The Washington times., 1906-02-25
Edna Mays Farewell

Dainuness and femininity are charac-
teristic of Edna May; there is a certain
shy sirlishness in her manner, a slight
reticence in talking of herself, as if she
skTank from rather than courted pub
licity; and here you have a mental pic
ture of this little American girl who
won her first big success in London.
taking the great English capital by
storm.
Nature has been kind to Edna May.
and she in turn has had the good sense
10 stick to nature. Therein lies her
chiefest charm. A girl with a head not
quite so level would have been spoiled
by Edna Mays triumphs, for this com
paratively obscure little American sang
one night in London and woke the next
morning 10 find herself famous. TO have
all the critics procIaiming her as Lon
don's discovery. and 10 find that her
stock had risen many points by her per
formance of the night before.
The result? Just what those who
knew Edna May best would expect Of
her Il am glad, very glad" she said
simply when she was shown her press
notices and was told that her success
had been phenomenal. I wanted so
much to please; how can I help feeling
pTou" and very happy2"
Miss May flushes like Il school girl
when talking about herself She will
fence with her interviewer skillfullv.
but il the interviewer knows his busi-
ness, inefrectuaIIy, to have the conver-
satiOn take something, anything exceDt
a personal turn; but when she finds the
case is hopeless sue submits with grace
and cheerfuIness.
DO / prefer England to America %
She repeated the question with a shy
smile. That is invariably asked me
since the announcement that am to re-
turn to London in March for a long
stay. How can 7 really prefer England,
and yet. how can l say anything ex-
cept that i sn glad to go back when
l remember how London received me?
1t Is hard TO answer that question.
You see, l was born in the State of New
York, and my parents still live there.
1t was there that my childhood and
young girlhood were passed; there that
/ dreamed so many, many happy
dreams; had such lovely visions of the
future How can any other place be
quite SO dear?
Later l went to New York, In pursuit
of profession and a fortune. and. as
] look hack on it all, I have succeeded
beyond my highest hopes, No other
country but America will ever be home.
really home, to me. and [ look forward
TO the time when l shall return TO It per
manently, have a coy little place of my
own and live quietly and happily among
my people in the only land that an
American girl can truly love
My first night in London? Shall I
ever forget it? Even now l shiver as
/ look back at that one test night when
for the first time l faced London aud
fence, realizing that upon its verdict
rested ny success or failure How
went through the performance 1 never
knew. 1t was at the Shaftesbury Thea
ter. and the play The Belle of New
York" in which / made my first sue
cess in America. | did my best, that is,
The best that l could in the face of ex-
treme nervousness, which really amount
ed TO positive fright, but when l left
the stage l was sure that / had met
with disastrous failure and that the
only reason / was not 'booed' was be-
cause the audience was sorry for poor
little me.
When the. other members of the com
pany told me l had scored a big sue
cess, laid that also to sympathy. but
it helped me TO go and finish the play.
"Of course, everyone knows the rest
that London liked me, and that THE
Belle OF New York became the talk
of the town. / shall never cease to
love that first-night London audience.
so 1 am glad to go back to Eng
land, where 1 am to stay for some years,
and ! would be ungrateful indeed not
to look forward TO meeting my many
friends there. Yet some day I hope to
return to America with u play and a
company that will please theatergoers
on this side of the water even more
than have my earlier successes. 1t is
to this return that l am looking for
ward even before j say good-by."