Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-09-26
||0MAN Who GAVE.
I'LL TO D'ANNUNZ|O
LIVES IN POVERTY
ne Time Greatest of
rragedienncs Is Now
Buried in Obscurity.
USE, THE. ."DIvINE DIVA"
HAS BITTER MEMORIES
hole Being of Great Actress
Was Wrapped Up in
> Erratic Poet.
NY COUNT DE EASY

10 %rLIten Tor Universal Servicc.)
ais, sept. 25.-Hcr heart broken
iea and made great. .Duse. the
vine diva" is living in poycrty
q obscurity In Rome. tho city OF
grandest triumphs.
shorant. perhaps. Of her need. tho
~ 10 whom She dedicated her for
10 and her love-thc love OF one
the worlds greatest tragedienncs-
on dlctator's throne In Fiumc,
City or Tragic Destiny.
10 the strings OF pathetic rcmcm
nally when ne Surveys his pres
greatness and admits to himself
~ II was over the stepping stones
woman's soul that his genius
'chcd It's goal?
n the flame licked shadows OF his
'mer loves one feminine phantom
mos out boldest In relief. its
aith-likc arms stretched suppiicat-
Hy toward the man they once en-
30 ohat as II may, there Is the ,csti.
ny or Paris beauty, to whom the
81 made love. and then. like the
icrs, cast aside. and to whom
Annunzio once said:
lou other women are as nothing
me. Duse was the only man
men have thrilled me physically
others mentally. but Duse was
only woman Of them all who
we'd me In every way"
lphs, was probably the best known
'Gedicnne in the world. She was
eady famous when she met Dan
MILO. who proved to be her Nemesis.
courted her Rrdently. and she
"a by the splendid genius OF his
ne. teil passionately In love with
More n. n Friend.
inc day n friend asked her why
| and D'Annunzio did not marry.
re mas not asked me-" she replied.
'd. besides. ] can do more for him
i remaining simply his friend"
ct q year. Duse had consecrated
j life. her art and herself to him
was evsrywhare seen with hor
would sf IN "a box at the Ma
nal Thcatcr when she appeared
~ and drinking in the iovelines
INC woman who had already in.
red two OF his books and poems
thout number.
Juse made fabulous sums Of money
her Tips through Europe and
ierlca. but she spent IL all TO fur
the genius OF DAnnunzio.
When her train arrived at n Euro
IN capital great crowds would sur
nd the station, and In London on
occasion her carriage was lifted
m its wheels and carried on the
,u!ders OF the crowd to the savoy
! tel, D'Annunzio manifested jeal-
Iy OF this popularity and is said
have once demonstrated with her
blowing kisses TO an audience
common method OF thanking for
clause. Thereafter she drove every
ere in closed cab and blew no
re kisses.
Ter whole being was wrapped UP
the. erratic poet. Leaving for a
r Of America. she said to friend
Every step / take cuts into my
art like n dagger. for 1t. takes me
ay from him (D'Annunzio): and
I undergo this torture because l
NJ TO see him exalted"
t was Duse who launched Dan
nz!o as dramatic author. for when
met him he was known only as
poet. and his fame had not reached
ch beyond the boundaries OF Italy.
;hc went out on theatrical tours ia
Ike money TO produce his plays.
ich were at first invariably failures
far as finances went. From lrst
last II Is certain Duse never made
ney on the plays written by DAN
nzio shat she produced. To the
itrary, She lost. large sums and
IN had 10 begin all over again with
In repertories In order to make
ugh money to finance another ven
The had the faith OF blind passion
the poets future.
Predicted His Greatness,
He will be the greatest man OF
( century" she remarked on one
,asion. Tong after I am forgotten
name will remain emblazoned in
Ing ms Of le his re5 Of f!ame-'he white
he prediction has all but come
e, for Duse Is now forgotten by ali
g her closest friends and n sprin-
ng of music lovers. and D'Annunzio
!. on the pinnacle of his career.
itastically and successfully chal-
ginE the entire world to push him
what caused the break between
sc and her idol is not known. ana
,babiy never will be. Those near
to the diva say, however. that as
4 great sorrow-that the poet.
hout word even of gratitude
ch less of love, to the woman who
made him. left her. being at the
ie enthralled by the glorious Ida
sor months Buses faith in him re-
lined unbroken. She forgave him
inhdelity. as she had forgiven ii
,orc on numerous other occasions.
IT Is because he is a poet" she
d. Beauty moves him like fire
water. And am growing old"
Compelling az Flnmc.
III, when DAnnunzio returned to
me and refused even to go near the
man who had, sacrificed SO much
him, her spirit dropped. She can
ed her engagements and went into
fusion. Even her closest friends
not see her for moro than a year,
4 when they did see her thew re,
ted her passion for D'Annunzio
great as ever.
I have but ono thing to 1.-Two for"
told them. land that Is that he
some day come back to me-"
3efore the war Duse received a
all pension-sufflcient to keep her
comparative comfort-from q Ger
n Maecenas, a great admirer Of
art She had always been tre-
ndously popular in Gerfssss,ar,
ch more so than in France.
Practically PennileSs.
But when Italy entered tho war
7: Income ceased and Duse cana,
lscquently, into very straitened
cumstances. She lived on her econ
les, but due to tho sums she had
mt on D'Annunzio, these were
r sole support at the moment is
all pension accorded her by Oneen
rgherlta OF Italy, who throurhoI,t
: career has remained ono yof Ser
at devoted friends. \, Is ~
Tho story OF her poverty did not
.ome known generally untflSan So
,ished pubic saw. hef-SnaYne AZ an
ress in g minor part tus MIN. bro
-7TTi0Ts55~ ~. 800.