The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-01-05
THEIR QUEER WAY.
ACTORS AND SINGERS AND THEIR
REMARKS ON THE CRITIC.

Gallons Indifference or Ignorance the Com.
monest Refuge Of the Artistic Nature.
Several Cases Cited by the Innocent Re-
porter.
There are many amusing things
about the artistic temperament" said
the innocent reporter, ''but you have to
know the disposition in order to tell
how funny they really are. You must
know enough not to believe them al
ways and then through all your inter
course with the professionals there will
flow an accompaniment of easy humor
that gives acquaintance with these per
sons an added pleasure. One charming
incident of this can always he found in
their views Of what the newspapers say
about them. Mrs. James Brown Potter
is the only woman l ever saw who
talked frankly about that subject.
$50 long as they don't ignore me-
she said, I don't care what they write.
Let them say anything so long as they
say it, but it would be horrible to be
left alone
THAT was a very truthful statement
Of her own opinions and almost un-
paralleled in its %frankness. Everybody
knows that Mrs. Potter has never had
very much to thank the newspapers for
that was really pleasant, but she had
plenty to be grateful for as long as she
was willing they should print anything
if it kept her in the public eye.
Almost as genuine was a young
American singer who came back here
after she had made a debut and some
little reputation in Europe. She was a
pretty woman and she had a good voice,
but she was unfortunate. Once she had
a sore throat and another time she was
out Of condition for some other reason.
At all events she was never in condi-
tion to do herself justice. So there was
nothing pleasant that, even with the
klndest intentions, the newspapers could
say about the young oma One night
toward the close Of the season she was
IN a grand tier box at the opera house.
During one of the entr'actes she was
walking about the foyer with a friend,
and halted in front Of the greenroom.
What is that room:' her friend asked.
Planting herself deliberately in
front of the partly opened curtains, she
said in q voice audible to every man in
the room. oh. that is the place they
so to write, in the most disagreeable
way they can. the most diSagreeable
things they can think of about you.'
The younger singer was unjust, but she
had no false vanity. She was willing to
h,,-A - 1~~Sr-, %In$ che ~0nl s-I,t tl~
newspapers said about her. Her more
illustrious colleagues are not always sc
willing TO admit that.
II have heard Mile. Calve protes,
that she never saw any newspaper bu'
the Paris Figaro, and declare that shf
really had not the slightest idea wha'
New York papers wrote about her. Sh'
said this ne day while waiting outside
CT Maurice Grau's office at the Metro
politan, and then turning suddenly II
a reporter standing near her asked If h
was the man that wrote she had signe(
q contract to give some concerts a
1900 night when she was really t
receive 50, 900. The man did not IN
derstand French, SO Mile. Calves Gem
panion translated the question int,
English. The nan replied that he rep
resented another newspaper, and whel
she turned this into French fer Mile
Calve she mentioned the name Of tn
newspaper from which she had ha'
translated the d~readfully erroneou
paragraph which had led the public t
believe that Mile. Calve had consente'
10 take $500 less than she was to get.
Mime. EameS has al indicated in
difference for what the newspapers sa
which is sometimes a little bit Difficult
to reconcile with her intimate knowl
edge Of what they publish about her
Nine. Melba is also familiar wit
them, and she is a little less averse t
having that fact known than Nine
Eanes is. 1t is well known that Nine
Nordica takes her press clippings wit.
her coffee, and she makes no bones Q
1t. Jean de Reszke is a regular reade
Of what the newspapers have to sa.
about him, and, whatever he may thinl
about it in reality, he never, but in Oh
instance. took any notice Of it. Plancol
enjoys reading the agreeable thing
that are written about him and doesn'
care who knows it. Only the wome.
profess to be wholly ignorant Of wha
the newspapers write.
with the actresses the case is YER
much the same. The celebrated foreign
ers, according to their own accounts
are quite ~unacquainted with anythin
that the American press may writ
about them. Agnes SOrma said that ST
did not intend 70 read any Of the cri1
icisms Of her work until she starte
home On the steamer. 1t didn't take
conversation of more than three min
utes to show that she had a fairly &C
curate knowledge Of everything tha
had been printed about her. 1t mus
have been some superior sort OF clail
voyance that is possible only to the al
tistic temperament, for hadn't she sal
that none of them would be read unit
she had got On the steamer to 90 to Eu
rope: Sarah Bernhardt has them al
translated to her and accompanies tn
performance with more or less emphati
reflections on the intelligence Of tn
writers who do not agree with her OW,