Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-02-28
STAGE INFLUENCE IS
MORAL, SAYS BERNHARDT

Pursued by woman reporter for an
English magazine, Sarah Bernhardt
coyly consented to write her views on
the theater and It's place In the world
Of art, the same appearing In the Colss
hin Magazine. Bernhardt begins ny
saying that she found the moral inilu-
ence Of the theater constant and bene-
fetal
ITO me-" says the divine Sarah, "the
theater seems like a Kaleidoscope, whose
moving facets show an attentive public
the baseness Of crimes the Vices, the
weaknesses of humanity, the faults OF
civilization and the ahsurdlties Of So
ciety. And II Is this same movement
which, while showing the evil, shows
the cause OF the evil that is such fas-
cinating feature Of the theater.
1.-THE theater Is the love Of my life, for
] find the theater the meeting place or
all the arts. AS a complete human be-
ing represents the faculties Of all the
senses, so a good theater represents the
service of all the arts, | first realized
my taste In this direction When ! was
quite a young girl at school, for when
there was any talk Of one % the little
representations common TO a convent
pension / felt in the seventh heaven OF
delight
THE drawbacks and difficulties Of the
pension vanished. | lived only Ia the
character ! had 20 represent ] was an
other being. | know now that these sem
siments were the first signs Of my In
nate love for the stage. for indeed my
vocation must have been innate as Il
received no encouragement from my
family. quite the contrary, and IL was
rather with the dsapproyal Of my peo-
pie that I made my debut as Iphlgenle
at the Coincide Franchise, with Nine.
Deyoyard as Clytemnestre.
81 knew nobody In the company be-
yond CoQuelin. who was as kind 10 me
then as he had been at the Conserva-
toire. / do not recOllect eXneri encing
any strong emotions beyond That OF
great fear, but / remember that when
/ held up my long thin arms for the
sacrifice the audience burst out laugh
ing.
"Wen DO / remember the thrilling
feeling OF my first real theatrical tri
umph. II was at the Odeon. when wa,
Zacharle IN 'Athalie, and the part ap.
pealed % an the religious aNl patriotic
SENTIMENTS vi NY tNNlt Atlh hlhM VI iilA
enthusiasm kindled the audience until
&. burst into a fire Of sympathetic ap
plause. which warmed hay heart anC
made It beat with satisfaction at hay
ing made a real sensation
such success irraaiates many day
OF work. and work there ever must D,
for an actress. without always any ulti
mate certainty OF success. Filled with
enthusiasm for the role Of Anne pamh,
IN Alexandra Dumas 'kcan. then Do
preparation at the Odeon, I learned Oh,
part. and then at the suggestion o.
DuQuesnel. one Of the managers of Oh.
theater. ] bearded Dumas in his den {,
ask him for the role
THE great man listened. looked al
me and said / would DO very nicely
but unfortunately he had promised IN,
part 90 another. end even 'O anotrsa III
tefault OF her Then 7 said: AS yot
have promised the part 90 two you may
lust as well promise it 20 three I'm NJ.
ing the part we'll ! then proceeded &,
recite II TO him. and 7 begged To- b.
allowed az least 10 rehearse the part h
only for week.
Finally Dumas reiented sufficient,
10 let me rehearse the role for a fev
DAYS. That was my chance and. as Cor
tunatsly my conception Of the part bro