New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-29

speet 10 the liking Of New York for need
less exactftudes- The fun name of the
greatest OF all tragedians was Elizabeth
rachel Felix, but who ever smoke of ber
otherwise than as Rachel In Tho sar,e
way Paris always calls its present stage
iNIiiitS sarah In early days asked
her Whetner she liked it and she said.
les, OF course C'est I'm hornma ee -
Inc French press used 1t; so / think We
may, IL New York does not object
am sure the Editor of The Tribune will
IKE 1t, because il takes less space. /
nave heard ii used in private as well
as IN public and by men who were on
no particular terms of intimacy with her
There was an evening in London with
Sarah lar more memorable than the
evening in New York when we saw Nine
Modjeska together The French sea son
IN LONDON was over. and Sarah, who was
staying on for little, asked me to take
her TO see Irving in The. Bells" I must
admit l did not particularly want to-
Sarah understood, at that time. little or
no English, and foresaw that I should
nave 10 interpret as the play went on.
But ] could not refuse. i wrote to Irving
that Sarah wanted TO see him He, of
course, was delighted, and sent us his
best box, next to the stage Sarah for
once was punctuaI and we were IN our
places before the curtain went up.
Sarah knew very we'll that The Bells"
was founded on lie Juif Polonais" of
Erckmann-Chatrian. The story was ia
mlliar to her and she knew what to ex-
pect. But she had never seen Irving,
and OF him she had no idea what to ex-
pect. When he entered she applauded,
but that she always did. She had more
/ than any other actress 7 have ever
known. the sense of comradeship. She
was bon public, She knew what ap-
plause was worth to the actor or actress
that it is to them the breath of life
She has often told me that the want of
il is. even to her. embarrassing and even
distressing. cold house is an impes-
sible house and acting becomes impos-
sible
They say I sometimes walk through
my part. Perhaps 1 do. but If / do it is
walk. The audience and the actor are
two parts of the same whole. and neither
can get on without the other They say
1 have moods. 1 don't deny it, but am
never careless TO a house which is
friendly to me-
From the moment of Irving's entrance
upon the stage she sat absorbed I'm
derstand his language she could not, but
she studied the man, watched every
movement every eynressioD every fyeSf-
ure. Now, Irving was before all things
a personality. You might like his acting
OF a particular part or you might not.
but you felt yourself in the presence OF
a man. II was a commanding and
sympathetic presence at the same time.
[ doubt whether Sarah had ever heard
this said of him. She knew only his gen.
eral reputation, and he was then at the
height of his fame. But the attention
she paid to him was quite different from
that she gave TO an actor as an actor. 1
sat looking, not at Irving, but at her,
and il was plain that his magnetism had
made itself felt from the beginning. For
what else passed upon the stage she had
at first no eyes. There was Irving, and
there was nobody else. Presently, with
out turning from the stage she said 10
me:
MATS il m'enerve; dams lie bon sens,
bien entendu.
No literal translation would convey to
an English reader what she meant. The
word hypnotic is too strong, but II may
serve Sarah was not in trance, Tor
she was in her most critical and percep-
tive mood The best proof of it was not
merely what she said. / soon found that
was seldom wanted TO translate.
knowing the plot and the general course
~ the Dlav. she was in no difficulty as
10 what was going on or about the
stage business. But from Irvings ex-
preston and gestures she inferred what
ne was saying; what he must be saying.
This was. to me, a new kind OF thought
reading. and il appeared to be, Unlike
thought reading in general, unerring'
had seen Irving often as Matthias
had never seen him play the part with
the same precision, the same abundance
and accuracy OF detail, the same iiluml-
re,iry touches both in the great scenes
and in the ordinary progress of the play
or the same lrlS IL
ing TO Sarah. She was the lnsplrdtfoii'
ue knew that she knew no English, ana
IN order that she might appreciate the
whole he was playing it in pantofnlnae.
He seemed 80 have forgotten all ABOUT
his voice and his voice, left TO ITSELF
grew stronger and clearer ana more
reiodious Sarah said:
WHY do they find fault with ms
voice? The tones are pure and fuL' Inc
sentences flow smoothly, his elocution is
rbvthn,icaI and distinct"
she began after time, in the CONNER
ciaI phrase, to take stock not OF ehe
man only but of the actor:
..Rut he is great actor He does
-,,nps-soule things-whicn no French
.-.or can do. He makes no MISTAKES
r. meyer misses a point. He Goes "ha'
- l;kes with his audience-yes' win
vou and me, as well as the rest DoA
90 me Won don't think him great.
asa not tell her that, for dld 'HiiiA
him q great actor: in the f'sh' pa
- Matthias was one of them. ne
Dans /" ~ course. is a play TO which you
,,,,s, give yourself up. You do not sur
ra,dar YOUR critical faculty pul you
,,,,,st accept the atmosphere anu nv