The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-04
eY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
There is an old saying that deaths
go in threes.
! If you care for superstition-or
fact-take the trouble to observe this.
You will find it almost invariably =
i Illustrated.
| Newspaper people will tell you that
| if one peculiar happening or accident
occurs in the course OF a few days two
! others OF a similar nature will be re-
ported.
| \ recent instance was the breaking
Of the Austin dam followed by the dis
asters of like character in Wiscon-
sin.
| The death of kyrle Bellew, the Well
! known English actor. chronicled in
/ yesterdays papers, brought to mind
/ this triangle in death, for his close
friend, Jameson Lee Finney, the Am
erican actor. lost his life in a fire in
a London hotel in June, Tinney's
death having been preceded by that
OF his mother, to whom he was pecu-
/ iarly devoted, few months earlier.
/ There is some strange significance
in odd numbers.
The beat of five is more effective
than four, three than Of two. Seven
| is accounted a portentous figure, and
thirteen fateful one. Flower petals
are oftener uneven in the count than
even, and leaves are serrated irregu-
larry. Fingers go by fives.
/ The loss to the stage in the death of
! Bellew is an irreparable one. For
actors of his class are not found am
ong the younger generation OF the
| opponents of theatric and dramatic
art.
Bellew belonged to school OF act
ing that is gradually being superseded
by one whose inferiority is apparent to
any freQuenter Of the theater. This
was demonstrated in his appearance
here last winter in one Of his greatest
successes, "Raffles," the first oppor'
tunity the local public had ever had
Of seeing and hearing this delightful
actor,
Bellows technical methods were I'M
obtrusile and the artistic resultant a
highly finished. brilliantly polished pro-
duct The colors of his palette were
soft. harmonious, subdued. They
glowed with warmth rather than star.
tied by their garishness.
In their skilful use a perfect pic
ture was formed, not a series of crude
attitudes.
Bellew was a dramatic sculptor, II
felicitously. filling out, cutting away
evening up, balancing finely, round
ing deity, until his figures assumed
the proportions and CONTINGENCIES OF
life.
In "Raffles," the gentleman thief
a play made from the stories of the
same name by Hornung, Bellew reach
ed the acme of fascination, giving tc
the character the glamour impaired
by it's creator and adding to it the
charm of his own personality. His
presentation was the apOgee Of fin
; esse in the art of acting and stands
out in the memory like bas-relief.
The first matinee idol" Bellev
was the adored of women theater-go
ers, but he was more than mere pos
eur, than an actor whose physical at
tributes were dominant-he was dra
matte artist who at no time in his ca
reer sacrificed the fine verities for the
decorative accessories, the true for the
pseudo the cause for the effect.
He practiced in perfection tha
, without which no worker in an,
phase of art can become a master
5 elimination.
Nature is the greatest artist, it i:
said.
This may be true as to color ant
form but not as to composition. Ma
ture is a bad composer Rather, al
accidental composer. That is one rea
son that no two artists paint the same
scene alike-one reason. The prima
I reason is, of course, the Temperament
tai difference which makes a land
scape or an object in any setting TAX
on as various compilations as thos
who see it.
Illusion is the only reality,
The knowledge and ability and vii
lingness of how and when to eliminat
. is the one great lesson all artists mus
learn before they can interpret tn
spirit and letter of their art.
This Bellew had learned and Will
an actor of certain limitations. with
in those limitations his art was pei
, feet as a cameo.
'1f you want people to treat yo
mean, be nice to them
If you say thing like this peopl
: will say-"oh, she's or he's such
cyric.'
However, they all know its tru
and they put you down as a cynic be
cause. ten to one, they've been tn
very people who have treated you tn
meanest.
: benefits forgot referred to her
the other day at some lengths tn
cause of more bitterness and NOR
heart-burnings, more unhappiness an
general discomfort than any one phas
(, of human imperfection.