The evening world., 1909-02-24

| Salome danced Tor the nead OF Johll
the Baptist, Lady Constance for the
heart OF New York. which led those who
witnessed the latter effort to realize that
the daughter OF Herodias had cinch.
The Verdict OF New York.
However. let US hear the verdict OF
New York. even before we consider the
performance OF Lady Constance,
Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, In black and
orchids, sat in the front row and APP
In her judgments. ! believe II she had
sat In the Roman circus she would have
held her thumbs up despite the popular
clamor for blood. But the New York
matron who sat next me voiced the
more general verdict.
"Of course" she said to the straw.
berry roam next her, its lovely, It's
charming, but can you imagine any
woman doing It who didn't have to sup
port hersef?'
And the strawberry roam answered,
taking every word as II II we're a fence,
In the English fashion.
NO, indeed. yet her poor husband,
who's awfully wealthy, really admires It.
He told me so. He doesn't object in the
least. He thinks 1t the most beautiful,
the highest art"
incidentally. It was the highest art
The orchestra played Mendelssohns
Spring Song rather blatantly.
One inferred, indeed, from the en-
phasis Of the strings, that Mendelssohn s
spring was the sort that comes In like
q lion.
Softly as Inspiration.
And then Lady Constance came In
softly as inspiration in the soul OF 4
poet-mightliy as love In the hear, Of o
woman.
She was nude up to the knees. Her
tunic, which seemed 10 be the sole gar
ment she wore, was OF pale lumber
girded at the breast and about the lo!ns
with cord.
One saw first her sparkling face with
the brown Niagara OF hair. that swirled
and eddied down her 1.-THE back, then the
;winklirg, naked feet tina: brought to
mind the Sculptor Durien's description
Of Trilby:
THE girl with the feet Of alabaster.
THE wonderful heels Of rose"
Like Trlby's, by the way. they were
not small feet. And they danced, with
no mincing ballroom step, but with the
mad freedom OF wood nymph caper.
Ing to the pipes Of Pan.
l had seen women dance to the Mem
delssohn Spring Song before-Isadora
Duncan. FOR instance. The vernal sea.
son She typitied was a matrony, thor
oughly assured affair, sort OF Dowager
Spring whom one rather expected to in.
roduce her debutante, daughter, Sum.
mer.
A Sophisticated Spring Song.
Then there was the spring song Of
Gertrude Hoffman. with nothing rose
colored about 1t except the draperles-a
very sophisticated Broadway sort Of
spring that suggested new gowns for
old ones, old hearts for new ones-the
regular Rlalto Renaissance that marks
the end OF Lent and the theatrical sea.
SON.
But Lady Constance's was none OF
these, To me 1t was youth and love
and laughter. 1t made me understand
the brief colloquy between Margaret
Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson when
they watched Fannie Ellsler dance:
Ralph. this is poetry
Margaret. this is relglon."
However. there were some two dozen
or more men present at Lady Con.
stances dance. 1t may be that to them
she was Just tall, lean, scantly clad
woman with bare arms and legs. doing
something they would not care to have
their wives and sisters do.
This Is what Lady Constance did, by
the way, TO follow the programme,
which cost quarter:
The Programme.
Entertainment in Aid OF
The Infants Milk Depo,s. Maintained by
the New York MIX Committee,
Mr.. George Wickershan,. President
Spring Song ....................M endessohn
Asses Tod from Peer Gynt. Grieg
fohh '''''.'.,'.'.....'' straus
Lady Constance Stewart Richardson.
MonoloEue,
Miss Ruth Draper.
Anitra's Tam from Peer Gynt ....... Cries
Tuder Halle DIES bergen koenigs ..... Grie,
Lady Constance Stewart Richardson.
MoIologue,
Miss Ruth Draper.
Rhapsody In F ..........,.......R ub!us.e!r
Lady Constance Stewart Richardson.
The later dances were done in a tunic
Of the color OF dried taqueminot leaves.
But there was the beauty OF fresh
| In nuan1innfs ahniif than ali