Banville often said that one shivered
at the thought that Saint-Beuye might
not have been bald. But, the immortal
gods be praised, he was baldl If he had
not been, perhaps he would not have
worn the black velvet cap which was
part of his physiognomy. It's luster
went well with the fame of his eyes.
He transmitted it into as many figures
as the famous hat of Taparin. He
pressed it down on his forehead when
he wished to affirm; he lifted it little
when he wished TO follow some ardu-
Gus thought; he took it off entirely
when he wanted more air and
more light. He threw it in the air
when he found that the theologians
were not in accord with him on some
indifferent question. He threw IL at
fate with all his might, as Luther threw
his inkstand at the devil, when some
thing recalled TO him that he was not a
handsome captain Of hussars This
was his great grievance. He was intel
igent enough to be one of the great
writers of the century; strange that he
did not become, since he wished il, a
captain of hussers, wax his nustache
wear curly wig, sighteD his belt and
say that he was handsomei Pardon this
depression. The excuse for it is that il
was a wigmaker who advised Sante-
Beuve 10 wear cap.-N. Y Times.