The San Francisco call., 1910-02-06

tensity. she claims. and it will make
good vehicle for her talents. Under
hill is making the adaptation of the
piece.
There's another play she went on,
which L may do. Nine. Sarah Bern
hardt has been good enough to offer
it to me, and IL is one in which she
has appeared, though 1t has never been
played in this country. 1t is too soon
to tell you the name of the play or
the name of the author. The fact that
Nine. Bernhardt wants me to do it is
sufficient to indicate my own wish to
play 1t if agreeable arrangements can
be made Besides these two pieces L
have two others in mind which I may
do next season. So, at least I'm not
lacking for material to keep me going
for another season or two
= PLEASING experience which Mrs.
a Carter has enjoyed since her coming
ITO San Francisco has been the pres
entation to her of a solid gold spade.
in miniature. which is the gift of the
William Morris Western 0nc) to her.
1t commentaries the ceremony over
which she presided of turning the first
shove1ful of earth on the site of the
new American music hall in Omaha.
She handled the first spade that dug
into the soil and the gift of the minia-
ture spade was made by Frank Powers
of this city, who is one of the directors
in the new vaudeville enterprise
1t is inscribed: ITO Mrs Leslie Car
ter. from the William Morris Western
/ Onc.), just as a remembrance OF turn
ing the first shovelful of earth in the
western circuit of the American music
halls. Omaha. October %, 1909"
"A RS. CARTER is inclined to the
! Nt belief that the popularity of Ibsen
is waning. though she insists that
her play, ''vasta Herne" is modelled
on the lines of the Ibsen drama. "Of
course she said, there isn't any of
l.the subtle character portrayal or the
| introduction of complicated characters
and tendencies such as characterizes
Hedda GabIer for instance, but the
spirit of the play is similar 1t is
pathological, but PepIe has saved it
from hideousness by his use of the
romantic element which makes the play
palatable and fine. 1t is not. as you
said, without ethical worth, and it has
an esthetic value likewise. Like a
List concerto. it is made to disclose
the technical skill of the actress who
assumes the principal character; but
again. like Liszt concerto. it justifies
itself by the intrinsic beauty of it's
central themes 1t is not altogether. a
virtuoso piece, and it teaches the un-
alterable fact that the wages of sin
is death.
"There is no escaping that conclusion.
The first false step made by Vasta
Herne is but the initial start on a
road to ruin. The immutableness of
the play is one of its chief charms.
From the first line the end is in sight.
The play itself merely follows Vasta
Herne's career. 1t leaves her alone
to work out her manifest and logical
destiny This she does.
at was suggested at first that the
play be warped around SO as to per-
nit of happy ending. Think of that!
1t would have been absurd. though
the drama might have gained some pop
ularity in the change. But Vasta is
doomed from the moment she appears
on the stage; you can surmise the
finale. There is no hope for Vasta
and the playwright very wisely let her
complete the story just as though she
were living woman. and not por-
traiture.'