The Washington herald., 1908-01-19
BY DEXTEa MARsHAII.-

A'tHtt MARY -AuQtISOlls Ellen
4e''y' Mrs. Fiske. Moieska-these six are
among the most eminent actresses Of the
'''''es VINO carved out their own fortunes
All OF them, with the exception or Mary
anderson, whose striking beauty and per-
aoAai worth gained her fame at bound
Desan pretty far down on the runges Of
me histronic ladder and were a pretty
Iiine lifting themselves to the top.
As member Of her fathers strolling
company Duse a slip of a child, went
odIetooted from town TO town, playing
AeF first rolls In tents, barns and the
4 open air. Mrs. Fiske's mother was
daughter Of strolling musicians, and Mrs.
tIske herself made her stage debut IN
road company managed by her father.
Ellen Terry as a child experienced the
vicissitudes that come to a family of
actors doi.s the English provinces; and
when Mojesba, at the age of i, married
her guardian, she became a strolling
player in his company. Bernhardt. like
Our Mary" was never a stroller, but
none such ever had to fight harder 10
win recognition from critics and public. !
Bernhardt Forced on Stage.
Bernhardt was about fifteen when a
family council was held to decide her fu- |
ture. TWO o. three years previously she |
had been expelled, practically, from the |
convent where she was Deiug educated
on account of her ungovernable temper. /
Following the expulsion and the calling |
OF the family council her temper had not /
improved, and this circumstance made /
the family all the more anxious to arrive /
at q decision as to her future
For a long time the problem was de- |
bated. Finally a young friend Of the 4
family volunteered 70 take charge OF the |
youngster, whereupon one OF Sarah's /
aUnts more noted for frank speech than |
tact. exclaimed.
"A nice offer, indeed! And you have /
g. never even taken the trouble OF looking /
at the girl. But she is hideousl"
Instantly Sarah was all temper.
Il hideous," she shrieked, jumping at /
her aunt. II with eyes like mine, hair /
like mine. Do you know old crone. that /
shall have conquered the world the day |
you are a withered and baII-headed mon
key? And it won't take long"'
All were aghast except the child's |
mother; she clapped her hands.
Il have it," she exclaimed joyfully, we /
will make an actress Of her. Isn't she
acting play all day long2 That is just
what we want her for.'
and so. though Sarah lOnged TO be a
num- il was decided, amid general relief.
10 put her on the stage.
The first step in this direction was to
get her into the COnseTvatoire, On a day
in 1883 she was taken by her petite dame
before the jury of that school-a sallow,
skinny and ugly little girl withal. Yet so
pleasing was her voice that she had re-
cited only a line or two Of FonJaine's
rrsFrE frEr
tor Auber interrupted
You recite pretuly,' he said, you will
be admitted"
Had Pleasing Voice.
As n Conservatoire pupil she took les
sons IN defamation from Provost and
Samson. She was told by them and 9TH
ers that she had a pleasing voice, but
that was the limit Of their praise. And
when she made her debut at the Coincide
. Franchise as Iphigenie, September !. 1852,
that was the only praise given her {
few days later, when she essayed Hen E
rietta in les Femmes Savantes.' the
critics were no more tender, one declaring
that ''she was just as Insignificant IN this
as in that of Iphigenie."
But her greatest blow came from the
audiences. Sarah distinctly heard vaTi-
Gus persons eXClaim and laugh at her
thin arms when she made her debut. In
succeeding appearances her arms caused ;
similar merriment. Naturally, knowledge
OF her poor beginning did not improve
her temper. and one day when Nine. 7
Nathalie the actress. in the lobby of the {
Coincide Franchise, pushed Sarah's sister
Regina to one side, Sarah Indignantly q
slapped the great lady in the face
This was the real cause OF Sarah's
leaving the Franchise at the threshold Of I
eFHT gf Tra in s
cident she was given the role Of Dolores y
in Bornier's play Of that name Nine.
Nathalie, in revenge, had the part taken /
from her, and in a huff Bernhardt re- 7
signed and did not play again in che }
Franchise until the management sent for q
her to come back That was twelve \
years later, when, despite her ungoYern- 1
able bursts Of temper, her thin arms, and !
the COlduesS Of the critics she had made
q place for herself on the French stage, / e
Meantime, her career was not that Of a 4
divine Sarah"
Through the good Offices Of one Of her
gOdfatheTS friends she secured an en- ,
gagement at the Gymnase. Montisny, the
manager, however, dOUbtfUIly gave her
the engagement, closing his letter with, z
"But she appears to have a vile temper" o
He made her understudy to Victoria La f
fontaine; finally he gave her the role Of o
acteT, always dining and dancing. Z,
Discouraged at the Outlook. n
Bernhard and her critics agree that L
her debut IN this part was neither good
nor bad. As for Bernhardt she felt so
discouraged over the outlook that that
night she planned to kill herself and was
only persuaded from doing so by her
petite dame, Nine. GUeTard. A few hours
later Barnhardt was fleeing to Spain,
leaving behind her this note TO MOnugny:
Have pity on q poor crazy girIr'
Shortly after being summoned back 20
Paris from Madrid by telegram an
nouncing her mothers Illness Bernhard
tried for place at the Porte Saint Mar
tin Iheater. You are not at all suitable
Tor the stage" one OF the managers.
Faille, told her, while the other. Chilly.
bluntly announced: NO one ever saw
such a thin shepherdess." Sometime later
Camille Doucet, OF the ministry. got her
a place at the Odeon, but he first had to
pledge his word that Sarah would be "as
gentle as q young lamb" Just before
this happened Chilly had gone over 10
the OdeOn, and when Bernhard went
there TO begin her engagement she was
bluntly informed by Chilly that if he'd
had anything to do with ii she would not
have been engaged; as it was, his col
league Felix DUquesnel, was solely re
sponible for her.
Sarahs debut at the Odeon was re-
ceiVed as coldly as were her first efforts
at the Francaise and the Gymnase. In
deed, so fiat was her failure that Chilly
growled out as Bernhard passed by him:
They are no good, these grand folk