The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-27
BLANCHE ROOSEVELT.
A Woman Who Eas Had Very In
teresting Career.
From the Baltimore Sunday Ne,os.

teresting Career.
From the Baltimore SUNDAY Ne,os
PARIS, Jan. 25-The Countess Machetta
d'Allegie blanche ROOSEVELT, who is known
even better in England and France than in
her native America, is one of the women
who make American women a synonym for
all that is beautiful and capable. She is the
daughter of William Henry Tucker of Vir-
ginia, of that famous and clever family OF
which John Randolph Tucker is the pres.
emit prominent representative. Her mother
was of the old Kuickerbocker family OF
Roosevelts. Before the war the fuckers
lived the ideal great plantation life of the
south, and it was here that Blanche was
born. After the war MIR. Tucker went &c
La Crosse, Wis, and seeing the future OF
Chicago, invested his fortune there. Mr..
Tucker died, and the fire came and swept
it entirely away. A young girl, only II
years old. Blanche, went to one of the
philanthropic men in Chicago and told him
that she had a voice, and that her teachers
had told her that with cultivation shs could
earn her living upon the stage. He sent
her abroad with her mother. She almost
at once met Victor Hugo, who was fas-
cinated by the beautiful young American,
whom he called Aurora, and at his house
she met all the distinguished men of letters
in Paris.
''It has been my destiny" she has said,
Ito meet great people. There 10 scarcely q
literary man or woman whose name is
great whom have not known more than
specifically" She studied in Paris under
Mime. Viardot, the sister of Malebrau, and
she was the first American singer to make
her debut in grand opera at Covent garden.
Her voice, after two successive years, failed
her. She was visiting Longtellow at his
home. when the realization began to come
Al =. 81
singing" he said to her, land you will make
more lasting fame with your pen. But il
you must sing, 1 will write dramatic lyric
for you"
1.-THE Masque of Pandora" Celier set to
music, and Miss Roosevelt sang it so en-
tirely to Longfellow's conception that he
christened her PANDORA"
Her first book was "Longfellow at
Home" which was an immense success
Later she wrote life of Gustave Dore and
the Acadamie Francois gave her the order
of The Academy of France. She was the
first American SO distinguished.
She has written several novels, but her
successes consist of pen portraiture of peo-
pie she has known. They have really shown
themselves to her, and sne has had the rare
gift of conveying their personality to the
reader. Her latest and best work is a study
of Victorien Sardou, which has had the hap
py fate of being pleasing TO the public, and
so appreciated by the subject who feels
himself UNDERSTOOD. that he has asked her
collaboration In writing a play founded
upon one Of her own novels The portraits
OF the Countess d Allegie are on salein Lon.
don with the famous beauties and royal
family. The story goes that when the
Czarina OF Russia asked for photographs of
the six most beautiful women In England
she was sent a case containing a central
photog. aph of her sister, the Princess OF
Wales, and six different views Of the face Of
Blanche Roosevelt.