The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-15
QUEER THINGS THEY SAY.
ACTORS AND ING ERs AND THELB
REMARKS ON THE CRITIC.

REMARKS ON THE CRITIC.
caIisns 1ndtnerenee sr u~GpsFnnce the Comnaon-
cot nersre or tho Artistic Nstsr~-Bern-
hsrat. Cnlre. Nortirn. Netha. Enmes. Ne
nesske, and an Americas IN London.
There are many amusing thinRs about the
artistic temperament" said tho innocent re-
porter, but you have to know the disposition in
order to tell how funny they really are. You
must know enough not to believe them always
and then through all your intercourse with the
professionals there will flow an accompaniment
Of easy humor that gives acquaintance with
these persons an added pleasure. One charminF
incident Of this can always be found in their
views of what the newspapers say about them
Mrs. James Brown Potter Is the only woman 1
ever saw who talked frankly about that subject
$50 long as they don't ignore me- she said.
I don't care what they write. Let them cay
anything SO long As they say It. But it would
be horrible to be left alone
That was . very truthful statement OF her
own opinions and almost unparalleled In its
frankuess. Everybody knows that Mrs. Potter
has never had very much TO thank the news
papers for that was really pleasant. But she
had plenty to be grateful for as long as she was
willing they should print anything II 1t kept her
in the public eye.
Almost rs genuine was . young American
singer who came bnck hero after she had made
a debut and some little reputation In Europe.
She was . pretty woman and she had n good
voice. but she was unfortunate. Once she had q
sore throat and another time she was out Of
condition for some other reason. Al all events.
she was never in condition TO do herself Justice.
So there was nothing pleasant that, even with
the kindest intentions, the newspapers could say
about the young woman. one night toward the
close Of the season she was in a grand tier box at
the opera house. During one OF the entr'actes
she was walking about the foyer with a friend
and they halted In front OF the greenroom.
What Is that roomf her friend asked.
Planting herself deliberately in front OF the
partly opened curtains. she said in a voice audi
Bile to every man in the room: 'Oh, that is the
place they 20 to write. in the most disagreeable
way they can. the most disasreeab,e things :hey
can think OF about you The younger singer was
unjust, but she had no false vanity. She was
willing to have it known that she read what the
new spapers said about her. Her more illus
trtous colleagues are not always so willing to
admit that.
never saw any newspaper but the Paris Figaro,
and declare that she really had not the slight
her. she said this one day while waiting out
side Of Maurice Grau's office at the Metropoli-
ss .nS snd then .sat turning min s saEdttsniy ' 2, a rep EsPor tss
man that wrote she had signed a contract
to give some concerts at 5000 . night
man did no: understand French. so Nile Calves
companion translated the question into English.
The man replied that he represented another
newspaper, and when she turned this into
French for Mile. Caly6 she mentioned the name
OF the newspaper from which she had had
translated the dreadfully erroneous paragraph
which had led the public to believe that Nile.
CaIve had consented to take 5000 less than she
Mime. Eames has an indicated Indifference
for what the newsPapers say. which Is some
times a little 6it dLtieSlt TO- reeoneiie wLth aer
her. Nine. Mclba Is also familiar with them.
and she Is , little less averse to having that fact
that Nine. Nordica takes her press clippings
with her coffee. and she makes no bones OF IL.
newspapers have to say. about him. and what
ever he may think about 1t in reality. he never.
but in one instance. took any notice Of it. Plan.
con ENJOYS reading the agreeable things that
are written about him. and doesn't care who
knows i. Only the women profess 10 be wholly
ignorant OF what the newspapers write.
the same. The celebrated foreigners. according
10 heir own accounts: are 9n,se unaSanain,ed
write about them. Agnes Sorrna said last spring
thar she dt! not intend to read any OF the criti-
cisms OF her work until she started home on the
steamer. IL didn't take a conversation Of more
than three minutes to show that she had a fair.
" accurate knowledge OF everything that had
teen printed about her. II mast have heen
some superior sort OF clairvOyEn"e that is pos
sftl. only 20 the tr'f.tir temperament, for hahn {
sh. said that none of them would be read until
she had got on the steamer 10 go 10 Europe
Sarah Beraharlt has them all translated 10 her
and accompanies the performance with more or
less emphatic reflections on he Intelligence OF
the writer's who 90 not agree with her own IDEAS
OF vbIt .he does. 1t il said 'h.t n. atmosphere
OF the Holman House WIS heavily charged with
limestone .or several days after Nine. Sarah had
the New York accounts OF her performance OF
'Mnvd,' read aloud to her IN English. When
the American actors read unfavOrable accounts
OF themselves they arc always able 10 tell how
some specific cause for everything unfavorabie
Either they snuhbed the writer accidentally. OF
said something disagTeeehle bout him 70 one Of
beyond their bold truthfulness FOR the f%atterins
notices thar appear.
The most exaggerated case Of this sort o
thing that | ever saw concluded The innocent
reporter. who had never yer learned to suspect
the tngrnion5nesS OF the artistic nature: va,
he was the author. He was the actor Of III
the hind. and a great deal depended o. ,ts sue
cess. large amount OF money was involver
in the nIdertnHing, as well as the r TPn % o
was that the effort wonld be either
greet success or great ned failure; result III
Naturally the author. WA nervous. In r%enlit,
he was in n perfect funk. He was trying a
would eliminate all the damns from the text
The next day he would PM them r! n,rS agar gar
acted on a Saturday night FOR the first time
There ore no pn pers to speak OF puhltshct o
SUNDAY in London. so he had 20 wait until MOI
day. There had never been seen such who'll
enthusiastic reviews. There was not an unf'
vornhlc word in any ot them. The trump
afternoon somebody met the American acto
strolIinE along the strand near the thentr,
.Gra,t. weren't thew, old man. ne hurst out 81
tbrsia3tirtlIy. Let me congratulate you
What were great asked the hero. 'Wh'
the notices. Haven't You seen thcmF No,
hrypn'f had the Time. was the answer, Dut
will look over them. maybe, II I get tho TIM
So they were good. were they I'm glad OF this
for the managers sake. Did you see what oil
So-and-So wrote. too was aston!shei when
struck that one, Tor he hates anything Amer
can Even after that the actor drnmatist dtdn
blush. | tell, you, you can't beat the artist