The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-25
RHEA BACKED OUT.
She Wanted to be Hypnotized but
Her Courage Failed.
SHE TALKS ABOUT FRENCH MORALS.

ernoon and really ran short OF American
adjectives in describing the magnitude
of her enjoyment.
"Aud the young ladies'" she said, as
she held her hands aIoft in Partisan &C.
stacy, "they were charming. have al
ways thought the Baltimore young la
dies were the most charming in America
but l will take it back now that l have
met the Topeka girls. Nowhere have
met such lovely young women. They
are not only pretty and understand the
art of dressing, but they are intelligent
as we'll.
Rhea is like mother TO her company
and they all love her as such. She has
cures for their ills and sympathy for
their sorroWs; she is in touch with them
and they would do anything for her.
She is a thinker too, is Mile Rhea,
staunch in her views and not afraid to
express them.
She spoke of government yesterday.
81 believe in a limited monarchy" she
said, "France has never done so we'll as
a republic. Look at your republic and
the troubles you are having all the time.
Look at the thousands of people who are
living off the public because they are
members of the party now in power,
drawing the salary of useless Offices
Look at the money of your country
boarded up in the pockets of few mil
Uonaires."
Mr. Crawford was present at this
conversation and Mr.. Hart wrecked
Rhea's train of thought by sug-
gesting in whisper that
Mr.. Crawford might be a millionaire,
and she might hurt his feelings. Mr..
Crawford denied the allegation, but
Madame, as she is called by her COM
pany, had lost the thread of her argu-
ment
Madame was much amused at the re-
port that she is married to Mr.. Hart
"You must Go as 1 say today" she said,
"while you are my husband. The news
papers will probably divorce US tomor-
row"
The one great distress that Madame
has is the American idea of French life
and French literature.
you have many times the disgraceful
things in America that we have in
France" she said; "In America the words
Paris and French are associated only
with the bad of life. 1t is all wrong,
and that man lola is greatly to blame for
it. The French women are not so bad
You hear of no breach of promise cases
in France. To my mind that is the most
disgraceful thing there is. A woman
who will sue for breach of promise is no
better than an adventures. A woman
should know what she is about She is
not an infant The greatest adventures
Paris has would not think of such a
thing. The queens of the demimonde in
Paris are German and English women.
Even the grisettes of Paris are not so bad
as they are said to be, for they love de-
vo.edly."
Madame was particularly bitter against
such women as Madeline Pollard. "Thev
are not children to be deceived if the
man is a rascal" she said.
"And what an idea you have of French
literature" she added; 'call for French
translation on a train and | defy you to
get anything but one of Zola's disgust
novels. And yet they sell we'll in Ameri-
ca When a particularly bad book is
written in France it may be failure
there but it is always said, That book
will have great sale in America and it
always does. Now which is the worst
morally, France for her few men who
lower their nation by writing such books
or America with her millions that read
them?"
Rhea is a very religious woman though
her work keeps her up so much that she
is seldom up early enough to go to
church. She is a Catholic.
In her private apartments Rhea dresses
in loose black dress with large, easy
slippers. for which she says she would
not take 800, if there is a large rent in
one OF tnem. She Is comfort itself there
and declares that there is nothing she
dislikes so much as to dress up. She says
that outside the stage she has absolutely
nothing fit to wear, and at the reception
Saturday she wore one of her costumes.
Madame said a surprising but prob
ably very truthful thing regarding the
aspirations OF young actors. "They are
very DESTROYS of playing Shakesperian
parts for the simple reason that they are
much easier to play. Past age tragedy
Is much easier to play than latter day
comedy because it takes study and crea-
ton to initiate something the people are
familiar with from meeting it every
day"
Rhea had the usual unpleasant things
to say about Mr.. Crawford's opera house
dressing rooms, but she was more honor
able about it than the average objector,
for she said them to Mr.. Crawford him
self Put three people to work one day
ana clean the place up" she said. and
Dit. Crawford promised to think about it
Madame Rhea had never seen any ex-
perrin ents in hypnotism and became
greatly interested in DR.. Flint on learn
ing that he was in town and stopping at
the same hotel she was.
l would love to be hypuotized,' she
salu saturday, and JOURNAL young
man undertook to arrange it for her
DR.. Flint was very good about il and
sald he and his daughter would be at
madame's service at 2 o'clock yesterday.
Madame was as happy as a little child
about and even reached far enough back
In the past to clap her hands.
At the time appointed Mile. Rhea, Mr.
mart and some others of the company
went to the doctors rooms. but eIast
maoame's courage forsook her, and after
pref attempt the doctor declared that
sAe ana not want to be hypnofized and
would not yield to the influence
rms was disappointing but Miss Wash
purn volunteered to yield, and madame
was most interested spectator, giving
i;s4is n nsr emotions occasionally with
horror. anu
MISS Washburn was an easy subject
and the doctor put her through the usnaI