The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-11-28

Miss Edna Earle Iindon, the leaU-hs
lady In the Baldwin-Melville company
which closed its successful engagement
here last might is one of those rare
Young women whose delightfully."- rem
dnfne personality has the power of sway
ing her audiences. Her sincere and nom
est work made a welcome for her thap
was both personal and enthusiastic she
is DELIGHTFULLY."- natural and convincing
and brings dnto her characters a sympa-
thetic and agreeable personality She
is a young Chicago girl, and the only
child of distinguished parents Her stage
career began when she was a winsone
child. Her first appearance was with
Janauschek She has been well edu-
Gated, and as soon as her school days
were over she made the stage her pre-
fesslon. Since then she has been con-
tinuously before the public. Last sea-
son she was the heading lady In the
Cummings Stock company that played
a greater part of the season I'm Louis
Vile.
She has essayed many charming roles,
and has made voluntary captive OF
every one Of her hearers. She is as de-
Hghtful off the stage as on. Her pretty,
girlish face and figure lend additional
interest to her overflowirg good nature.
She is bright in conversation and has
delicate vein of humor that is irresist-
BILE She has lovely dark eyes and
wealth of golden brown hair. Her favor
lite role is that of Hazel Kfrke."
When knocked at the stage door one
evening of the past week, 1 found her
reading Hall Gaines Christian" so I
judge from this she prefers realism ito
literature. She likes silver toilet things
and silk lined clothes. Her dressing rom
was fragrant with the odor of violets.
Miss Linden is by far the cleveresft
young leading lady that has been seen
in Birmingham this season.
"Athaae,' the tragedy by Jean Racine,
that is to be presented next wesk at
Cambridge by the department of French
of Harvard univel sity, was first written
for the Demoisel1e de Saint Cyr at this
request of Nine. de Maintenon and was
first acted by them in the blue room in
1919. The story of how the tragedy
cams to be written is told as follows:
In "Athalie" Racine has gone as he
had gone once before in the composi ton
of Esther, straight to the Scriptures for
a subject. He had received a college
education, whiih had left it's lasting
mark upon his character, and while the
nobler methods of Carneille had at
tracted him, yi,t as years drew on, Ra-
cine's early bent manifested itsef. The
religious strain in him led him to a new
view of antiquity, and the result was
that mingllng of Christian sentiment
and of pagan fatality which makes the
character OF "Phedre unique in
dramatic literature. But once "Phedre"
was composed and performed and sue
cessful Racine Withdrew from the
stage. Henosfoft'h he waste have no
more to do with 1t, and to give UP his life
to what he ard his former preceptors be-
1ieved. So far a number of years Ra-
cine's work consisted in writing day af-
ter day history of the deeds of Louis
XIV, assisted in this great work by
Boileau, the grsat poet of the day.
Then he was called to the stage by a
somewhat fortunate circumstance.
Louis XIV. had married Nine. Main
tenon, widow of the great Searron, Who
without title of queen of France, was
more queen than her predecessor She
had taught in her youth, and she loved