The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-05-29
MISS. O'RE|L HAS
HAD GREAT CAREER
DrAR or ssTRILBYn WITH MANY
SUCCESSES BEHIND HER STILL
SEEKS IDEAL.
HAS TRAVELLED IN MANY LANDS,
NUT FINDS ENCHANTMENT AND
sOLACE IN vAsTNEss OF
SAHARA DESERT.


than Mrs Alice Roosevelt Longworth
ever dreamed Of, who has been dined
in every city OF size in this country
and In many of those in other lands,
and who is now giving the theater-
going public OF Richmond one of the
greatest dramatic treats in the late
history OF the city. is one woman
whose ambition will never be realized,
whose Ideal will never be attained.
II formed my ideal early in life"
she stated yesterday afternoon, land
have ever tried to attain 1t. But
and her eyes sought the ceiling in a
thoughtful pcrusixe glance as she
crossed her hands over her knee-''it
always seems to slip away. to keep Just
beyond reach" And this from one
VINO has had one OF the greatest
careers OF any modern American &C
tresa But then. what would be the
use of having an Ideal II one could
just reach out and grasp it. 1t is
something that we need in order that
We attain wha is really worth while.
and 1t II what inspires UP to our
work.
And work Is one OF the most i'm
portant things In the world to me.
Just simply can't stand idieness. One
week with nothing to do Is the worst
Der how miserable was during the
time Mr.. Belasco was searching the
play market for my new play. 1t took
considerable time to find just the right
thing, and during the while / was
idle and miserable"
There Is. however. one kind OF idle
meas which Miss O'Neill does like.
Place her in the Sahara desert and
ahe 10 spellbound. There L. something
about the desert air, the desert -scape
that grips her and which will hold
her enraptured for hours. The giant
waste Of the Sahara has an attraction
tor her that Is irresistible. Wrapped
in the yards and yards Of silken cloth
which the people OF the desert wear
she has spend nights, during her
touring OF Africa. gazing at the my
RAIDS Of stars in the heavens and
listening to the soundlessness of the
great mystery.
THE desert is wonderful" declared
Miss O'Neill. Its vasteness. its
grandeur. it's awfulness and it's still
ness combine to have one OF the
greatest effects upon me. ! am over
come by them and am perfectly con-
tent to lie there and wonder at Ii all.
Then. il at any time in persons life.
the solemnity of existence finds a place
In your thoughts"
And to hear her describe It. illus
trating each sentence with some tes-
ture that is lust the right one to i'm
press one with the idea. II is ca sy to
believe that the desert is the greatest
plaee-ir the world
Her ri~n~as ~ this section or
the world have been as numerous a.
they have been strange. She is one
of the few women who have explored
tho interior of the Cheops Pyramid
and has stood before the several slabs
which mark the resting place of the
famous Egyptian rulers To do so
she was compelled to climb through
the rocks of the pyramid just half
way to the top, or to be exact ESQ
feet. Much Of this journey consisted
of jumping crevaxseS several feet
broad. or in being more dragged than
aided up the narrow tunnel like pas
sage that leads to the Growing hall
Yesterday afternoon when visited by
the interviewer Miss O'Neili was found
In her cosy little dressing room talk
ing with members OF the La Verne
company about the part for the com
ing play. Woman-like, her first
thought was for the appearance OF
the room. which needed no excuses at
all. It was the stars Of course, and
Ut every turn one encountered some
touch OF LONELINESS which contradict
ed all Of the oft-repeated stories Of
della pidated. desolate dressing rooms
redelent with the odor of grease,
paint and false hair.
These articles lay scattered just be-
fore the great mirror in which she
watches the effects OF each line as
It IL traced in the face. but the sight
of them was ali that recalled that
one was within the dressing room OF
. star actress The several tables and
shelves were each covered with a
silken like cloth Of attractive blue de-
sign and on table just at her elbow
were several large pots OF geraniums.
1t all appeared very domestic and
several times during the conversation
Miss O'Ne!ll seemed on the point of
admitting that while the theatrical
life obtained for one many OF the
great things of life 1t still prevented
the attainment OF others.
A native OF California, she early
became imbued with the idea of
travelling. Of making a. name for her.
self and above all OF being tndepen-
dent. ! In answer to the question as
to how she happened to choose the
stage for her life's work, as to how
she started, she replied simply that
she had begun to act. Her parents
were adverse to her taking the step
and she did so without their consent,
She Is a staunch In her belief that
California is the greatest country in
the world but ranks Africa, India and
the Southern United States a close
second. The romance of these sec
tipns appeals to her highly impress
sionistic and imaginary mind and she
likes nothing better. than to study
them at first hand. Even in Rich
m0nd she has found traces OF the
romantic In several OF the older
older houses. What many would pass
by without noticing Is to Miss O'Neill
4 revelation Of romance.
Miss ONeill has travelled once COM
ploteiy around the world and has
made many trips back to Australia
ana Europe. And when saying that
she has toured the world II does not
mean that she appeared In a city
here and there in the various coun-
tries. In every city Of Importance in
almost every country from New Zea-
Stand to the lower coast of Africa Miss
OpNeill has played.
Just at the present time she Is
somewhat in the dumps" though.
for : cruel hotel keeper has put a
han son her pets and she has been
compelled to ship the CANNES to her
Nav York apartments. But you
vould have to be told that things