The sun., 1902-01-26
MILE. MARS AGAIN TALKED OF
TIE FANOUS FRENCH ACTRESS
THE HEROINE or 4 NEW PLAY.
Brilliant Career OF the Woman Whom Mrs.
Langtry Is 20 Impers sonate--Hcr Pop
ularity During the First EmpIre-Tsi.
ents and Caprices That Gayc Her Fame.


ents and Caprices That Gave Her Fame.
Once more the world Is talking OF Made
moiselle Mars, the famous French actress
OF the First Empire. She is the heroine
Of Mrs. Langtry's new play, and no money
has been spared in the effort to reproduce
the opulent luxury OF the French womans
life and the dramatic interest OF her career.
The play has been magnifcently staged,
the costumes are gorgeous and Mrs. Lang
| try's own gowns are a marvel even In this
day Of theatrical extravaganza; yet. with
| all this even so handsome a woman as the
Jersey Lily will do but scant justice to the
beauty and charm Of Mademoisele Mars,
and less justice to her genius.
Memoirs, letters. histories all sing but
one song when they treat Of the beauty
and genus Of Mademoselle Mars. As TO
her character the dull writer's pass 1t by
hastily, and the memoirs that are not too
serious are full OF shrugs. but the shrugs
are good natured. The moralsts who
] did not approve Of Mademoiselle Mars
could not find it In their hearts TO de-
nounce her enthusiastically.
Even In the ranks Of her profession and
among would-be rivals, she has few enc
mics. and the managers whose hair she
Nuibtuod ny ntI ODHlHldCy anu caprice
adored her. Her life for thirty years
was one long triumph and at the age Of
90, two years before her death, she created
the role of MddemoiseNe dc Belle Isle, in
Dumas's play, with success as merted
! and unqualified as any stage triumph Of
her early years.
The fame, the power, the wealth, even
the beauty came with the summer Of her
life. A critic of the time said truly that,
as usual, there was little promise in Mars.
jacques Boutel, a clever actor known to
the stage as Monvel, was the child's father.
Jeanne Marie Salvetat, her mother, was
an actress celebrated more for beauty
than for talent.
Marvel gayly married for money and
reformed. Jeanne, known as Nine. Mars.
took care Of the little Anne FRANCHISE Hin.
polyte, and Valville, an old actor and friend
trained the child for the stage. Later |
Mademoiselle Mars reversed the order of |
things and kept both her mother and VAL |
vile in royal luxury until they died.
The little Mademoiselle Mars played child |
roles at a Versailles theatre when she was l3, |
and did not cover herself with glory or |
figure as an infant phenomenon. Grad
uallv she slipped from Versailles to the
Theatre de la Republique, and then TO the
Comedie FRANCHISE.
She was only Is when she began PLAYING
ingenue at the Coincide: and, though sensi-
tive and intelligent, was far from attrac-
tive. One of her fellow actors said she |
looked like a little shop girl going TO mass
on Sunday morning-and she did
She was painfully thin, timid. awkward,
badly dressed and held herself atrociously.
IL is hard to believe Six years later she
was called the most beautiful and fascinat-
ing woman In France, and her superb bear
ing, her beauty, her inimitable art In dress,
insured her salvos of applause from any
audience, even before she opened her mouth.
The shy. awkward child found friends.
Mademoiselle Contat. then at the height of
her successful career, took her In hand and
provided her own successor. When
MademoiSelle Mars was % she made her
first hij in "LIpee de rAbbe.' Oddly
enough. this first success Of the actress,
whose voice became famed through all Eu-
rope was made In the role Of deaf mute.
That vast he beginning Of uninterrupted
success. From ingenue roles she passed
TO the young lover roles. then 10 the young
coQuettes, then to what French tradition
calls the great coquettes, the women of
classic French comedy.
II was there that Mademo'selle Mars was
M her best She had grace. refinement,
delicacy. She never lost touch Of the
freshness, the modest discretion Of her |
ingeuue DAYS. vet TO those rare qualities sha
added wit, daring, pois. Intelligence beyond
criticism.
She threw away nrtiicialtv aud arecta-
tion and taught France what natural and
simple comedy wor" She di for French |
classic comedy what Rachel dId for tragedy
put new life into It- vel and saved u :
for fIo nation.
Size was famous, u.t - much for grand
p..-.uu a. fIr rare ta-.a and Distinction.
sill -he held ont her hand 10 M" sD-cailcd
modern draWHfI.fH and mHtH hlt Ia t ,
Ilug.'s bona soI, and iu q uH-' 'le r"yp-
luupn7rv romantic PLAYS L. fart she
made a rIcot-- q many play not worth
staging
Hrr q f.HIblty and versatility were phe-
How.Ual and she never gave zap what she
hell boo reaching Tor more. u the end
fH|4k F|IF t||I TU| IA
PERFECTION Geo be- ehved by any of the
younger HUirHrs.s-.
Of raur-n wealth rained upon her Half
the great usu of Europe made love 90 hsf |
ST. had her arHepied lovers. b.. ,h" chn,.,
them fYr affection, not Zoe wealth, aud .ua
was up incident NautuU ItaIfIrf raIi
ilrf uu ihr stag" and ~ tYr rtigo her
Iuu-r prom lun"rd chara, ,t'u-tl" vac 'au
raYuI-.fr drsaurv Judg-i boz th. code
~ l.r r."ta aud time tuht sas true Al.
NAV have is'ru immoral Nhr vac mover
,4lHif ,
u,r I.u-. lu tho -. lasaro was o.,
flt."I r"rr "' au N.H NHIns and s.f
m IH.H l..I irfrr N.I. rtl.Ir -.r ,
.Is.U. u.... N.. uHI.I. .Hf lIrUr 90.
D.. H....a5 auI "-',l'ar.u 900 hrr 'u''I.
bib. aar the mp-' ,s.H-r,'s r.vnri
n s.Ha. . rs.- TO- i.HH.ul. 5000 f'..
s s.. ...... U..|.H..
u... sHt uI.F I...|a.t u Co..
U. ... 900 ....r. a.| ... f..f aH.
900. ..H.. ID H.I .|#|...H I.. rp"
s. .. N" r.. 600 F.r.| aUI ..
ra. . UHIHI.s I..t.f t. B.
.... . Hu... #.I .I.. Obj. .
I .. aII.a.a. laI. H.
... .. uH ' ~. tI.I b.
r... .. n.u r. ,.I.. .... .
...l ... ..-. ,..... Hs. 0.. ,-.a.
- ltH. a