Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-31

more poetic or remarkable than hers In the history of stage life. Her work so modestly entitled "A Few Memories, but evinces that refined grace and gentle ness which has ever characterized the personality of this gifted and charming woman. Few books have been anticipat- ed with greater interest and concern, and it now seems likely that 1t will at tract more attention than any other books of the month Aside from this ea- gerness there can have been no expecta- ton of any such finished work as Mme. de Navarro has done. The book is so admirably written, and is so worthy from purely literary point of view, in addition to that justifiable interest and profit of the story of her life from in- fancy to the close of her remarkable ca- reer.
 In short preface she says: But it seems to me reasonable to believe that my experience may be of some service to those who have, or think they have, an aptitude for acting. I have written these pages more for young girls (Who may have the same ambition that haO than for any one else, to show them that the glitter of the stage is not all gold, and thus to do little towards making them realize how serious an undertaking it is to adopt life so full of hardships, humiliations, and even dangers"
 It is lengthy book, but all through we read of this successful career and life, many episodes and incidents make it charming matter, and many names ap- pear among its pages, the most promi- nent and noted ones in the history of re- cent years. Among her closing pages she says, speaking Of her return to Louis vile, Ky, after an absence of nineteen years: "The little window of the den where had first resolved to go upon the stage was as bright and shining as ever, and wondered, in passing the old house, Akl, .f1 f1d ftII creature were dreaming and toilng there as I had done so many years be- fore. My little desk, the dunce stool everything-seemed to have a friendly greeting for me. No one was changed but myself. I seemed to have lived 100 years since leaving the places and kindly faces and to have suddenly come back again into their midst (unlike Rip Van Winkle) to find them as had left them."
 Many episodes, memorable to me, oc- cured dn Louisville. Not the least pleasant was Father Boucher's acknowl- edgement (after disapproving of my pro- fession for years) that my private life had not fallen under the evils which, at the beginning, he feared to be inevitable from contact with the theater. When he condemned my resolution to go upon the stage quite as bitterly as did my vener- ated guardian, Peter Anton, my cup of unhappiness overflowed. All my early successes were clouded by the alienation of such unique friends. My satisfaction and delight may be imagined when, af- ter years of derangement, Father Boucher met me with the same trust with which he had honored me as child and heartily gave me his blessing
 
 The success of Mary Anderson in her chosen profession may yet be discussed how great portion of the real artistic part was due to the witchery of her beauty, her youth and her loveliness- yet there must ever remain the incon- troyertible fact that however various the opinions of the author as an artist, there can be but one opinion of Mary Ander- son as the finest type of American wo- manhood.
 The study of words is an interesting and absorbing one, and Archbishop Trench has written a masterly work upon this question, fascinating in its line of investigations. In recent issue of the World there are communications from prominent people giving their opin- ion of the one most potent word of words. This is an entertaining discussion, pre- sented as 1t Is in an attractive way. Tesla, the famous inventor, as might have been guessed holds that nature" is the most significant word in our lan- guage. To judge from ones written words James Lane Allen must also take that full term, nature as the word most fraught with meaning. Next was F. Marion Crawford on the list, who gave Life" and adds: For its meaning im- plies the whole history of human nature, and its opposite, which is death--so far as mankind Is concerned with it--proves how significant life is." Though mat ter of individual opinion. the decision yet is influenced by personal views and char acteristics and is therefore of intense in- terest. What is the word that means most to you? PAUL PRY.
 EAST LAKE.