Pueblo chieftain., 1921-05-22
BY FREDERIC j. Haskin.


New York City. May 19.-Eleanora
Duse. the famous Italian tragedienne.
has returned to the stage after an alb
sence of nearly 20 years. At the age of
81, she will tour Italy under manage
ment of the distinguished actor-man
ager, Ermeto Zacconi. playing Ibsens
Lady from the Sea-, and other roles
in which she triumphed- many years
ago.
If the tour is a success, it may be
extended to other parts of the CONT
nent, and eventually perhaps, the
younger generations of America may
have an opportunity to see an actress
| who. all critics agree. is one of the
greatest dramatic artists who ever
| lived.
According to people who have seen
her recently Duse is just as miracul-
| ously preserved for her age her
| great rival, Sarah Bernhard, who Is
her senior by some ID years. She re-
| tains her slender figure, they say, and
the same wonderfully melodious voice
Her face has remained smooth and
unwrinkled. Above all, she still retains
I the personal magnetism which so deep
| ly stirred her audiences.
| Duse is said to be the only woman
| of whom Sarah Bernhardt was ever
jealous. Until the Italian actress sud
denly appeared at the Renaissance the
ater in Pals during her continental
tour in 1897. Bernhard had been idol.
lied as the greatest tragedienne of all
most overnight. the Divine Sarah
found her lofty pinnacle of fame
shared by a formidable rival. The
Duse is equally as great as our be-
loved Sarah" write the French crit
les. even tho Italian
! This was not all they said. The
French newspapers contained columns
upon columns of fervent praise for the
new genius. In reading over what
European dramatic critics have writ
ten concerning Duse, in fact one is
moved to deep amazement. Altho by
no means a beautiful woman. she
seems to have had them all hypnotized.
Unlike Sarah Bernhardt, she scorned
the use of makeup even on the stage.
and her clothes were habitually SOM
ber 10 not actually dowdy. she wore
| no jewelry. and perfumes of any de-
scription. even the scent of flowers.
she found intolerable. A plain quiet.
little woman, who seldom laughed and
who spent most of her leisure hours
collecting hooks, photographs and
scissors-innumerable pairs of scissors.
which she was always losing and leav-
| ing about. Yet her interviewers all
found her the embodiment of charm.
grace and all that was desirable in
woman. Returning to their desks. they
would write unrestrained rhapsodies
1
the actress of the ages.
ssAss..-Apsse~rA. .----.--ss-,
oven Bernard Straw could find no
| flaws In her art or personality. In an
essay which he wrote on the actress
nearly 20 years ago. he was. for. once
in his life. almost tediously compli-
mentary. He contrasted Bernhardt's
superficial appeal with the deep. pow
crfu sense of tragedy that Duse
evoked. Bernhard. in his opinion was
II highly skilled technician. Duse was
a born tragedienne.
Bernhardt appealed to the intellect.
while Duse wrung peoples hearts. The
Divine Sarah martialcd her emotions
as her intellect and will directed, while
Duse was often overcome by her own
emotion in playing tragic part and
was unable I go on. In some instances
she was known to cry herself i'll.
II has been said that to those who
think. life is n comedy. to those who
feel. 1t is a tragedy. This theory Is
nowhere more clearly illustrated than
| in tho lives of the two great TRACE
dicnncs. Dusc and Bcrnhardt Bern
hardt. always coolly Intellectual.
shrewd and philosophical, has greatly
enjoyed life-still enjoys It at the age
| of ~. Duse. on the contrary. cmotioh-
al. high-strunc. deeply sympathetic.
| has been tho victim of misfortune and
sorrow. When a woman wronged Sarah
Bernhardt. she went almost gaily to