The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-01

nv ittiSll'NfHl bdN' li'ti t'l' "h'i'
stage in Russia
The monarchisls side of Russias
story is told to the world for the first
time since the Lcnine- Trotzky peace
negotiations began, by Madame Anas-
TASTE Souvorina, owner of the Little
Theater In pctrograd. star actress and
playwright there, wife Of the command
inE officer of the former Car Nicholas
private yacht standard" daughter of
the owner and editor of Russia's three
largest newspapers, including the No
voc Nremya.
The revolution cannot last said
Madame Souvorina, reaching san
Francisco in her flight for life. There
are too many different races of people
in Russia. hutocracy is all they I'M
derstand. and all they win bow TO-
what is the revolution doing Kill
ing, killing killing, How can mere
slaughter perpetuatc anything, much
less itself? ...
Mo- The monarchy win come back
A. car will rule again in Russia when
| the people have recovered from their
dcbauch.'
Madame Souvorina Is biased She
| makes no secret of that. The cars
! fnvorite actress, premier graduate OF
| the Paris dramatic school. Of Russian
noble family, she is n royalist to her
| fingertips
She IL more than that. As daughter
of the owner OF the official newspaper
| mouthpieccs of the old rcgime--the
| Morning Times and the Evening
| Times in Moscow, to give the names
| their English eQuivalents-~shc was
stepped from childhood In the propa
ganda of autocracy in Russia. She
has looked upon that autocracy. and
found it good in her eyes. And she
hopes and prays for It.
Also she tells the woman's tale OF it,
| "Ha, Ha," Madame Sourvorini
| laughed as scornfully as she could
ever have laughed on the stage the
i'worla seems to think Russia is just
finding her soul / tcll YOU Russia is
| losing her soul" and the woman who
laid claim To rank as the first actress
in Russia painted Il vivid picture of
| what happened when the Petrograd
| mob decided the Souvorna thca'er be
| ionrod to the proletariat instead OF to
| Madame Souvnrina,
1T was the night OF the premierc of
she said, rs she prepared her trunk
Tor the customs officer while the
| steamer Venezuela drtfted into its slip
in san Francisco harbur
You know the tense. electric atme-
| sphere of the moment when the cur
| tain Ii about to risc on II new play.
| An" Madame Souvorina hroathed in
deeply.
Well Imagine that tense moment
Increased a hundred fold because a
greater drama was being played in the
audience than ON the stage. II drama
that ovcrshudowed my poor little play
the drama of the red revolution.
Through three acts we played trem-
finch. oh, yes. hadsbe warned my
thrater was :" he taken,
When the fourth act opened We
PLAYERS became the audience, and the
audience turned player Tho rcd flag
hlottcd out tn" fine drapcrics Of my
stage.
4 rushed to the footuGhts, tried
to caim them, | could not. They were
mad-wild. | left the stage. My Sup
porting actors pleaded with the mob
'You will take the bread out of out
mouths If YOU close Madame Souvu-
/ rina's theater' they cried.
1t is not her theater, 1t Is ours,
came the cries. And guess they wer,
right For the first time | realized II
the engulfing wave of revolt. After
all l am only a woman. | cried Blu.
Il did nc: cry long seized my two
dogs and ran for my LIE"
Madame Souvorina escaped tC
Japan. taking her two small sons
twins, a few clothes and pictures shs
hastily tore from her dressing room
Her husband was arrested and she has
never heard from nor OF him. A
| brother likewise, has been swallowed
up in the revolution. Beside the the
alter, her large estate near Petrograd
/ her jeweiry and fine clothes, wers
taken by the reyolutiohists. All tire,
newspapers were confiseated by the
Bolsheviki.
Her two small sons, aged five. ant
one Of her dogs she had 10 leave II
Japan. She has come TO America Il
begin life anew. She hopes to build ;
theater of her own here
Yes. the monarchy will com