The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-09-08
THEIR QUEER WAY.
ACTORS AND SINGERS AND THEIR
REMARKS ON THE CRITIC.


about tho artistic temperament, said
tho innocent reporter, 'but you have to
know tho disposition in order to tell
how funny they really are You must
know enough not 90 believe them al
ways and then through all your inter-
course with tho professionals there will
flow an accompaniment of easy humor
that gives acquaintance with these per.
sons an added pleasure One charming
incident of this oan always BIO found in
their views of what tho newspapers say
about them. Mrs. James Brown Potter
Is tho only woman | ever saw who
talked frankly about that subject.
So long MS they don't ignore me,
sho said, / don't care what they write.
Let them say anything so long as they
say it, but it would be horrible to DO
| left alone
THAT was very truthful statement
of her own opinions and almost I'M
paralleled in its frankness Everybody
knows that Mrs. Potter has never had
very much to thank the newspapers for
that was really pleasant, but she had
plenty to be grateful for as long as she
was willing they should print anything
If 1t kept her in the public eye.
Almost AS genuine was young
American singer who came back here
after she had made debut and some
little reputation in Europe She was
pretty woman and she had good voice,
but she was unfortunate. Once she had
a sore throat and another time she was
-
At all events she was never in condi-
ton to do herself justice. So there was
nothing pleasant that, even with the
kindest intentions. the newspapers could
say about tho young woman. Ono night
toward tho close of tho season she was
In grand tier box at tho opera house.
During ono of tho entr'a ctes she was
walking about tho foyer with friend,
and halted in front of tho greenroom.
What is that room2' her friend asked.
Planting herself deliberately in
front of tho partly opened curtains. she
said in a voice audible TO every man in
the room, oh. that is the place they
| go TO WRITE in tho most disagreeable
| way they can, the most disagreeable
| things they can think of about you.
| Tho younger singer was unjust, but she
had no false vanity. She was willing to
have it known that she read what the
newspapers said about her. Her more
illustrious colleagues AFRO not always 80
willing to admit that.
81 have heard Mile. Calvo protest
that she never saw any newspaper but
tho Paris Figaro, and declare that she
really had not tho slightest idea what
New York papers wrote about her. She
said this ono day while waiting outside
of Maurice Grau's office at the Metro
politan, and then turning suddenly to
n reporter standing near her asked If he
was the man that wrote she had signed
contract to give some concerts at
~, 600 night when sho was really to
receive 81, 900 The man did not I'M
dorstand French, so Mile. Calves COM
panion translated tho question into
English. Tho man replied that he rep
resented another newspaper, and when
she turned this into French for Mile.
Calvo sho mentioned the name of the
newspaper from which she had had
translated the dreadfully erroneous
paragraph which had led the public to
believe that Mile. Calve had consented
to take $500 less than she was to get.
Mime. Eames has an indicated in
difference for what tho newspapers say
which il sometimes little bit difficult
TO reconcile with her intimate knowl-
edge of what they publish about her.
Mmo. Media is also familiar with
them, and she Is little less averse to
having that fact known than Nine.
Eames is 1t is well known that Mime.
Nordica takes her press clippings with
her coffee, and she makes 10 bones OF
it, Jean do Reszko is regular reader
of what tho newspapers have to say
about him, and, whatever he may think
about it in reality, no never, but i'll one
instance, took any notice of it, Plancon
enjoys reading tho agreeable things
that arc written about him and doesn't
caro- who knows it. Only the women
profess to be wholly ignorant of what
tho newspapers write.
with the actresses tho case is very
much tho same. Tho celebrated foreign
ers. according to their own accounts.
are quito unacquainted with anything
that tho American press may write
about them Agnes Sorma said that she
did not intend to read any Of the crit
icisms OF her work until she started
homo on the steamer 1t didn't take "a
conversation of more than three min
utes to show that she had fairly ao-
curate knowledge of everything that
had been printed about her 1t must
have been some superior sort of clair
voyanee that is possible only TO the ar
tistic temperament, for hadn't she said
that none Of them would be read until
she had got on tho steamer to go TO Eu.
roper Sarah Bernhardt has them all
translated to her and accompanies the
performance with more or less emphatic
reflections on tho intelligence of the
writers who do not agree with her own
ideas Of what she does 1t is said that
the atmosphere of tho Hoffman House
was heavily charged with birthstone for
several days after Nine Sarah had the
New York accounts of her performance
VI Magda read aloud to her i'll Eng
Ish When the American actors read
lnfavorable accounts of themselves,
they are always able TO tell how they
came TO be written There is always
some specific cause for everything unfa-
vorable Either they snubbed the writer
accidentally or said something disagree
able about him to one of his friends.
There is never any explanation beyond
their bold truthfulness for the tiattering
notices that appear New York Sun
Natures Rattleboxes.
Near New Brunswick, N j., says