The news & observer., 1897-02-07
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New York, Jan. 2I.-There is an un-
doubted lack of pride in the average
American ] don't mean lack of per-
sonal pride, or, to put it palmer, lack OF
pride in himse; but there is lack of
pride in himself, but there is lack of
lean. When he gets rich, the average
American talks about the Alps, tells you
the exact height of the most wonderful
ptak. fingers over the dangers of climb
ing. and never troubles himself to remem-
Der there are, out in Colorado, great
mountains and deep valleys, in any one
of which the entire Alps could be hidden
away like Christmas gift in a stocking.
He talks about the balmy a riof Italy,
forgetting Florida and California; and
then he is, in addition to being unpatri-
otic. too often unfaithful--I mean un-
faithful to his public idols. The whole
English nation, notwithstanding he is
out of power and is an old man, worships
the great statesman William Ewart
Gladstone, and recognizes his powerful
brain while claiming him as its own.
With the average American age kills
public favorite. The fact that his mind
may not, perhaps, be at its best blots out
the great mental deeds that were the chill
dren of his brain, and statesmen and
writers and painters and actors are
spoken of as belonging to the past as soon
as their years are many. The average
American is not only tickle, but migrate
full The actress of yesterday did great
work. but is, to-day, beginning to show
some wrinkles on her face, the result of
giving to an ungrateful public the best
of her life, physically and mentally; and
the very public that threw roses to her
Yesterday, to-day looks through magni-
fying glass, sees only her wrinkles, for
gets the good acting, shrugs its shoulders,
and says: "She's growing old: ] don't
want to see her act any more" len to
one she is better actress than ever be-
fore. ''No woman under forty can play
juliet as it should be played; and yet, no
woman over forty can absolutely look the
part: which will you have, art without
beauty, or beauty without art?" Mary
Anderson knew her own people. When
she was at her best, when she was really
acting we'll, something she did not al
ways do, when she was handsomest, and
when she was most popular. she bowed
goodbye to the tickle American public
and gracefully retired.
The English look with delight at dig
nifed old lady and say: "That is our
Mrs Dash, who was great beauty and
great artist, and we must always
have the hand of applause for her"
France is giving it's recognition, its ap-
plause, its crown of honor, to great art
list who is over fifty, and grandmother.
Would the American public do that? Ger
tainly not No matter how great was the
art, there would be hundreds that would
forget all about it, and simply remember
the years and the grandchild, refusing to
think even of good work that had been
offered to it. The writer of yesterday is
spoken of to-day as a man who in his
time worked well, but now does nothing
but poor work. There are no thanks given
for that which did entertain, and the eff
fort made by age to still interest is not
appreciated. My friend, you know that
am telling the ruth.
And what do you suppose evoked it?
The seeing a woman who is now more
beautiful than ever she was before; who
is singing better than ever she did be-
fore; who is greeted by thousands with
applause; and that woman is-Lillian
Russell Clever woman who knows her
public. If she were an English woman,
or a French woman, she would be held
up by the nation to which she belonged
as the most beautiful woman of the
day, and there would be special pride felt
by each person who saw her in having
been born in the same county. The
French to-day have few beautiful women,
but they pick out the one or two who
have the greatest claim to beauty and
elevate them, and talk about them, and
have pictures of them broadcast; and if
you or | happen to admire one Of them,
a French man or woman quickly assures
you Of her French birth, and expresses
national pride in her. When Mrs.
Iangtry, was at the height of her beauty
the bobby at the corner, the driver on
the bus, as well as the men and women
iI all the other classes of life, eagerly
claimed her good looks as English-and
so they were very distinctly. But we ac-
cept the beauty of Lillian RUSSELL in the
Same careless way that we do our peach
es, our oranges, our grapes, our melons,
our magnolias, jessamines or roses. It's
all right And yet, for nation to have
one beautiful woman in century means
a great deal At the play the other night
cOuIu UOC DuJ lOOh Ut Tie lace Oh LII
liam Russell. 1t is absolutely perfect.
And, unlike most perfect faces, it pos
sesses that great charm Of showing the
varying moods. The smile is dimpled:
the sympathetic look has that droop of
the eyelids that make it really sympa-
thetic; while the seornful expression has
the curl of the lip that at once makes
you see how perfect the lip is, and which
tells the story Of the emotion felt at the
time.
/ like to look at the beautiful woman,
as l like to look at the beautiful picture;
and after looking at beautiful woman l
invariably go to one Of the big libraries
get those rare and valuable books in
which are the pictures of great beauties.
as well as their histories, and / discover
which historical beauty the beauty of to-
day is like.
1t didn't take very long to find the two
women whom Lillian Russell most resen-
la Valliere and Nine. Reca-
mier Her eyes-those deep blue eyes
that are almost brown--are exactly the
shape of the eyes Of the loving and low