The times., 1898-12-11
FRIENDS OF LAST WEEK.

In these much-abused days when the re-
quirements of high art seem to be chiefly
blatancy and artificiality nothing can be
more refreshing than the appearance of
so real an actress as Madame Modjeska.
Quite as much of the "old school as
were any of those celebrated players
whose names are now but household
words, this great Polish woman portrays
with keen realization of and strict
fidelity to nature that might teach vol
umes to these boys who go about the
country with naught but their legs and
their voices to commend them. Madame
Modjeska is so truly an artist that one
does not appreciate the full extent of her
art until after 1t is finished She draws
before one knows that he is being drawn
and holds while one ceases to care that
he is being held In brief. she seems to
live as she speaks the characters in her
repertoire and certainly feels for them.
The intelligence of her impersonations is
SO far paramount to their mere animal
power that this latter quality appears TO
have no existence save in the former.
Thus the most forceful of her climaxes
are builded so gradually. with so much of
the dramatic crescendo, that their effect
is the first thing felt. Madame Modjeska
reads as though she We're speaking from
her heart; she does not eSchew emotion,
but only makes 1t subservient to her DOM
mating mentality.
With age coming on apace and her de-
| tracing accent still unconquered the
| star gave to Washington last week with
all the verify of which anyone could be
capable, six of the most varied roles
! known to the stage-Ma gda. Mary Stu
| art Cleopatra, Camille. Rosafnd and
/ Lady Macbeth. In all of these the quail
! ties mentioned stood out in clear relief
| Still she was never the whole picture and
seldom its principal part being content
/ to merely take her share in what inva-
riably turned out to be a perfect PEI
| formance. There were roles In her rep
| ertoire in which was required so much of
| the animal instinct-so many vivid coloss
| and effects. that her modest and rather
hushed drawing seemed almost too refil-
| ed, and yet to these very characters she
| gave womaniiness and humanity ali
her own. In everything she did-in every
/ line she uttered-in every detail OF her
work-Afadame Modjeska was ali that
! could have been required. Hers was the
new labor of an old schoo,-a labor that
convinces one in his belief that after
| there is but one brand of true artist ana
| that she belongs in the brand.
| Not so very long ago-about two years,
when one gets down TO details-Walter
Jones created quite sensation in this
city with his clever impersonation of
\ John Philip Sousa. Last week another
Walter Jones in miniature came here in
the person of Franz Ebert and repeated
| the performance in the most delightful
fashion imaginable. Contrary 20 general
expectations. the little fellow made no
| attempt to burlesque his subject but
went gravely to work and accomplished
his end in praiseworthy manner. With
remarkable accuracy he reproduced every
| one of the great bandmaster-s character
Eistic movements and represented the ap-
| pearance of his original so cleverly that
| one might have faneed ones self merely
looking at Sousa through the large end OF
an opera glass. Mr.. Ebert received from
six to eight curtain calls on his work
nightly and his turn proved to be dis
tinctly the feature of the clever enter
tainment offered by the Liliputians-
| To the average man refinement Is so
essentially a part Of feminine nature that
| he locks for some degree of 1t, no mat
ter in what surroundings he may be.
Consequently there were probably few
people who saw the rough and rowdy act