Evening journal., 1912-05-18
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Why a Great Actress Re-
fused to Take Dinner
With a Great Painter
By Holland

Charlotte Cushman, VINO uled III
1876 in her SEVENTEEN year, is now
remembered as the greatest American
actress and one of the noblest as well
as most highly cultivated of American
women. She enjoyed the personal
friendship of many of the great men
of affairs of her day and was cordially
received and highly honored during
her several visits to Europe by Queen
Victoria and by members of the royal
and imperial families upon the conti-
nent
One of the warmest friends Miss
Cushman had was William H. seward
Secretary OF State in Lincolns ad-
ministration. She was frequent Vis-
itor at the home of Mr.. Seward ana
early in 1861. soon after the war broke
out, she was the guest of Secretary
and Mrs. Seward at their Washington
home. MIR. Seward escorted her to the
army hospitals and the intrenchmenis
Of Washington. Only a year before her
death she was guest al the home OF
Frederick w. and Mrs. Seward at AL
bany n. y having gained the init
mate friendship of Mr. and Mrs Sew
ard at the time when Frederick w.
Seward was Assistant Secretary OF
State TO his father. Aside from Char
lotte Cushman's genius as an actress,
she was most companionable guest
because of her lively fund of humor
and her rich store Of anecdotal remi-
niscences.
Il was while Charlotte Cushman
was visiting the Frederick w. Sew
ards that she told the story of why
and how, in 1856, she declined an in
vitation. urgently pressed, TO dine
with Rosa Bonheur the famous paint
er of animals and probably the great
est woman painter the world has
ever seen.
Rosa Bonheur invited me and one
OF my friends to spend day with her
at her country place few miles from
Paris" said Miss Cushman. 4 was
only too glad TO accept the invitation
At the appointed time Miss Bonheur
met us at the railway station. She
drove us in curious little carriage
from the station to her home. | re-
member that she wore kind of
bloomer costume suppose for the
greater ease Of her outdoor life. over
IL she had a curious kind of skirt
which I presume. had been put on out
Of Difference to fashion or propriety.
I'VE were all on intimate terms in a
few moments. Miss Bonheur was ut
terly unaffected and she had all the
simplicity which is characteristic OF
genius. She showed us over her house,
took us into her garden, told US how
rhe PAINTED her pictures and made
studies Of animals, and pointed out 10
us a noble black horse which served
her as a model for some of her paint
ings We had q delightful luncheon
perfectly simple. and we were ike
three schoolgirls AS the afternoon
wore on we became more and more in
innate Then Miss Bonheur urgently
invited rs to dine with her. ] should
have fixed to accept her invitation
there was no special reason why
should not have don= so except the
single reason which led me to de-
cline the invitation.
s.You may wonder what that reason
could have been. Well. it was simply
this. I realized that we had made Z
strong impression upon Rosa Bonheul
and that she had taken a very grea
liking for us. Now I did not want tC
lmperil that feeling. It seemed TO ms
that if we stayed to dine with hel
there might come a slight feeling tha
our visit had been too greatly pro
longed So I declined the invitation o
Rosa Bonheur to dine with her.
"Not long thereafter, when we LET
her she expressed the kindliest feel
4 ings for us. she gave us roses; sh'
drove us to the railway station, ant
q she stood outside the station wavinl
her hand until the train started
n Whenever I have thought the matte
over since then l have been satishel
thai I acted wisely in declining Ros
Bonheur's invitation to dinner
tCopyrisht 1912 by + J. Edwards
All rights reserved)