The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-04
BRAINS OR BEAUTY.
POSSIBILITIES OF a FEMININE CY-
RANO DE BERGERAE.

Gilbert Say That No Author, Mana
ger or Actress Would he Brave
Enough to Present the Public
With "A HideOus HerOfne-Miss Ju.
Tia Arthur and Mime. JaunaschecE
Predict an Early Appearance
and Great Success for the Charac-
ter That Depends Upon Psychic
Vaccinations Alone.
New York Dec. Am inquiring person
vious method of asking stage beauties and
! stage geniuses themselves which as most
potent on the stage, beauty or brains
| They were women, of course, some in the
heyday of successful charm, others look
ing backward down long triumphant Wis
tas, young women and women not Sc
young, yet all well known to the whole
world of Notwithstanding play-goers.
First the inquiring person talked with
Miss Annie Russell, notable and gra-
cious stage beauty, whose physical love
illness is yet subordinate to her art Look
ing at her, it is easy to comprehend how
she took London's collective heart by
storm
Peering star-wise from beneath her cloud
of silken hair, she smiled and said: That
is hard question-very hard. I think no
one can say exactly which is the greater
help in stage career, beauty or brains"
Speaking numerically would you say
the beauties have it?'" the inquiring per-
son murmured.
Miss Russell shook her head, but said
meditatively: That is another thing
about which no one can dogmatize. Of
course, a much-vaunted beauty viii draw
the crowd-all the more certainly if the
beauty be backed with a degree of piq-
uant notoriety. But the genius-the wo-
man to whom the multitude is great
harp, strung with its own heart strings
she too can pack the playhouse, and keep
on packing it when the beauty is dead or
forgotten"
"Still-for immediate results, don't you
think beauty wins hands DOWN. asked
the icGuirer
Miss Russell nodded Hands down."
she repeated. but only in certain way.
Stage people, you understand, are chosen
first of all to look the part. Managers oft
en- learn painfully that nature makes
dreadful misits-Who are still worse mis-
fits on the stage. Right here lies beau
tvs greatest hold. EIeroines are all sup
posed to be Observation-Disclosures they could
not be heroines. NO" shaking her head,
81 do not blame managers for that.
"Since beauty is SO nearly the trump
card of entry, it is likely we snail ever
see a hideous heroine?" was the next
query.
Miss Russell smiled. "a feminine Cyr-
ano? Mo- this most decidedly. Sex
makes a worlds difference in the matter
of faces. Ugliuess in a man is character
in woman it is-simply ugliness."
Il have been heart sick when my stage
career was beginning, to find myself spok-
en- of as one of the stage beauties Per-
haps it is che memory of it which gives
me so great a sympathy with Mary An-
derson. 1t stngs to have people say, as
some of them do, %! she can't possibly
act-she is too handsome A player is
quick to feel such a mental attltude-there
is a subtle rapport between the two sides
of the footlights. 1 love to recall Peg
Wofhngton-I think she would be even
greater in our own time, for in her, beau
ty and genius were allied Like perfect
music unto noble words "
Beauties Plenty, Geniuses Few.
After Miss Russell, hear Miss Julia Ar
thur, young, very beautiful, reckoned
genius and enormously successful. For
a person so gifted she is singuary judi
cial. Asked to choose between beauty and
genius, she said: Il must qualify what
| have to say. Talent, skill even, are so
often paraded as genius, the term which
so few merit has almost lost its uistinc-
ton Happy the woman to whom nature
gives two such great giftsi If forced 20
choose only one of them. l would unhes-
tatingly declare for genius. There are
many reasons for such a chOice-one alone
would suffice. Beauty does not last
"Sul., as always, much might. be said
on the other side" the querist interposed.
Miss Arthur would not have it so. 1.-The
geniuses are so few she persisted Beau
ties are plenty"
You must admit. though. that beauty.
or even singularly seems to draw audi
ences equally as we'll as genius Re
member Yvette Guiibert. who had only sin.
gularity; Otero, Anna Held and the rest"
"Of course, they coined money! Miss
Arthur broke in. There win always be
audiences easily charmed by beauty. or
swayed by curiosity as to the latest SEN
sation on the boards. In many cases.
too, the spell of beauty has disarmed the
critics. Still I contend that the increment |
of genius both in fame and money is
greater and better worth having. 1 am
servation contradicts it-that the public |
of our time is ready to reward beauty. |
and lct genius starve in a garrett. In |
the main. l think the public cannot be |
charged With neg.ecting anybody whose |
art has roved its worthiness. Its ear
is quickly attentive to the ring of true |
metal once that is heard there is a ouicl, |
and growing echo of applause"
Nov about Cushman and Mary Ander. |
SON." the querist began. Miss Arthur cut |
it short. Beauty may embellish a wo- |
man; art makes an actress" she said. |
Yes, we might have a feminine Cyrano. |
The dramatist brave enough to create her |
will find, certainly an artistic brave |
enough to realize her. Remember Char |
lotte Cushman; she is most vvidly remem- |
bered IS Meg Merriles. She made fame |
and money by it; yet few actresses. ever
distigured themselves more than she did |
to fulfill her own conception of the Scotch |
evhil. And Mary Anderson, DESPITE the |
fun sD-eudor Of her youthful beauty. was |
willing TO be, for the sake Of art the dis
heveled bag of Derncleugh. Both were in
e a.,F-