San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-01-27
MopJEskA's ROMANTIC CAREER
She Achieved High Reputation in Spite Of
Many Adverse Circumstances.


Many Adverse Circumstances.
Helena Modjeska's career has been a
strikingly interesting one. She born
at Cracow, in Austrian Poland, about
81 years ago. Her father, Michael
Popido, a musician, gave her Greek
name on account of her small Greek
head, which pleased his artistic sense.
He died when she was child. A great
fire burned their house and brought
the large family to poverty. Two
brothers became successful actors and
helped her to find humble work on the
stage. For years she met with no sue
cess. She married her guardian, much
older than herself, named Modrzejew-
ski, the real spelling of the name which
VIC have shortened to MOjeska (the "a"
the usual feminine ending). TWAS not
until 1865 that real success began to
be hers. Always an enthusiastic stu
dent in her art she made such prog
ress under the direction of the Polish
director Iasinsh that her growing
reputation spread from Poland to Ger
MANY and France. She has always
been devoted to Poland, and it is re-
lated that on one occasion, after she
had accepted proposal to play German
tragedy In Austrian Bukowina, her pa
triotism got the better of her ambi-
ton, and she gave up the idea of play
ing in Germany on hearing a band
play Polish national airs the day before
the first performance. "It was at the
time the Polish insurrection broke out,
and this music made her feel as if de-
serting the Polish stage at such mo-
ment would be equal to betraying the
national cause"
In 1868 she married Charles Bozenta
ChIapowsld, a young Polish patriot and
journalist. On the day of her mar
riage she first played in Warsaw, where
"her triumph was the greatest ever
known in the annals of the theater."
She remained in Warsaw seven years,
the period of greatest advancement in
her art. In 1876, with her husband and
a party of friends, she visited the cen
tennial, then went to California, bent
on founding Polish community. 1t
was strange experience. "They
bought land, built house, purchased
cattle, hens and chickens and other
necessities, and then swung hammocks
under the trees, laid in stock of Gig
arettes and waited for the crops to
grow and for the cattle to multiply.
AS long as the money held out they
lived delightful life. Unfortunately,
there is limit to money, and before
very long it was all gone and the little
colony had to turn to and work. This
was too prosaic entirely for some of
the members, and they continued to
swing in the hammocks and smoke
cigarettes while the others worked and
waited upon them. One of the hardest
workers was Nine. Modjeska. She not
only cooked and scrubbed, but she
MIXED the cows and made the butter,
her husband and son doing all the hard
work of the farm, while their compan-
ions looked on and chaffed and sneered
by turns. Even with the strictest econ
omy they could not live, and Nine.
Modjeska determined to learn English
This she did, after six months of study.
Her first appearance there, as in War
saw nine years before, was as Adri-'
enne Lecouvreur. Her success was inn
mediate and has never since been
broken. Although she has visited Po-
land, her husband and son are nat
uralized American citizens, and Amer
lea will always claim her-jointly, if
need be, with Poland-as one of her
brightest stars.
The story of Russias recent edict
against her has been widely circulated.
1t was because of her frank expression
of sympathy with Poland, during the
Columbian exposition promptly re-
ported to their government by Russian
representatives who heard herr that
Nine. Modjeska was forbidden to enter
Russia. She had to abandon, at great
cost to herself, an engagement to play
in st. Petersburgh, but the exile, if such
it is to be called, while it emphasizes
her constancy to the cause of Poland,
makes her more than ever an American.
Buffalo Express.