New-York tribune., 1920-01-11
By Harriette Underhill

Oy 46IklGtSC OA0OAAAAkA
The Spirit Of tho Ages had ordered
tea for herself, although she insisted
on our having chocolate. otis good
for one" she said.
"Then why isn't it good for two Z"
we asked.
'Fattening," she answered, with
finality. The Spirit Of the Ages tasted
her tea and added another lump. It's
funny how prohibition makes you want
serve one lump Of sugar that want
ed two.
"Yes, and Pm sure no one ever
thought Of wanting cocktail before
dinner until some one said we shouldn't
have it."
You're a humorist, aren't you7" re-
torted the Spirit of the Ages:
If you haven't seen "The Gold Dig
gers" you may not know that the Spirit
of the Ages is Jobyna Howland. She
complains bitterly because she is so
tall that she never is cast for any
thing but the League of Nations or the
Statue of Liberty. She is rehearsing
her new part for "Sweetie" and, seiz-
ing large vase, she walks down
stage with it held aloft, announcing:
Il am the Spirit of tho Ages. I got
another line now, Sweetie, but I for
get it."
When we arrived, not more than two
minutes late for our appointment with
Miss Rowland, we found the Spirit of
the Ages pacing up and down in front
of Henri's.
II always exercise while I'm wait
ing" she said, but it seemed to US that
if We worked in front Of the camera
in the daytime and on the stage at
night we shouldn't mind sitting
down and waiting for people who were
late to tea with us and might even
hope that they would be late.
Miss Rowland always has fascinated
us. Her vigor, her good looks and her
though we had known her only five
minutes we wanted to say "Where were
you born and how old are you, and
how long have you been on the stage
and are you married and have you al
ways played comedy and isn't it fas-
cinating and is that color all your
own and what is your favorite fur and
are you extravagant and do you be-
lieve in reincarnation and where did
you get that silver cross and chain
that looks like the one Hamlet wears
when he soliloquizes?"
Intending, automatically, to lead up
the last THAT? Why that was made
in the thirteenth century"
"The Spirit of the Ages!" we breathed
in awestruck tones.
at was given to mo by young
Russian when I visited Russia while
my brother, Olin, was dancing there.
IF you don't care to wear it. give it to
a museum he said, and just after that
he was killed in the war. When l re-
l. 80
noisseur and he told me all about it..
OF course. l shouldn't be wearing it
around. 1t ought to be in museum" :"
What does it mean?" we asked,
lingering the carving and trying to
picture some of the people who might
have worn it.
II haven't any idea"
perhaps it's the ancient order of the
Bolshcvik or something. They prob
ably were rampant in the thirteenth
century"
Although we tried to get Miss How
land to talk about herself, she abso-
lutely refused, and it wasn't until she
was driving us back to the hotel that
we managed to elicit few facts con
cerning her past.
She insisted on talking about Mr..
Belasco and how marvellous he is, and
you were quite sure that she meant
every WORD sne SAID. MISS HOW1and Is
the sort who would say Dave is a
brute, and hate him. if she did.
"People wonder why Mr.. Belasco
keeps his people year after year and
why he has such absolute loyalty from
all Of his subjects. Well, they
wouldn't wonder if ever they had
worked for him. never have seen such
consideration. While we are rehears-
ing all of our meals are sent in to US,
not sandwich and cup of coffee,
but real food that makes you feel like
working.
And thing that nobody knows is
that our props are ready for us at the
first rehearsal. You know. as a rule,
you never have any idea what sort of
room you're going to be in or what
kind of q chair you're going to sit on
until the dress rehearsal. Then you
have one performance to get used to it,
But when we start to rehcarse every
thing is there that we are going to use
SO you feel when the curtain goes up
that awful first night that at least you
are in your own home, and you know
every rug and chair and prop, and
everything is genuine. That is what
they are always talking about as
Belasco realism. 1t is real.
"At the first rehearsal, when we came
to the scene where Mabel has to gather
sssMnzuus-sassz.1.s