The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-03-20

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oriental scenes, and the odor of incense
reaches out into the theater. With the
exception of the scene of the murder in
the third act, there is no succession of
startling climaXes as in the Sardou
dramas. The plot is uneventful, yet the
element of Buddhistic mysticism that
pervades the whole fascinates and hyp-
notices the interest. The second act in
the desert is like a mesmeric dream. 1t
is glowing picture of the east
''Of Orient delights, barbaric pleasures,
OF weird, wild wines with passions
pearl therein
withal, an original and unusual play.
| Without Bernhardts magnetic figure
to concentrate the interest, the play
could not have lived, and the beauty of
the mountings has also contributed Its
share.
AS for the actress herself, what is
there new to say? 1t is the same old
story-when Sarah is not with us we
talk of her limitations, her manner
isms; how she has prostituted her gem
ius by clingng to- clap trap plays; how
mercenary, and, above all how inmor-
al her influence has been Then she
comes back and speaks to us with that
glorious, golden voice, with it's exquisite
modulations and haunting cadences,
until she chants our prejudices to sleep
and we surrender ourselves to the
charm of her personality That is what
the name of Sarah Bernhardt stands
for-the potency of personality, tenn
permanent, mal-magnetism; in
word, genius. BY her genius she has
conquered, not alone by untiring indus
try and conscientious endeavor. How
great she might have been we shall
never know. Early in her career she
had the misfortune to meet person
named Victorien Sardou, a clever per-
son with good sense Of dramatic re-
quirements, who might have been great
himself if he had not met Sarah. Sar-
dou discovered trick Of writing cheap
but effective plays on the theme Of
Bernhardt's own temperament He
studied her character, her type, her
emotional equipment, and her physical
endowment, and then produced a series
of plays, Fedora, Theodore, La Tosca,
Gismonda, ETC., in every one OF which
the central figure was a replica of the
actress herself. Hence Bernhardts way
has been too easy for her best devel-
opment. She acquired from her early
conservatoire training the necessary
technical ability and time has given
her unequalled facility. In every part
she plays her method is purely subjec-
tive, and had she not the rare gift OF
genius she would be monotonous. On
the contrary, she is the most fascinat-
ing woman on the stage.
1t is nearly twenty years since Sarah
Bernhardt first appeared in this city
and presented Camille" She is now
fifty three years old and twice grand
mother. She has the immortal youth Of
the gods. When she appeared last
night in the first act of .IzeyP she
looked less than twenty. The curves of
her sinuous figure are fuller. but she
has lost none of her lissome grace, and
her gestures are as rhythmatical and
symmetrical as ever There is good
4 deal OF the animal about this woman,
something of the tigress and quite a lit
tie of the serpent. Her movements are
sly and feline, and her eyes are cold
and treacherous. She is Oriental always
and savors Of the purple East" even
her Camille" Is not contemporaneous
Her clothes even in "Masda" are not
fin-de-siecle. Her costumes last night
We're wonderful and she alone could
iiaVe worli .i.eiii. i1ei IeMeis WIZ al-
ways .urquoise anu upai' ~ 81 anse
touzled mass, a red gold halo round her
head Her arms are round and slender
anu lHe liesh ioohs ia"iu aiiu ,iiin iiAo
youis snis AAeh ~ "en oeie A' -
cept for sandals.
The audience was large and socially
otliiaht. lAe eiliusiasln was .iNi
aleel edoii "et' 0'iiu 'iie s.'''ieii'' IL 'iie
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