The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-14
N LOVE- WITH AMERICA
MARGUERITE SYLVIA. TALKS OF
HER ART AND OF HER
YOUTH
HOW SHE ESCAPED MARRIAGE
Turned Down the sPrim Young Man
Selected by Her Parents
How They. Court in
Europe

A haH hours chat with a really pretty
woman Is interesting. A half hours chat
with really pretty woman who has
ideas and who foBgetS herself entirely
in explaining those IDEAS is what the
souIful young person would cali "just
aWlully interesting" Miss Marguerite
sylvia, who Is so satisfying Princess
Chlc, is very pretty woman, and she
has ideas. For instance, she thinks
book written by an actress or an actor
concerning stage life, the life of the,
dressing room and the wings, would be-
a success, and would surprise that part
OF the world known as the audience. 1T
/ could only write" said Miss: sylvia,
gazing pensively at the toe of a tiny
white satin slipper, Il would begin such
hook right away
Stage beauties are not always beauties
off the stage, but Miss Sylvia is decidedly
much prettier away from the glare of the
footlights than she is behind them. In
fact there wasn't a suggestion of the
stage about this talented young woman.
yesterday afternoon as, clad in pale PINK
neghgee, she leaned back in a big arm
chair and chatted about many things
She acknowledges Belgium as her birth
place, but her manners and her accent
are Partisan. A mobile face, with large
and wonderfully expressive eyes, are not
the least of Miss Sylva's charms, but she
has a rarer charm in the absolute sim
piicity, the utter lack of pose, expressed
in her manner and conversation.
1t argues Well for Miss SylVa's future
success, this naturalness and earneStness,
for as a rule the person who poses is not
the person who arrives, and this young
prima donna intends to arrive
''Do you know" she contided smilingly
yesterday, that six years ago L could
not speak one word of your language? l
was twenty then, living in Brussels with
my mother, and had very remote nope
of going on the stage. II. was like TINS,
she continued animatedly. 'All my life
have wanted to go on the stage When
I was a little girl I used to dress Up
and dance before the glass, and how
many quarrels 1 had with my sister pc
cause she would not play the part OF the
lover or the villain in my play. But
the stage seemed out Of the question, my
mother was CaNinist. my father was a
Roman Catholic. Both had horror of
the stage Well, they decided when l
was nineteen or twenty that was Of
a suitable age to get married. young
man was found.
"It is not nice" observed Miss Sylvia,
refectively, Ito be engaged on the CONT
nent. You see, the young man two or
three times, perhaps. If the dot is all
right he proposes, perhaps. Then he
calls. Oh, such dreary calls The young
man and his ffanceea sit en- a settee, per-
haps. In front ofEthem is the mother
or the chaperon. She never leaves the
room.
I was engaged ten days then. ]. made g.
firm determination, and, as result, my
mother took me to London to study, and
1 was soon on the stage. My first visit
to this country was with Beerbohm Tree.
was to have played a lead
ing part with his company. but my
knowledge of English was too slight to
venture on any but the smallest parts.
Your language seemed so difficult
used to learn phrases and sentences out
of books and use these whens.I. talked,
but l imagine the. effect was funny. L
used Ito tell pathetic "lfttle@ stories, but
instead Of making people look sad they
would seem convufsed with. mirth, so,
knew 1 hadn't mastered the language!
However," continued Miss Sylvia, %tri-
umphantly, 81 kept on, and, now think
have succeededs AT Aany rate, /. have
told two or three sad ;steries lately, and.
the people haven't laughed"
What work do I like best on the stage?
I like to be a sOubrette. 1 love a part
that is adj anima ton and life. The
Princess Chic-she Is almost too dignified.
One; has to be SO proper as a prima
DONNA Now it's lots more fun to jump
around on the stage and enjoy oneself.
You. see, L haven't been a -prima donna
very long, and am not quite used. to it
yet. There is one part in the Princess
Chic that affords plenty of opportunity
for action, and that is the fencing cpl
sOde.- l love it, butaone has to be very
careful, too. The other night L neglected
to guard and cut my hand. However I
managed to. retain cheld of the sword so
I don't think any one noticed the acct
dent.
Am 1 homesick for Europe and my
home@ Mo, indeed. l love America. If
American girls only realized what good
times they have here L ann sure they
would appreciate their country more
Abroad, especially on the continent a
girl is kept in strict seclusion until she
is of a marriageatIe age. Then she is
introduced to the world, but always I'M
der the wing of her mother. She is on
parade, as it Were until husband is
found for her. If a girl really compre-
hended it all, the uiadignified bidding of
Sllitors, as it were, she would be dread
fully unhappy. But of course she thinks
only. of the novelty and the gayety' of
it ALL and she has been brought up in
| such strict obedience to her parents that
when a, man is selected for her she very
seldom dreams of refusing No. Amer
lea Is the best place to live in But we
learn some things IN the old country
that you do not learn here. Can you do
this?''
This was bit of hemstitching done by
hand, the stitches fine and even.
I'VE learn to do that kind Of work at
the girls make beautiful things. This is
not so very well done. 's.,35 g. $50 -
The pretty head bent over the sewing
and examined it attentiNely. IL was a
picture far more suggestive of the do
nestle life than the stage life, but it
was a charming picture in spite of that
or because of it. %! - aa-zs-Ea7
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