The evening world., 1903-01-30
But She Doesn't Want to Per-
sonaHy See Long : Haired
J Cranks Who Are Disciples Of
the Playwright.
Is THE APOSTLE OF WOMEN.
Thinks "0hosts" 10 a Powerful and
Convincing Drama That Only
Her Sex Can and Do Appre.
ciate.

Long-haired cranks please write. But
don't-for heavens sake,-don't call.
This may come as a sickening shock
to you, dear blue-goggled Ibsenite, but
ITS for your own good.
Mary Shaw-stsge priestess of the cult
doesn't want to see YOU. She doesn't
want to be bothered with you. She
doesn't want TO hear your jaundlced
views on Life-your capital IL" kind Of
Life. She has troubles of her own. Quite
enough of them. thank you. without
borrowing any from you. Braid your
Fair and knock your head against any
thing you please, so long as you don't
Knock 1t against her door. for she's not
at home to such as YOU.
For. know you, Miss Shaw is a CHEEKY
person, as CHEEKY as any woman can be
who follows the life Of a repertoire
actress.
Why. then, you ask. is she playing in
Ghosts with such morbid art as to
cause exquisite shivPrs TO course up and
down your sensitive spine?
Just n Matter of Business.
Business-plain, common everyday,
Hollars-and-cents business. There's your
answer straight from Miss Shaw hcr-
telf.
=. Please don't fall on that statuette OF
Johrs .Wanamaker when you faint,
ID You know" said Miss Shaw, in
q healthy. 1esh-and-b blood sort of way.
Il can't help laughing to myself at the
p$>ple who imagine like to yarow
In misery. was greatly amused at
one OF the critics who said there was
no sunshine In me. He never made a
greater mistake.
I'm as full OF sunshine as this kind
OF weather will permit a person to be.
i like to walk in the sunshine and throw
out my chest and breath 1t in. No
one VIII ever catch me sinking along
In the shadow out OF choice"
Then why do you appear in such
gloomy plays as 'Ghosts?"
'tor the most worldly Of rea sons
sand hanged IL Mrs. Alvins OF the
paretic play didn't winkD II suppose"
the went on. my voice Ia really to
nfame fer 1t all. I'll nver get over
leeNng that some one played n trick on
me In giving me this voice. 1t doesn't
match my temperament a bit. I've been.
Stolds 1t. has a quality, of hopelessress
ana sadness. Well. now l. don't feel at
all that way. I'm as happy ard opti-
mistic as circumstances will let me be-
No Doubt About II.
And Miss Shaw slapped her leg-yes
she did!-ln the heartiest kind O. fash
lon.
when Courtaey Thorpe and others
organized a company to play Ghosts
wal offered the part of Mrs. Alving.
! thought 1t over and refused. The
Yankee instinct in mel was born In
B~otson-told me the ente rprise wouldn't
ne q paying one, In 1899 the proposition
was again made me, this time TO play
the part in n performance at that vault,
that morgue"-another shudder-"the-
Carnegie Lyceum. Again demurred.
but, finally gave In. | was really driven
into It,, because l didn't have strength
or VIII to hold out against the urging
of various p~ersons-beca use, In short, /
was Weakened,
I'm not intellectual and | haven't
any use for strange, long-haired, So
icalled 'intellectual' people. The COM
mon-senae, healthy-mindod. well-Eroom-
Cd kind are good enough for me-
The leg came in for another slap!
! "Do you now enjoy appearing in Ibsen
plays?"
Doesn't Exactly Enjoy II.
NO! I can't say that. But / believe
him a man OF profound depth and WON
derful knowledge, especially when 1t
comes TO women. ] marvel he should
m women so well. Ibsen Is the
apostle OF women, lie has taken up the
cudsels for them ana freed them from
the slavery OF fcudal times. Take Dora
In Dolls House. for instance. There he
Z showed you a woman. who was not per-
mitied to think for herself or share in
her husbands thoughts. All she was
good for was to spank the babies and
TO 'Doll's House; Mrs; XIvins Is
Dora. And what do, We lind? a
wotnan who has lived true to the
Fundamental principles of life and re-
ligicn;' yet a woman who has to suffer
the most terrible trials and fearful
grief, and through no fault Of her own.
That's why. In my opinion, 80 many
women come to see Ghosts They see
in IT h noSrly every woman--oi
proper age and condition. OF course
herbelf suffers, or has suffered, II not in
full, In q degree.
That's why Ghosts Is a powerful
and convincing play. That's why Ibsen
10 great, He Isn't moI5id, from my
point of view. He IL simply truthful"