The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-31
NINE. SARAH BERNHARDT
ON LECTURE PLATFORM
She Says the Latin Races Are Least
Fond Of the Theater.

Fond Of the Theater.
Nine. Sarah Bernhard has been
coming out in q new role. The great
actress has been delivering lecture
at Geneva on 1.-THE Theater and It's
Influence" and certainly as few are
qualified to treat Of this very inter
esting subject as she is. Reading
from large sheets of blue paper, on
which the text was inscribed, she held
her audience spellbound for more than
an hour. Nine. Sarah Bernhardt en-
tertains no apprehensions with regard
to the decline of the dramatic art,
which, in her opinion, despite the eff
forts of certain people to lower it, re-
mains living, vibrating, poetic, en-
chanting and instructive"
The theater she compares to ka-
leidoscope, which presents to an at
tentive public the cowardice, crimes,
vices and flaws of mankind, the err
rors Of civilization, and the ridiculous
side of society, and in this movement
of rotation, which shows the evil and
it's causes, the spectator, after the con-
clusion Of the drama or comedy, often
remains MISREPRESENTATION, and will
profit by the lesson" The theater, in
deed, is "a temple in which the adopts
keep the sacred fire of art In all Its
forms and manifestations, of art,
the most powerful production of hui
man genius, the most sublime dem
onstration of the goodness of the Gre
ator." And Nine. Sarah Bernhard
continued, "as for me, I am a pas
sionate lover of the arts. but of them
all the theater is the one which l pre-
fer, az it combines them all. Paint
ing, sculpture, and music are it's col
Iaborators." 1t is indeed, "a need of
Ia h1IYoo m "a
ing"
Yet, oddly enough, as she declares,
"the Latin races are the least fond of
the theater, although it is they who
are fighting against it's decadence.
To France she accords the palm, as re-
naming "the first in literary work"
yet "the French public goes, but does
not run, to the theater." What is the
reason Of this?
The attention of the public has been
led astray with what is termed "the
new theater." the realistic, the nat
uralistic theater, and even lie Thea
tire Rosse," but of that one, If you
will allow me, we shall not speak. The
affectation of it's title alone shows its
taste for scandal. 1t appeals to the
worst and lowest passions. Those who
do such work are not real literary
men, but failures Fortunately their
die of the effects of their own poison.
For the true dramatic authors, Nine.
Sarah Bernhard has the highest
praise. The true theater has a moral
izing influence, nor, indeed, does she
perceive any objection to religious
subjects being placed on the stage,
as there is no greater disseminator Of
ideas. Take the case of the "Samari-
tame
The day of the first performance
was one of emotion never to be for
gotten. Christian love filled the place
with infinite pure joy. Tears flowed
benefciently. 1 felt myself transport
ed as uttered beautiful words and
hearts beat in my heart. I wept with
tears devoid of salt and bitterness,
with those pure tears which cleanse,
wash away, and drown forever the
dross of our souls and of our lives,
which are, alas! too long for the evil
which we do, too short for the good
which we should like to accomplish.
Such are the salient features of an
eloquent and instructive lecture which,
as need scarcely be added, was a rare
treat to it's hearers.-London Tele-
graph.