The Washington times., 1904-10-23


I'm her attempt 10 live a better life. She
is tempted, scourFed, thrown back again
and again into the depths of despair,
but from her trials she issues stronger
and whittier with each storm.
Finally, the resurrection Is complete
She Is so sure of herself she gives mp
love and the sacrifice which Dimitri
would make for her 10 work for otners
who have been like she was
Can Won imagine a more splendid
character for an actress TO portray
il has iu &c every element of power and
passiou-love, hatred, resignation and
seIf-sacridce. 1T is a great acting part,
and aside from any question OF morality
the play Resurrection" is more power
fuI than a sermon as lesson in purity
of life-a player must look for a part
which offers the greatest chances FOR
practice Of his art
Found Character in Real Life.
j found Maslova In the Tombs. She
my impersonation Of her-is built. especi-
ally IN the prison and iuhrmary scenes.
on my memory of such women, whom 1
had seen in nv childhood days, When
was very young I had many oppor-
tunities OF watching criminal classes,
for ] had the freedom Of the famous
New York prison. the TOmbs, OF which
my father was governor. And while j
lures with a view Of putting them on
exhibition. yet / saw them and uncon-
sciousIy memorized many OF the things
they did. i did not then know what
these unfortunates were, for j was just
a child and when / began the STUDY
OF BIasIova I found my memory going
back TO scenes such as that shown In
the second act OF Resurrection
Bit bv bit / have built up the scenei
An. 1r II
at first. her anger against restraint, her
bravado before her fellow prisoners, her
gradual yielding, before the kindness
and eentIeness OF Theodosia, her. animal
need for stimulants such she had had
for wears. All these things / have ac-
tuaHv seen. as Wen as the slow re-
Mobilization Of a character under sood
influences. have seen women IN lhltH
tbe position MasI0va was IN, In the Inc
Urinary days. and have seen their de-
spair when thrust back into the depths.
A Modern Maslova.
ON one OF visits 10 the Tombs, after
] was studying the character or Mas
Iowa before the production of the play
found half a dozen OF ABOUT the tsp1
for which I was looking.
One Of the older women stood OUT from
the rest. not only from certain phys
traits. but also from her great oelec-
tion. which was more marked than the
air of sullen sorrow common 10 thetA
AN. When ] saw her, j stopped before
the cell and looked In.
I said Good evening" and then asked
her a few questions, How long nave
Won been here2' ''Are YOU well treated
etc. To these the woman made no reply
but at the third query. Have you ever
bazn here bef0re2" she turned toward
me suddenly and said in the most world
weary voice I ever heard:
eyes. I've been here before, and ez-
pelt TO Ue here again.
That was all. But the despair or the
voice told everything. The words were
almost identical with those OF a woman
I'm aResurrection." who says TO new
arrival i'm the prison: Cheer up, you'll
get used 10 IT," when the other woman
replies, .Oh. / have been here before and
] expect TO be here again.
Apart From Hex Kind.
The woman in the cell was of the un-
educated kind. and all the others, save
one. seemed also TO belong TO the lower
East Side This one was Maslova-
Imagine a rather small woman OF per-
haps twenty-four, q woman with "a very
good figure. Of pleasing plumpness. she
was very brunette and dihered from the
others in having dark eyes, the most
intensely alive eyes that i have ever
looked into.
She had an air Of refinement about
her and. though ] did not question her
concerning her past. ] felt that she came
OF better class than her prison mates.
This woman told me that she had been
arrested two weeks before. and that she
was 10 Dee sent 10 the Island neXL day.
She smiled at least she may have
thought she smiled. but the sudden cOn-
Nulsing parting OF the lips had not the
least touch OF EIadness iu il.
What does IT natter What's the
u-egH she asked. And the speech. and
the zzrug came not from her alone. but
from am entire class Of which she is
bu- "a type and probably the best type,
Tor her features were small and re-
fined, and her voice had still some
tlace OF cultivation
No Sunday School Story.
8lazIova is not a pleasant companion.
buI she makes one think. .-Iesurrec-
ti1u" is u0t a Sunday scuool story.
but i'll VIII bring strong men and women
10 their feet. il makes them think. ana.
after all. ELa intelligent people, believe.
TOO. they are in Jhe ma5 oTity.-sometlme
like 10 think.
For these reasons first. because il Of
Ters me splendid opportunity 20 acts sec
oud. because the character is powerful
ia ITSELF and furnishes an endless study
and is moreover, calculated 10 teach "a
needed lesson, third because the play
appeals 90 all classes of ptople-fOr these
reasons j enjoy playing Masl0Va.
have played many strong parts
SaIamb0. Fedora. Cleopatra La T0sca,
GlsmJuda etc.; but j have never yet had
a part which has given me tne oppoT-l
. do s. +. ..
convict This LasI0va, the woman "
the streets The woman ls "a Waur1l.
but from force of circumstance. not
from choice. like Cleopatra. Tier wan
tonnes is not AN Invitation 90 follow Ga
tha primrose path Of dall--aee,' but
warning 90 the uuwary 10 watch and
pray IeaL rleg fan INTO temptation