The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-12-21
MARY 4NDERS0N s GIFTS
Daughter Of IA oxfosd 0raduats, q
Man q sohoIar'y At ~.
talnm snte. 81 Il $ s.
HER LIFE al THE .C0AVEIr Is TOLD
Charlotte Csshrn an Predicted for Her An
Eminent Career, Which
shs Ait iined.

i
shs- Ait jined.
The November number OF the North
American Review contained an interest
| ing memoir, entitled, "The Girlhood Of
| an Actress It was written by Mary
Anderson. We should always look upon
Mrs. de Navarro as belonging to us, al
though she has made her quiet home In
| England The leaning to the English
life and people is partly gratitude, for
the English were the first to recognize in
Mary Anderson great artist, but mainly
a natural feeling Inherited from her Eng
| lish father. At the time of his marriage
| to her mother he had just finished his
education at Oxford, and his daughter
| describes him as being clever, scholarly,
| charming in presence and manner, de-
voted to sport, a passionate lover OF the
drama and all things artistic.
This man SO eminently fitted by ma
ture to be the .gutde.of his gifted daugh-
ter died at the early age Of "a, leaving
Mary, a 9 year Old child, to the care OF
her mother and her mothers uncle, Pere
Anton, who was the pastor of a small
German congregation near Louisville,
KY. OF Father Anton his niece says:
Though a. man Of great learning, an
ACCOMPLISHED lingllist, fine musician,
and an eloquent preacher, he was simpler
than the simplest of his flock. His ap-
pearance was 50 striking that passers-by
turned to look !at him in the street his
features werel finely chiseled, and his
straight. black hair, worn long, was cut
like LISTS" 49,,
1t will be saen from these descriptions
Of her father and uncle that Mary Ander-
son came Naturally, by her beauty and
gifts. Her mother remarked after
widowhood Of five years, and Mary was
put in the convent Of the UrsMines near
Louisville i She was very homesick at
FIRST as She relates so prettily. Il re-
member distinctly my utter misery when
the grated door closed upon. the mother
and brother from whom l had never pc
fore been separated. The convent was
large Italian-looking building, sur
rounded by gardens and shut In by high
walls. That first night in the long dor
mitory with its rows Of white beds and It's
little occupants, some as sad as myself,
my grief seemed more than | could bear.
The moon made a track of light across
the f1oorl A strain of soft music came
in at the open window; it was only an &C
Gordon played by some one sitting out
side the convent wall, but how sweet and
soothing. it was! The simple little melo-
DIV seemed to say: See what friend
can be!s 1 am music sent by Heaven to
cheer and console. Love me and l will
soothe and calm your heart when 1t IS
cad, and double all your joys" 1t kept
murmu4ing such sweet things to me that
soon |. fell asleep and dreamed that was
at home again. ..s
She iavows several times in this me-
moir that she was not a good student,
owing to an INDECENT nature and an lmpa-
tient dislike for the beginning OF things.
This seems hard to believe when we
remember the conscientious, painstaklng
actress who improved every year in her
art, until when she left the stage she was
perfection in some of her roles.
She persuaded her: mother finally to
allow her to leave school in order to STUDY
in her own way at home. Her uncle nau
read some Shakespeare to her, and she
and her brother Joe had been allowed 10
attend few matinees, mostly fairy pays
minstrel shows and the like, but Witness
ing Booth in Hamlet first awakened IN
her the idea OF her own possslbilltles III
l.
.I selected for my study she says, "a
small white-washed, carpetless room, at
the TOP of the house. where no one was
likely to intrude; it's only furniture, a ia
hm~ and a chair, a crucifix, a bust OF
Shakespeare, small photograph OF Ed
win Booth, and pair OF foils, which
had learned to use with some skill
E,rownson, Comstock and Murdoch on FL
ncutiDn. Rush on the Voice, Plutarcns
lives. Honler's Had and the beloved red
and gold volume of Shakespeare were my
only hooks: and these had been stolen by
degrees from the. library below. After
many wears in more luxurious apart
lments. how often have I longed for chat
fresh, sunshiny little den, -,
The greatest difficulty she had to over
come was her awkwardness. Her arms
seem to have been too long and unfnan-
apeable for her comfort, but she had
made I'D her mind to go on the stage,
and She drudged along alone, making
wonderful progress, considering that she
had no one to whom she could decla1m
hit a little mulatto girl in the kitchen
Her step father secretly encouraged her
ii her Intentions and finally persuaded
the frightened mother to go with her
daughter and call on Charlotte Cusnman
to whom he mad spoken OIL Maly. *I1eA
visit decided the matter. The mother
was persuaded by brusque Miss Cush-
man that her daughter had remarkable
talents which she should watch over and
encourage, and we all know how that
gifted wonlans predictions have been re-
allied. Never says writer, has
any country had an actress on the boards
whose. beauty was more perfect of its type
than Mary Anderson So 1t always seem
ed to me as gazed OIL that poetic, exquis-
tie face that.the outward form was with
out a flaw but the soul that the form en-
yeloped, and which looked out from those
wor,d erful eyes SO patiently and inquir-
ingly upon this world Of ours, was the
most beautiful Of. an A perfect deyel-
opment of the, mental and artistic, phys
ical and moral natures, seemed to com
bine to give America that divine har-
nony in woman $ form known as Mary
Anderson.
us it any wonder that we are proud
of her, and read with avidity this first
authentic account of her early life
The Skulls of Alaskans.
There has recently left this country a
German scientist, who, in the interest Of
;,it Whilo