The record-union., 1899-11-05

one of her favorite roles She had re-
tired for some years from the stage,
and had in the meantime grown stout
and unwieldy, so that when, in obedf-'
ence to stage directions, in the second
act she cast herself upon the stage, it
was found she could not-rise unassist-
ed, whereupon two tall Covent Garden
fiunkeys, with powdered hair and plush
breeches, stepped upon the stage and
helped her to her feet, but so impress
sive and sincere had been her acting
that the incident passed off without
producing even a litter in the absorbed
audience.
Cora Urquhart Potter, who took one
of the leading roles in "The Ghetto"
on it's recent production in London,
and had her artistic spirit chastened
by the discovery that her r1uch
! fought against changes in the drama
had ruined it, has probably travelled
more than any other actress on the
boards. She has been around the
world four times and has picked up,
mostly by accident, enough piunder
| in the shape of curios to furnish three
or four houses 1t seems to be the
fetching Oriental custom to shower
stage favorites with lo9ely things and
as a result Mrs. Pottcr's London
house is crammed from cellar TO attic
with knicknacks. Each has it's history
and calls to mind some memory of the
past Among the Indian collection
are to be found no less than sixteen
watches. These chronometers repre-
tho &c Cf CT
ent rajahs. Evidently rajahs have a
peculiar weakness for watches. But
possibly the most interesting, or, at
any rate, the most grewsome item of
this numerous collection is sword.
While in China Mrs. Potter received
an invitation to attend the execution
of some dozen or more pirates, known
as the Nemour pirates. The invita-
ton was naturally refused, but her
would -be-host, hearing that that very
day was Mrs. Potters birthday, sent
the sword that had been Instrumental
in performing the terrible deed as a
birthday present. Strange to say, the
sender of this extraordinary present
not long afterward bequeathed to Mrs.
Potter the pistol with which he put
an end to his own existence. Of
course Mrs. Potter possesses photo
graphs of almost every place of note
in the world. and a silver spoon, with
the arms of the town, marks every
theatrical oasis in which Mrs. Potter
has performed. This collection is
somewhat extensive, considering that
she has played in every English
speaking town of any Importance in
the world. Mrs. Potter is a great low
er of dogs and has a special weakness
for the scenery Of New Zealand
From the London Leader: The Ger
man Emperor is said to contemplate
increasing his grant to the Berlin OPP
era-house from 5000 to $4,000 a
year. 1t is rather unkind of a corre-
spondent Immediately to add the in
formation that the Emperor has COM
pleted two new operatic works of his
own, at critical appreciation of which
Berliners who know what is and what
is not leze-majeSty will no doubt nave
an opportunity of arriving. When he
has paid over his f5O0OO the German
Emperor will share with his brother OF
Austria the honor Of being the most
munificent of royal patrons. The En-
peror Francis Joseph has for many
years contributed f5O,O00 to the opera
house and Burgtheater in Vienna The
Car is erratic in his favors. The Re-
gent of Bavaria gives t30OOO year.
and the King of Saxony slightly less
In Paris there is a subvention OF t5z,-
600. Beside these princely grants, the
less said about England's contribution
to the highest musical art the better.
A curious story comes from Paris OF
a quarrel between two actresses at the
Ambigu. 1t seems that a young player
named Regime Martial became Hereby
Jealous of one of her comrades, but con-
cealed her resentment, and tried with
all her powers to attach herself to her
rival. so that when one day the latter
complained Of a sick headache Mile.
Martial instantly offered her some
cachets which could not fail to work
an instantaneous cure. The sick actress
accepted but did not swallow them, ana
on examination they were found to con-
tain many queer ingredients, fish
hooks being one of the component parts
Mile. Martial was arrested and was kept
in prison for some months, her case
perts in mental diseases. who have pro-
nounced her insane, and she Will now
he sent to an asylum. A strange side
of the affair is that previously nobody
had ever noticed anything peculiar
about her conduct.
Among the scenes Of the stage YER
sion of Ben Hur'' which are likely to
be effective may be mentioned the
Mount of Olives, with a view of Jeru-
salem, and the first scene Of all, which
represents the desert by night, with
the wise men following the star.
In 1900 the Theater Farncais will de-
pend on a production of Sardou's
..Patrie,'' which has had two hearings
in America. Sardou himself considers
the heroine the only really naughty
woman he ever put in the center of a
drama He once said of her: "Doloris
often haunts my sleep to reproach me
for making her SO wicked"
Fred Russell, the man who looks like
Mansfield, is playing with Sothern this
season. His wife, Minna Terry, is also
in New York.
Lifts production of ''The Great
Ruby" did not arouse the enthusiasm
of Chicago critics.
Kyrle Bellew has written a four-aet
play on the defeat of old age by youth
in the race for life.