Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-02
FACTS ABOUT SARAH.
GOSSIP ABOUT THE FAMOUS Ac-
TREsS SOON TO VISIT AMERICA.
what Our Piny-Houses VIII Present Ihis
Week-News Cleaned In the The
atricsi World.

Those whom the gods love die young.
they say. With what intensity OF hatred
then must these authorities look down
upon the great French actress. who Is
shortly 10 pay a return visit to these
shores. A ceaseless worker in the most
fatig,iing fields of the drama for quarter
OF century and more, she Is said to have
closed her late arduous season in Paris
and London, fresher to all appearances
than when she began.
Madame Bernhard is, I consider, one
OF the most interesting women In the
world. She is a physiological phenome-
non. ! don't believe that any other woman
ever possessed such nerves and sinews.
She must be made of steel-a model OF
resistance, energy. and power. She Is
close upon 50, and yet Is to-day as 1.-THE
and active and full Of fire and youth as
when l first saw her, ten years ago.
People grossly misunderstood Sarah
Bernhardt. and this Is not surprising for
II will always be impossible for the Phi
istine mind to grasp the conception or
the true artist. She Is a complete artist.
and her eccentricities, inadvertently set
down to a commercial desire for publicity.
are but the outcome of her temperament.
And as 10 these eccentricities, they have
been greatly exaggerated. 1t If said that
more fairy tales" have been sprung
upon an uasuspecting public by enter
pTising correspondents and reporters
about Madame Bernhard than about any
other living person. At one time a re-
nrfh hot In, anaf Of NOR
vous irritation she had thrown favorte
cat into her stove, a report which brought
down upon her the wrath Of the women
OF Iowa" who sOlemnly pledged them
selves to retaliate on the ''inhuman Sarah
Bernhardt" by boycotting her perform
ances. Sometimes the story was that she
had roasted a dog; sometimes that she
had been found torturing her birds How
foolish such stories are IS proved by the
fact that she is well-known lover OF
animals. When the notice Of Paris was
first attracted to her she was the proud
possessor OF not less than ten dogs. To-
day in the large bower in the studio of
her hotel, In the Boulevard Pereire, there
are over a hundred birds 1t Is possible
that, having a certain desire for money,
for she Is very extravagant, and knowing
the value of advertisement, she may In
former days have let her love for &C.
centriclty serve the further purpose OF
attracting attention to her personality.
as I'm the days Of the captive balloon,
when Madame Bernhardt used 10 be seen
taking her seat in GOdards car every
time that the balloon arose. and when
her tOlettes were to be described as
slightly tap8Yeuse. But It would be- I'M
fair to attribute TO the same desire Of
publicity the repeated attempts at sui
eide by poison which took place in the
early days Of her artistic career.
Without doubt eccentric. Madame Bern
hardt has an excellent heart, and this is'
no doubt the reason why all those who
have the privilege Of being her friends
are so warmly attached TO her. She Is
the very best Of good comrades, dear
sister I'm the ranks Of Bohemia ana what
ever may be her arrogance towards the
Princes OF Phiistia, among Bohemians
she is said to be without the least NestiBe
OF oVerbearanCe which her Immense pOpu-
larity and reputation might justly en-
title her to show. Her hands are open
as is her purse. She has ruined herse-f
time and time again by the fault OF her
generosity, and II she is rushing apout
the world beating up the sequns on every
stage I'm Chrlstendom, II Is that h'r
larecsees TO a whole camp following OF
needy friends have exceeded all dlScIe-
flo. Madame BeTnhardt entered the
Conedie Franchise after the war between
France and Germany, and made her
debut as MI. dc Belle Isle. III was
a failure. aaI people said She had
done wong to leave the Odeon. She con-
tinued as JUNE IN Brttannicus, IN a
secondary role in Phedre, in the Marriage
de Figaro, but did not attract any par
ticular attention. 10 was not until. now
twelve years agr. enc took TIE tltle Ioi4
IN Racne's tragedy and appeared TO INC
public of the Coincide Frurxdlse az Pne-
Ire that her great genius As tragic
actress was definitely established.
The performance electrified Paris. The
role Of Phedre is said to be the one mat
she most delights IN. Since she LETT the
Coincide Franchise, where her earninSs
were altogether out Of proportion TO her
needs, she has played in number OF
pieces which may have made money, but
have not made epoch in French Ora
matte art. At heart Madame Bernhardt
Is said 10 have the same opinion ABOUT
tho Sardou melodramas in which she
has played az most OF Sdrdoh : CRITICS
and she certainly regrets the higher arts
as she has often been put on record as
saving al faut vivre," and the Coincide
ia. II appears. but a stepmother to It's
children.
Mr.. Keir Hardie. the workingman mem
Der OF Parliament Of England, whose In
vective against the adoption OF Z motion
to congratulate the royal family on the
birth Of an heir-pr sumptive to the British
throne. earned for himself some little
nOtoriety at the expense Of an apprecla-
ton Of his good taste has fallen foul OF
Mr.. Berbohm Tree. because, in N Bupch
of Niolets," there H.. according TO Mr..
Hardie. IAN ignorant. silly. and impudent
lampoon OF labor-leaders and labor or
carnations. Mr.. Trees reply begins with
the retort courteous. Neither Mr.. Grumpy
nor myself" he says. would lend himself
to a gratuitous attack upon the working
classes. but while kings, statesmen,
cIergymer, and fnancers. in turn are
satirized upon the stage and In literature,
I do not think that workingmen alone
should be held 10 have a monopoly OF all
the virtues any more than the aristOcracy
should be held TO have monopoly of all
the vices" This DONE like a good Shake.
spearean, ne proceeds. in true Tombstone
vein. 20 the cOuntercheck quarrelsome.
and AYERS that the satire in Mr. Grundy's
comedy is directed, not against genuine
workingmen. nor genuine labor-leaders,
but against the shams and humbugs who
may be supposed to prey upon them"
Another southern girl has won success
on the stage in short time. and made
rapid strides in her chosen profession In
a few months. The young lady referred
10 is Miss Juliette Downs. the talented
daughter of i. }. Downs. the superintend-
ent OF transportation for the entire sys-
TEN Of the Gulf. Colorado and Santa Fe
railroad with headquarters at Galveston.
Miss Downs graduated at the conserya-
tory. in Chicago, last year, and i'm
mediately secured a prominent position
with the Craigen-Paulding Dramatic Com
many. in which she achieved the greatest
success, and received many hattering
notices for her excellent work. Miss
Downs severed her connection with this
company In New Orleans in February
last. and returned TO New York city,
where she secured an engagement with
Frohman's "Gloriana" company in less
time than two weeks, and played 10 the
end of the season.
Some weeks ago II was stated In these
columns that early in September there
would be issued the first number OF a
weekly theatrical paper. The publication
has been deferred TO October 9Th. bir.
Thomas c. Leath will be the editor, Mr..
Juan A. PiZZini the publisher and the