The San Francisco call., 1908-03-29

natural sensitiveness is the per-
vading and investing characteris-
= tic Of Mrs. Patrick Campbelrs art,
so it is revealed in the personality
during the few minutes of an interview.
or chat, rather, as she insisted it should
be. In spite of her years of training
and experience in the profession of act
ing. which by its nature is one of self
revealment. Mrs. Campbell shrinks
from discussion with something
quite like horror. The hrst personal
pronoun is not part of her vocabulary
except-wh employed in saying Il much
prefer not to talk about that; that"
being herself or her art or her plays or
anything else which is usual matter
The American theories. demonstrated
Beyond doubt, as TO the value of pub
licity. do not interest-her--.sY You may
discuss them" she says, with my man
ager."
IF 1. could have my way" she said
with much seriousness, L would charge
$500 for an interview; then if you
would pay that much, I'd raise the price
until it was beyond the reach of any
paper"
Most professional people are quite
glad to get themselves before the pub
lic'' I timidly suggested.
Are they, indeed? Actors and ac-
tresses you mean? cannot understand
why an artist should discuss his work.
No artist can afford to. Suppose
Shakespeare himself should come back
to earth in reincarnation, do you sup
pose he would explain what he meant
by Hamlet? OF course. he wouldn't
be any such a fool. Art is creation. not
criticism nor apology nor explanation.
do not mean to be blasphemous when
I seriously suggest TO you that even
God himself. the great creator, has not
explained.
Art is a thing apart from the artist.
LIS quite impersonal I am Hedda
Gabler, or Agnes. or Paula, you say.
That is no more true than though you
should declare painter is his picture.
The thing is done, the character is de-
picted; you see it, do not. Your opin-
ion OF it is valuable, for you have the
presentation. Ny opinion could not be
worth anything compared with yours.
How do ] know what the result is like?
I think ] know; we all do, but We can
not determine that fact as those do
who sec the person live and breathe
before them. A musician has the chance
10 examine, rehear and re-examine his
has no such opportunity The portrait
fades away as rapidly as it is sketched,
and We may not even know how our
own voices sound in others ears; how
tho vibrations sent forth attack ear
drums or nerves OF varying degrees of
acuteness and resonance.
What do you Americans want of in
terviews, anyway? They seem very vul-
gar to us--a studied posing before
thousands of readers, carefully pre-
pared and predigested opinions which
cannot be OF worth, and vain an
nouncements beginning uniformly with
T. I am perfectly willing to tell you
confersationally anything you want to
know about my work and my plays, but
] accept you here as friend, not as an
interviewer. For / VIII tell you the
truth, and could never consent to have
that published. and nobody else could.
either"
And 50 it happened that we talked
about Pinero and Ibsen and modern
dramatic writers and many another
tcpic-but not for publication. when I
say I'VE talked do not mean IL she
talked, and such a chat it was. You
would envy me il you knew how con-
ciseIy she disposed for blame or nraiSe
her plays and her characters.
-'Pinero,v she said and released ..i,a~
done much for me. Everybody knows
that and ] am glad to admit It. / owe
to him the plays in which my largest
success has been achieved. He is a
wonderful man, and isn't he clever,
But DO you think il would be nice 20
discuss for publication a friend? How
should ! like to be talked about in the
press by Mr.. Pinero2 ] would say he