The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-12
Charles DeKay IN November Century

Charles DeKay IN November Century
~ b all the tragedians and come
AVOJ dams using a foreign tongue VINO
~ have tried their fortuneE in the
United States, not one arrived with
greater fame to support than did the
slender Alsatfan Jewess known on the
stage as Rachel. Rumors of her temper.
her morals, and her conQuests, OF her
love of money, and her audacffies. at
though greatly exaggerated. did not fall
to stimulate interest IN her sharply de-
fined character, and fully made up Tor
the obvious disadvantage under which
she labored through the use of Ian
guage unknown to the majority of her
audiences. For. although the obligatory
trip to Europe had been established as
a fashion before she arrived. the number
of those who found it possible to visit
France long enough to learn French was
naturally limited.
Rachel was tempted by her brother to
go In search Of dollars in the lands of the
was fred by the financial success of
Jenny Lind under the management of the
famous Snowman, Barnum, But there was
other reasons. F'renchmen had not for
given Rachel for her trip to Russia at q
moment when war might have been de-
clared between the two powers at any
moment. and Rachel had been surprised
and shocked at the favor shown to Mime.
Adelaide Ristori by the people of Paris.
Nine de B., who wrote her biography
soon after Rachel's death, depicts the
irresolution which marked the behavior
of the actress before committing herself
irrevocably to the step. There were
other reasons than those urged by her
friends which made her hesitate. Her
health was far from good and it may
be that the cold she caught during a
night voyage In America would have
been equally troublesome had it found
her in Europe.
Rachel herself frankly. stated that she
sought American dollars, but not for her
self: they were to assure the future of
her two little sons. Yet for actors and
actresses, more especially those who spoke
no English, the states were not in her
day the home of the bonanzas they have
now become. 1t may be imagined, there
fore, how relieved she felt when expert
ence proved that all her fears were vain.
AS q matter of fact, her strength was
not nearly equal to the demands put upon
it; she could not satisfy the calls for rep
RESERVATIONS In Boston. the city that was
expected to be most chilling toward her.
! In Philadelphia her health broke down,
in Charleston she could make only a semi
private appearance, and in Havana she
| had to resign herself to disappointing the
public in toto. She returned by way OF
| New York, only to lnger a few years
more. and to die before her time. Thus
| while the public clamored for her, and
was willing to pay any price to listen to
the uuinteligibe lines of classic" French
plays when uttered by the Alsatian witch
a cold caught on the journey to Boston
developed into a consumption which laid
the adored head low. Warnings that
| America could not and would not appre-
ciate her were we'll meant but they
missed the point; allowing for the more
phlegmatic audlnece. nothing could have
been more satisfactory than Rachei's re-
ception by the public here.
After leaving New York she went 10
Philadelphia but was able. to give a single
| representation only. that Of Corneille I