The National tribune., 1910-06-02

the plentiful, shining. golden shekels
which she will proceed to rake in dur.
Ing her seventh tour of the United
States. She will bring with her com
pany and all the other requisites fol
the production of her 10 plays, among
which are several entirely new tC
America. Although Bernhardt is s
grandma of many years standing and
owns to being 65, there is nothing OF
the old lady about her. She is as frisky
as ever and as full of vitality and fur
as a kitten. When she was last over
here she went all over the country
playing in tent, not being able just al
that time to secure theatres but that
didn't disturb her in the least. When
ever any fun presented itself she took
advantage of 1t, even to shooting the
chuteS of Coney Island. Being mortal,
Bernhardt cannot entirely escape the
fatal touch of Father Time, yet she
has no notion of allowing her heart or
spirit to grow old She has learned the
secret of eternal youth. that one must
vitally interest themselves in something,
never worry, and above all obey the
poets injunction, Let the dead Past
bury its dead If one would keep the
enthusiasm and enjoyments of youth
with the whitening hair and fading
cheek Bernhardt has worked harder
than most men nearly all her life, but
1t hasn't hurt her 2, bit, for she has
made it a part of her religion to set
her face resolutely toward the coming
day firm in the belief that it will bring
sunshine, letting slip from her, with
the falling of the twilight shadows, all
remembrance of the disturbing present.
"Music hath charms to soothe the saw
age breast,
TO soften rocks, or bend the knotted
oak
30 sang William Congreve some 200
years ago.
Geraldine Ferrar, the beautiful and
successful opera star did graceful
thing the other day. She went to the
United States penitentiary in Atlanta
and sang to the 1000 unfortunate men
confined there. Miss Ferrar, who COM
bines with her wonderful voice the
charm of great personal attractiveness,
seated herself at the piano and sang
with touching simplicity, such dear old
ballads as My Old Kentucky Home"
Annie Laurie 'Suwanee River" etc,
concluding with Home, Sweet Home"
Her singing went straight to the hearts,
hardened by crime, of the men facing
her, and as the well-known words, and
the well-known tunes greeted their ears
the scowling, forbidding features, one
by one, relaxed and the furtive tear
trickled down their cheeks. Among
banker, whom Miss Ferrar had known
In his happier days. He wished very
much to hear the singing, yet had not
the courage to face his friend, SO the
warden sympathetically placed MIN be-
hind a screen. Miss Ferrar knew he
was present behind the screen, and as
the touching words of Home, Sweet
Home" filed the room, thoughts of that
once happy home upon which he had
brought dishonor and grief, struck the
convict-banker like a blow, and the
great artist heard him sobbing. This
was too much for her sensitive, impress
eionable nature, already deeply touched
by the emotion of the prisoners, and,
unable longer to control herself, she
sat there at the piano. a beautiful pic
ture of true, tender-hearted woman
hood, with the tears rolling down her
cheeks, and trembling in the tones of
her glorious voice.
The French management responsible
for the production OF Rostand's
"Chantecler' are having their troubles
The women say they just cannot stand
the horrid feather costumes, which are
not only unbearably hot, but seem to
scratch and irritate the skin, although
generally silk lined, and the men fuss
about theirs. too, insisting they are
forced TO have bath and massage after
each performance. The hero and he
amount of money would tempt them
to wear these after the weather gets
warm, and as Summer season In Lon
DON had been planned, the manage
ment is at its wits end TO know what
TO do. The minor actors and actresses
ekin lotions. for their feather costumes
are not 20 carefully made as are those
of the principal actors, the feathers
are coarser and silk lining is not al
ways used. Altogether things look
rather gloomy, and It looks as IL pos
eibly the play would not have the long
life predicted for 1t when first pre-
Portable as is claimed-and II seems
entirely probable that they are-it is
feared that no American actor or ac-
tress would be willing to wear them.
certainly no one as popular and we'll
established as Maud Adams.
Robert Louis Stevenson, in one of
his novels, makes a hard-hearted judge
pronounce sentence upon his own son.
The incident is intensely dramatic, and
made the most of by that gifted writer
A scene similar in character but as
yet not made immortal by the hand of
genius, occurred in one OF our cities
the other day. An honest policeman
returned 10 his home in the afternoon
for those rests and solaces which every
home is supposed to keep on tap for its
recognized head. He found there, in
stead of smiling faces Of welcome, and,
perhaps, a dish of homemade candy TO
help while away the time before going
forth again 10 maintain the majesty of
the law, his wife and daughter by a
former marriage engaged in regular
hand to hand contest, with much
pinching. and slapping, and pulling of
hair. Did the policeman retire in hor-
ror from the scene or endesvor by low
ing words 10 disentangle them? No.
indeed, he became at once man of
iron, servant of the State; ''he seen
his duty and he done IT" Wife and
daughter tho they We're he arrested
them as he would any offenders against
the law. yanked them apart, and call
ing a patrol wagon, bundled them in
and sent them off TO the station house
Later he bailed out his daughter, but
the wife had TO wait until some friend
came similarly 10 her rescue which
looks very much as II the policeman
took sides in that fight, and was not
entirely stern. impartial officer of
the law after all.
With Halley's comet in our very
midst, as 1t were, and the newspapers
abounding in comments from learned
astronomers and others concerning il.
the question naturally arises. who was
HALEY? Edmund Helisy wAa barn in
London 254 years ago, or in the year
1856. As a school boy he showed a
remarkable aptitude for mathematics
and n profound and Intelligent interest
in astronomy. During the course of