The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-14

Is wonderfully red. the mask OF her face
a neo,liarly expressive one. You recall
those old portraits by the masters, OF SONS
unknown woman. whose eyes follow you
from the canvas. eyes that peer beneath
tangled treeses Hi for the merry romantic
words on this brave day In June!I sur
mounted by an imperial Gainsborough
hat of velvet. She Is given to the pictur-
esque in daily life, and as hear. has a very
independent temper that any number OF
Maeterlnck volumes cannot appease when
the clock of destiny sounds the hour Tor
ructions.
As an actress, should say-.romember
I have seen her in solitary role.-that
Leblanc was midway in her methods be-
tween Sarah Bernhardt and-(eorgette
Leblanc, She has great facility OF speech.
is plastic In her poses. indul ges in those
serpentne. undulating movements we have
long since recognized as Sarah's own.
Do OF mistakes Nine. Leblanc has pro-
nouhced individuality She is hersel:
Her intonations are her own. Dat she has
such velocity and clarity OF dicton. has
such temperamental energy, plays role
with such swiftness that Bernhardt Is
inevitably suggested. She Is poetic and
she has repose ! fancy that as Monnd
Vdn'a she is more successful than as joy
-etLe. The abundant nervous energy OF
the woman ul-brooks long periods Of re-
pose, and Joysellc Is moro like Burne-
Jones maiden than the fiery lover Of Prime
vale Leblanc was intense In all the
clinlaxes and her denotenents Of Joy, love.
hatred and overwhelming desolation were
alike admirable. She has expressive feat
ures, though they are irregular-few wom-
en- would call her good looking. (Notice
the discrimination Of sexo She, ncver-
! theless, made charming Joy,elln and spoke
I her husbands cadenced lines with the exact
feeling for their exquisite rhythn1s. She
may visit the United States next season,
though not with NJ Maeterlinck. who does
not care to travel.
| Albert Darmont. handsome. winning.
as the days when he supported" Benhardt
in her American tours. was Ldnceor. He
was all that could be desired. and In the
violence episode he was like the hardy
Nunean ion-only ii seemed a pity that
his victim was a fragile woman. Jean
Kemm made an impressive Merlin, and
the Ariellc of Juiette MARCEL revealed a
promising young talent
Experience Of a saddening sort long ago
taught me that a man and his works are
twain: that poet never looks like a poet;
a composer is seldom harmonious in pri-
vate life. Yet could not be but tempted
when brief courteous note from the
author of 4Monna Wanna" informed me
that he would give me an evening hour for
an informal interview. Maeterlinck lives on
! Dr., orl t,, hn,s hxa
garden Of which overlooks the Seine from
the moderate heights Of Passy. To reach
his apartments had to traverse a twisted
| courtyard. several mysterious staircases
| built on the corkscrew model and finally
screens, old engravings, fans, much orna-
mental brass. and reproductions OF Man
tegna. Rossetti. Burne-Jones and other
painters.
! But I was not to abide there long. A
maid with doubling eyes piloted ME across
, a narrow hallway. through room where
sat a tirewoman altering theatrical Coz
tunes --ha! the eternal feminine. thought
and at last was not in VI. Maeterlinck's
presence. Not yet. Down another stair
case and tine great man doomed up in cycling
costume, cordial, grave. big, hand
eome fellow with big Flemish bones and a
small round head. with wayy hair dappling
at the temples. man Of ~, a gentle,
pensive sort of man. Maurice Maeterlinck
! does not look like his photographs for the
reason that they were taken nearly a dec
ade ago. He is much older, much more
/ vigorous than pictured him. The gen.
eral race characteristics are Flemish or
Belgian-that is Germ mic and not Gaul
III 49,. -
work mist ever hn exotic to the logical
m nd OF the Fis MN. for who m tho fo m
is pars m ,urt TO The idea.
! Maeterlinck's eyes are what the French
call flowers Of the head. A gray b,e. with
! hints Of green. they are melancholy eyes.
these. with long dark lashes. He Is ex-
TIRE m ,iy modest, even difficlent, though
touch him on his favorite them, and he
responds readily. A devourer Of English
| literature, he will not venture into CONVEX
sation in our tongue, for he has had little
rract ice Gle, m IN he speaks, and he knows
Italian. He told M that in CO posing
.Monna Wanna" he read Sis m ,nci for a
year 40 as to get historical color. He was
quite frank a bout the conception of thi.
play.
II wrote it for Mrne Maeterlinck.- he
! remarked Sunply, WHICH uispCseO OF my
| theory that the piece was written TO prove
he knew how 70 make drama on con-
j ventionar lines. -Joyzelle" was also writ
ten for the same actress. woman who
has played an important Id!e in the poets
life Then brought up Browning g -Lura-
and the opinion Of Prof, Phelps Of Yale that
Maeterlinck had profited by reading the
English poet when he composed "Monna
Wanna" NJ. Maeterlnck smiled.
! Naturally l read Browning; who does
not?" he said with the naive information that
becomes him so we'll. 'Luria' ! have
known for long time; but Luria is not
a stage play" which. coming from the
author of Les Aveuges. ] considered
sublime. He ia quite right" Norma
Wanna and "Luria" have little in common
except being laid al Pisa and that both
Luria and Prinxepdllc were treated badly
by an ungratefnl country. Bu, then, 40
was CoriolonIs and host of other his
torical patriots,
The Tempest" coincidence has been
| alluded to. Here again Maeterlnck made
no reservations, He spoke Of Shakespeare
as other men mention their deity. He
4 a.. u