The Washington times., 1914-03-28
Shades of Shakespeare! Here's Actress,
Who Couldn't Outsfline Bernhardt
Patricia, Co|Iinge Has No Past
That She Will Boast About,
Deprecates Her Present Ac-
tivities, and Lives in the
Future.
Bv GARDNER MACK.

Hero is where We put one over on
the editor!
He's a Grabbed sort Of person,
sometimes. and has told US repeat
edly that there must be some strik-
ing fact about a person to permit
her to break into the pages he's SO
carefully guarding.
1t is to laugh!
Here's a story about a girl that
hasn't got single unusual feature
to 1t or to her. In fact, that's tho
reason there's a story about her.
It's a fairly well accepted fact that
a biography doesn't biog to any
alarming extent unless there has
been something in the life Of the
subject thereof that lifts it above
the common run Of folk, so to speak.
X doesn't make much difference
what 1t is-good or bad, scandalous
or praiseworthy, little or big-some-
thing must have happened that side
tracks the person about whom it is
writtel from the main line Of human
understanding. Else there wouldn't
be anything to explain-absolutely
nothing to say.
Worked Like 4 Dentist.
For more than an hour I work
ed like a dentist over Patricia
Collinge. Drawing facts from that
girl was like pulling teeth that
didn't want to be pulled. Every
time I'd find little. wee trace OF
something that sounded good tuck
ed away somewhere in the corner
of her brain she'd Immediately
qualify it with something medi-
ocre.
Miss Bingham took a hand and
tried to help. Amelia Bingham
ought to be able to bring some
thing out Of a person IL there's
anything in them. She talked to
the young woman who helps her
provide a situation for the spot
light man-she talked to her like
a friend. then as 4 solicitous rela-
tive. and finally like a dressmaker
at the end of a long days work.
We both impressed on her that
lot Of things have been crowded
into lives considerably less than
the twenty years in length that
she boasts Of. Yes. indeed-b1asts
of it! What do you know about
that? That gives you an idea Of
the kind of thing We were up
against. Miss Bingham gave up
in disgust and quit the room. She
was only half an hour late for an
engagement then and could have
spent a lot more time with US
bat what was the use'
II want to be an actress, MISS
COllinSe said among other things,
looking me seriously. appealingly.
in the eyes.
Coming from a young person
whose name is displayed in large
type at the head of program
that contains three OF the most
statement rather took our breath
away. Even Felix Mahoncy drew
back. And he get an increase OF
salary once and says that nothing
can surprise him now.
Costume? Up To the Minute.
81 don't know tust what kinds Of
parts 1 ought to play. because. you
see haven't had experience
enough to know and she looked
intentIy at an alleged work of art
on the hotel parlor wall. A reSu-
lar writer would probably say "she
wore an expectant far away look
II they're wearing that sort of a
thing now-for Miss CollinSe is
right up to the minute in costum-
ing-on and off, as they say in
the Dramatic Mirror.
Imagine an actress who has been
on the stage more than five minutes
not knowing she could make Julia
Marlowe look like the cooks sick
friend. doing Juliet or Parthenia!
And I'm often SO conscious OF
myself and the things / lack when
I'm on the stage
She had finished looking over the
painting and turned her eyes on me.
! sighed and gave it UP.
You see, Patricia Collinge is Irish.
Irish women, states. prominent
philosopher. have tremendous pos
stbilities, an exaggerated sense of
their own faults and failings and a
never tagging sense of humor. Miss
Collinge has all of these but the
last. If she had. her own <ate Of
mind would make her laugh her
self into an early grave.
She woke to the fact OF living Eith
n sincere desire to act. Before She
was out Of the cradle she confesses
she felt the impulse to act Time
out of time, when there wasn't a
thing the matter with her. she would
cry and howl and the nurse would
come and pet her. She admits now
there was no reason for 1t except
that she wanted to see II she could