The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-14
From the St. Louis Times.

From the St. Louis I1meS.
 A WELL-KNOWN writer, comment
 "A ing upon the vogue of Henrik h. \ sen, declared recently: ''Ibsen owes more to the women of the stage than any other writer"
 A moments reflection brings forth the truth of this statement. There is no record either in this country or in Eu- rope, of the male star who has succeed ed in popuarizing an Ibsen play. On the other hand, there are scores of actresses who have won success in Ibsen roles, and 1t is to stars like Nazicova, Mrs. Patrick Campbell, Duse and Agnes Sor- ma that his present popularity in Amer ica. Italy, England and Germany
 The explanation of this is quite sim ple. Ibsen wrote of women, about wom- en, for women. He has made the charac- ter of womankind his especial study. His best character drawings are of that sex. Peer Gynt" and Richard Mansfield might be cited as an exception to this rule, but even Mansfields greatest ad- mirers will not assert that he ever sue eeeded in popularizing the Danish writ CTS works. Those who went wanted to see Mansfield, not to see Peer Gynt."
 Seven or eight years ago Wilton Lackaye, a good actor, tempted the fates in New York with a production of Ibsens ''Pillars of Society," It achieved la mentable failure. The affair is joke on Broadway to this day. Justification for the mirth, however, by no means de- tered managers with at least share of artistic as well as commercial intelli- gence, to essay the Ibsen social drama, under which category Peer Gynt" can- not. of course, be rated, once more. The result has been actual runs of the icon oclastic Norwegian's plays.
 In her day and language Agnes Sor- ma was unquestionably the greatest of all Ibsen interpreters. Ibsen himself after witnessing performance, declared her the greatest he had ever seen. She has now married and retired from the stage with a title-Duchess of Minotta-and is living in Berlin. Sorma was born in Breslau, Germany May IT. 1865 She made her first appearance on the stage when she was only 15 years old, at her native town. It was but a few years later that she achieved her first great tant tour through the principal towns of Holland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and Greece with repertoire of Ibsen plays, In almost every city outside of Ger many and Sweden she introduced 1bsen for the first time.. Eleanor Duse, who was touring at the same time, acknowl- edged Sorma's superiority in Ibsen roles
 In England Mrs. Patrick Campbell nrohably stands forth as the foremost interpreter of Ibsen. Unlike Sorma, she does not, however, confine herself ex- clusively to Ibsen roles or those written r.. his followers. Mrs. Campbells great est creation is 'Hedda Gabler." She must in this and in other Ibsen roles share honors with Elizabeth Robins, an actress practically unknown in America, although she was born here and played with tho famous old Boston Museum Stock com pany in 1885. She went to England for a. holiday and has remained there ever since In 1889 she appeared at a matinee performance in Ibsen's "PillaRs Of So- ciety'' and mede marked impression III the part of Martha Bornick It was not until some years later that she won her greatest success as Hedda at the Vauoe- vile in London. It was cited that lp- sen was opposed to her playing the role at the time, but notwithstanding tnis she excited the highest praise from the critics, and offers of engagements poured in She passed to the Opera comlque' and there produced "The Master Buiid- err, again with great success. In lS9O she played Little Eyolf" and revived "A Dolls House. at a series of matinees at the Avenue.
 The fame of Eleanor Duse as an in- terpreter of Ibsen spreads throughout Europe, and is only limited in this coun- trv by her lack of command of our Ian guage. She has played practically all 6 the Ibsens characters, but, like Mrs. Campbell, she occasionally ~forsakes the morose Norwegian dramatist and his fol
 lowers for plays of the modern school.
 In America Ibsen owes debt to Mrs l Fiske and to Mme. Nazmova. Mrs.
 Fiske has done a great deal for the