Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-02-06
AVE ATQUE VALE
HELENA M0OJESKA
GREAT ACTRESS GREETED BY
MANY FRIENDS
Flowers Showered on Distinguished
Daughter Of Thespls by Young
Women In Boxes-Sunshine
and Sorrow MlngIe
BY Bessie Beatty

IL can only say | thank you-thank
you from the bottom Of my soul"
Perhaps it was the gladdest perhaps
II was the saddest moment in the whole
life of the great actress, when she ut
tered these words last night.
It was a simple sentence. but filled
with a depth of feeling which stirred
the hearts of those who heard.
We love Modieska. we have loved het
long. but we love her better for last
night
1t was at the close of the sleep-walk-
ing scene i'm Macbeth, the tragedy
which Shakespeare made. but such
women as Modjeska have irumortali2ed
Nine. Helena Modjeska's farewell
tour it was announced, and Angelenos
turned out to make it a farewell
worthy the woman. A gathering of old
friends, friends who knew her In the
days when her name stood alone, far
above those of others of the same time
sons and daughters of these old friends
who have been told of Modjeska as
they have been told of Washington and
Lincoln.
Knights and Maids
Four hundred knights and their la
dies laden with blossoms to greet their
queen gathered at the Mason opera
house. In the boxes above stairs a
dozen fair maids and many more flow
ers awaited the opportune moment tC
shower Modjeska.
She came upon the stage at the close
of the sleep walking scene in the sim
pie white robes which served best to
accentuate the lines of her fine, sensi-
tive face. On her lips there was
smile and in her eyes there was a happy
light.
1t was almost the Modjeska of old
True, her strength and Vigor was not
1Ntt+ hnr. fr~f,r NH, l,1 Il
given a new lightness to her step. She
knew she was among old friends ano
it brought out her best efforts.
The curtain went up and down again
on her smiles. The audience made an
other plea for her to come back ano
she came. From the box at her right a
stream of beautiful blosso ms poured
down and fell at her feet, bestowed by
the fair Los Angeles daughters. AS
she stopped to gather a few of them
another shower came from the box on
the opposite side and her happy bewil-
derment was like that of a little child
so simple was it.
Only One Modjeska
Modjeska has been the moving fea-
ture in many. climaxes. In tragedy
and in comedy she has been placed in
the most striking positions which
playwri ghts could conjure, but never
so pathetic as the climax of her stage
life.
The tableau of the sweet faced wo-
man in q white robe kissing her flow
ers to an audience of friends will re-
main in the memory of all who saw
it, after others have come to act Lady
Macbeth. There may be many Lady
Macbeths, there can be only one
ModjeSka.
Joseph Scott addressed the actress
for the knights of Columbus, bring
ing the farewell words of the Catho-
lies.
To a sun going down he likened
her and then declared it was a Cali
fornia sun, to the westerner the most
beautiful of all suns
1--WE would not break into this Won
derful performance, we would not
spoil this picture which you have given
us, but we feel that we cannot let you
go from us without telling you how
deeply we regret the parting and how
we appreciate you.
Work Not in Vain
More than all other actresses it is
you who have striven to raise the
stage and your work has not been in
vain,
Your going from the stage is like
the setting of a sun And to us, who
have seen your vigor, your intensity
tonight, it is the setting of a sun which
should not have gone down.
You are going down like a Cali
fornia sun A sun that sheds bright
light as it goes and leaves a ruddy
afterglow, when it has sunk behind
the clouds.
1.-THE name of Modjeska will stand
as symbol of all that is best in the
stage, your life is one that we can
point to as life not lived in vain"
AS Mr.. Scott started to leave the
stage the actress stretched out her
hands to him and brought him back to
hear her words of thanks.
And then she spoke. 1t was in a
sweet sad voice.
Thanks! Thanks!
Il can only say l thank you-thank
you from the bottom of my soul
What this night has meant to me-
this Homecoming and this farewell
could not tell even if L had the elo-
quence of Mr.. Scott
My friends have ma gnified my sim
pie efforts but the words come from,
your hearts and my heart goes out tc
you in return.
"Good-by; good night my farewell to
you. My farewell from the stage hui
not from Los Angeles"
That was the last the audience saw
OF MOdjeska
The knights of Columbus spared nc
effort TO make the occasion a memoir.
able one. -Four hundred seats were re
served for them and under the direction
OF Mrs. Thomas Hampton a company
o. young girls in fluffy white gown.
sold flowers and souvenir program,
containing an autobiography of Mod
jeska and photo of her. The pro
ceeds from the sale of these will bt
given as testimonial to Nine. Modes
ka.
The girls who assisted Mrs. Hampton
are Miss jeanette MCGEE, Miss Irn;
Jacoby Miss Rose Loeb, Miss Ma,
Smith, Miss Kathleen Duque Mis-
Mamie Meyer, Miss Irene Ganahl Mis-
Mamie Sheedy, Miss Anna McDermott
Miss Helen Chambers, Miss Violet Bal
AS play Macbeth" needs no criti
cism- At times Modjeska almost ros
to her former power, and in the see
walking scene she was at her best.
Her supporting company appeared t
better advantage than did the compan
of Nance ONel in the performance q
Macbeth" given last week.
nAU IEAnhnA 49,