Evening journal., 1898-11-23
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
HIGH ART CD ON THE VARIETY
STAGE.

To the Editor OF the Evening Journal.
Sir: Once again there has fluttered be-
fore The footlights Of philadelphia
variety theatre that attenuated and
1rail--we say Irall' adEisedly-speci-
men Of femininlty-the Baroness"
Blanc. nee Riegel, nee Nicholson, a
woman whose matrimonial escapades
md liaisons constitute the only excuse
she possesses for forcing herself upon
public notice and inficting an audience
with her meretricTOus agjilitiesT The pages
OF both Burke and Debrett are silent In
regard to this particular title; hence
we presume it belongs-if, indeed,
there can be such title extant-to the
land Of schweitzer and lager beer. AT
amy rate, II the title be genuine or
hall-marked dts escuUcheon, so far as
the Baroness" Blanc is concerned, is
decidedly not sans reproche, neither
will amy country become Jealous OF its
diminished lustre.
If our memory be correct, then the
Baroness-we may as well indulge her
with a title-was, some years ago,
thrust upon an indulgent public by the
chaperon-llke influence Of certain
monied admirers, men who mistook
that indulgent public for a fool ana
who, probably, exclaimed with THE Wis
ionary Colonel Sellers: There's mil
lions in NJ" But the aforesaid public
WAS not a fool, neither did the mil
lions materialize. After " brief So
1ourn in the realms OF comic opera the
star-~we refer TO the Baroness Blanc
fell. We would have said that this
planet fell with a great thud were It
mot that many persons might be in
clinsd to believe that this particular
star had never risen to an altitude suf-
tciently great for the sound of its
descent TO become palpab.e to the ear.
The repertoire OF the Baroness is
limited and suggestive. She pirouettes
about the stage very much after the
manner of one afflicted with muscular
rheumatism, and the equity gyraticne
indulged IN by her remind one OF the
nmaeurlsh efforts Of the village
maiden. The Baroness then sings. or
rather mutters. in a low and indstinct
soprano, something about ga widow
who Is Shy, but not too shy" Finally.
after further awkward and ungainly
terpsichorean attempts, the Baroness
takes the spectator into her confidence
and sings. or rather tells him, with in
Vulnerable sly winks, how someone or
other had said, when at gay Paree, E"
that "she couldn't do it'-but. of
course, she did" The refrain OF this
classic ditty is "but ! did" and It is
iteated with such persistency that the
spectator finds no difficulty in arriving
at the conclusion THAT she really did
d." The gilded and "dontcher know
brand OF youth laughs and the bald
headed man In tho front row grows
ecstatically and sl1ittishy idiotic. The
Baroness then goes on to impensonate
the female who had fingered a little
too long over the cup that cheers, and
who, though not owning the earth. u
imagined she did. But il the frequent
repetition OF the phrase but / did" is
any proof OF ownership, then this bibu.
lous female. as impersonated by the
Baroness Blanc. must have had large
proprietary interest in this mundane
earth OF ours.
The Baroness Blanc is more bias,
than OF yore. She now paints an incl
thick" where
In days OF old
When not so bod
the naturalness of youth and an air O
more or less refinement rsndered he
independent of such a base artihce
"oh what a falling off was there"
Take it for all in an, the Baroness
Blanbs performance induces sleep; Il
fact, il is the only known cure for in
somnia. But as the soporifc effcc
passes off the audience awakes only q
discover the Baroness still holding tn
stage, thereby imparting to the min
much the same feeling ais that expert
enced by the man who dreamed
dream of millions, only to awaken {
find THAT he possessed them-nit. We.
all this is strange, passing strange, 70
whilst the emanations of a Shakespear
are played TO empty benches the paint
ed and bleached nymph de pave, th
bedizened and bejeweled specimen {
a tattered and torn feminine moralit1
iaunts herself with brass-lil1e impl
denee--to the intense satisfaction,
not edifieation, of the callow, vacuor
youth and the man whose head
bankrupt and destitute Of the least hi
suite adornment.
We have not heard that it is II
laudable intention Of the Barone.
Blanc to endeavor 10 elevate the stal
owen, t1,, ,s,,fafrr lfooro W. 1,,~+o