The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-01
CHOICE OF A WIFE |
Maurice Maeterlinck scandalizes
All Europe.
HE WILL WED A PARIS sAPHo
The PHILOSOPHERS, SymboIist and Poet
Falls In Love With Georgette
Leblanc. 5sH "
New York Journal.

New York Journal.
Maurice Maeterlinck's latest announce
ment surprises both his admirers and his
critics.
1t is not the scene OF an categorical
play, nor the subject ola symbolic essay
with which he astounds them. 1t is his
choice of a wife,
Maurice Maeterlinck, called by his adj
mlrers the Belgian Shakspere, by his de-
tractors the incomprehensible mystic, has
fallen in love with a Partisan singer more
famous for her scandals than her art.
Georgette Leblanc, divine of figure,
beautiful of face, skilled in the art of in
trlgue,- has captivated the philosopher
VINO wrote: The inner life begins when
the soul becomes good, and not when the
intellect ripens."
Georgette Leblanc, who created in song
the role OF Sapho at the Opera Comique,
has won the heart of the symbolist who
said: THE vase wherein we should tend
the true wisdom is love and not reason
IN Paris the announcement that the Bel
glan dramatlst is to marry a flower whose
bloom, by every report, was brushed
away years ago, is greeted with wonder.
HIS friends, even after Maeterlinck
nlmsel mas circulated the news, declare
That such a man, a symbolist with won
derful style, philosopher with original
thoughts, poet endowed with genius,
dramatlst with no modern equal-such
man should mate only with woman OF
uncommon and marvellous attainments
10 lind him the proper partner they
would nave searched the courts of the
most powerful, the drawing-rooms of the
most arlstocratic, the literary circles of
the most wonderful. ~
Woman With u Past.
In answer to them all Maeterlinck
snrugs his shoulders and reports that the
vase wherein we should tend the true
WISDOM is love, and not reason
Georgette Leblanc has not the reputa-
ton OF being brilliant. She has never said
sentence that appreciative Paris cares
to repeat. She has lived nearly forty
years-as long as the distinguished dra-
matlst h1mself, who was born in 1862.
she has broken hearts without number,
but never a philosophers.
II Mr.. Maeterlinck is to be believed, she
mas the delicious womanly quality of not
being overweighted by brains. She is not
assertive and not opinionated. She is
deferentlal and easy of direction. She
has captivated always by her great
charms, never by her bon mots.
In the great philosophers eyes she is
endowed, possibly, with just the comfort
able qualities that caused Goethe to fall
IN love with his cook; with the sort of
discretion with which Heine's house
keeper won his heart; with the sympa-
thetic solfcitude of Rants chambermaid
with the tenderness Of Samuel Johnson's
Betsey.
Maeterlinck, like MANY sage before
him, disdeins woman with brains. He
prefers one with past.
BY the testimony of her biographer-
and there is not a paragrapher in Paris
who is not now busy with her name
Georgette Leblanc, whatever she may do
in the future, has rioted in the past.
|. If 1t were not a man as great as Maeter-
linck who has now fallen in love with her
it would not be worth while to recount
her history. Possibly he accounts for his
infatuation by not believing it, She may
either have explained it away or called
it the folly Of youth. ut is, however, re-
counted from one end of Paris to the
other, SO We may as well know it. -
Before the affair which is known on the
boulevards, as the "affaire Marsh" from
the name of the victim, Georgette LIE.
Blanc had a gay, untrammeled, unconven-
tional life of Daudet's Sapho. Reference
is made to that special heroine because
Mile. Leblanc recalled her so undeniably
that she was selected by the manage
ment of the Opera Comique to sing the,
role there in Massenet's opera of that
name. She has a voice and she was
Sapho.
Nine. Rejane and Jane Hading had In
terpreted the drama, and Paris had shout
ed their praises. But in, Georgette Lee
blanc the real Sapho whom Daudet intro
duced, saying, For my sons when they
are 20 years DID," sapho, to the life, was
announced.
Georgette Leblanc was playing her with
all the fervor OF experience when young
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Marsh by name-a
handsome boy, an only son, engaged then
to charming young girl of his own
country, came to Paris. He had an adj
! mirable position, being assistant to the
chief engineer Of the French Compressed
Air company. A great future was pre-
dicted for him, until one night, when
chance and influence introduced him be-
hind the scenes of the Opera Comique.
Sapho was in the height Of her glory.
Georgette Leblanc interpreted her, as all
the Paris world predicted she would, to
the life. Coming off the stage, flushed
with triumph, she beheld the bond-haired
English boy gazing at her with undis-
guised, open-eyed admiration.
AT once she bowed, attracted by his
youth and innocence. He was also good
looking. He was signaled out for an in
production. So honored, he was the en-
We'd of all the others behind the scenes.
In broken French that Mile. Leblanc
found charming he declared his admira-
ton. Before the evening was over it is
even said that he declared his love.
The "English Boy"
AS rapidly as ever an infatuation was
conducted, this one became the talk, Of
Paris. 1t took the form of a question
What was SaDho going to do with the
English boy?' was perpetually asked. Peo-
pie tried to warn the English boy, but
1t was impossible while sapho's hold was
upon him.
For awhile they deserted Paris to he
alone together in the country. He thought
1t would last forever. About that She
bothered herself no more than it was sup
posed she would. The duration was ia he
as long as it pleased her
At the end of few weeks the co,1n4,v
palled terribly. The knowing ones said 1t
was the decline of love when the two an
peared once more on the boulevards.
1t was, instead, the beginning of a tras
edy Edwin Marsh had begun to struggle
against the all-absorbing intrusion that
mad crowded out his young, healthy life.
The amazing had happened-the unex-
pected. Georgette Leblanc had fallen
really in love
After that there were countless scenes
OF terrible exhortation on the woman's
part, of pitiless denunciation on the
mans.
In the midst Of them Paris was amazed
to hear that the young Englishman had
returned to his native country, there to
marry the little English girl he had loved
before he knew Sapho existed
Georgette Leblanc received this news
riotously, as her reputation warranted.
She tried to stab the messenger who
brought it, and then swallowed all the
laudanum she could lay her hands on.
The quantity proved, however, insuff-