Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-12
Modieska and Crawford.


ended for two of those best known and
ranking highest in American litera-
ture and stage life. f. Marion Craw-
ford, the novelist, and Helana Mod
jeska, the great actress, are names
which will live, and in the passing of
those who have borne them there is
world wide mourning. Although both
of them have been generally con-
sidered among great Americans, both
of them We're born in Europe and one
of them died there. Crawford, the
novelist, died in Italy where he was
born OF American parents in 1854 and
where most of his later years have
been spent. His father was sculptor
and the young man studied in both
Europe and America. In early life he
was newspaper man in India for Il
while, and he married his wife, an
American girl, during visit to
Turkey. He was an industrious toiler
in the field of letters and wrote many
novels, a large part of them dealing
with Italian life, and also did some
work in critical philosophy. He wrote
one play which Bernhard produced
few years ago. Most OF his novels
have been translated into French and
Italian and he was highly honored by
the governments of both those
countries. For several years Mr.
Crawford has been working on a book
on medieval italy and his death finds
this work uncompleted.
Modjeska was born in the unhappy
land of Poland in 1S46 and was twice
married in early life Her first hus-
band bore the name of ModrzejeWski,
the name which she subsequently con-
tracted into Modjeska for use on the
stage Her second husband, who
survives her. was Polish journalist
and political agitator named Chlapow-
ski With him she was forced to flee
from her native land in 1876 and since
then America has been her home, al
though she has made frequent tours
to the Old World. She will always be
ranked as one of the worlds greatest
actresses, ard i'm & tribute to her as an
actress and woman, William Winter
of the New York Tribune, the greatest
dramatic critic of our times, writes as
follows: 1T is not detraction from
her worth as an actress to say that
her greatness was that of noble
woman. She was known only to be
loved All persons who came within
the scope of her influence We're i'm
character, the sweetness of her dis
position, the gracious dignity and
charm Of her manner. the perfect SIM
plicity of her equable mind, and the
gentleness of all her ways and words.
AS an actress she chiefly labOred to
set before the community the highest
and best creations of dramatic litera-
ture, and thus she diffused upon her
contemporaries a sweetly subtle per-
suason toward the loftiest ideals OF
life. Her ministration taught the pre-
cious truth that poetry is not a dream,
but that genius can make it the in
spiration of conduct and the abiding
incentive to every virtue. 1t is hard
to believe that so much goodness has
gone from this world, and that only
the sad consolation remains of fond
remembrance. To think of her now IS
to recall many an hour of delight in
the presence of many creations of her
exquisite arr. To tank ol her a. the
years drift away will be to remember
presence of tender, poetic beauty OF
winning refinement, and of perfect
grace; and for many and many day
the old playgoer. musng upon the
past. will cherish, among his sweetest
recollections, those that linger AMI
cluster around her loved and honored
name"