The New York herald., 1922-06-04
Hoes Back to Days of Wal
lacks, Where She Long
Was Leading Woman.
BY ROSE cocHLAN.

BY ROSE coCHLAN.
HAD been in New York for sea-
II son or two, but viewed it rather
LIZ as girl ''unskilled. unlettered'
vht be expected to do, and at the
| disappointment / shook the dust
his provincial" city of my san
and ran back to London excaim-
3 that should never return. / did
n eturn In 1877 and have been here
ver since. knowing no other home
and feeling what ana true Ameri-
can. Count up the years more def
nttely and you will find that my retro
spect of our stage covers half a cen
tury.
And here l pause, but it is only for
breathing spell. Before the recent
benef1t rendered me by all those kind
friends there fell on me the doubt,
hlighting to an artist. however old,
that might never act again. 1t has
lifted. thank God. and in it's place is
the confidence that with period of
rest. UP in the mountains where I
am going to take it, the headaches
that have oppressed. even deadened,
me, will disappear and in the autumn
II part Is offered me that I can
play l shall be able to take it.
She Isn't Old in Spirit.
Whatever Years May Say
y For am not an old woman :.
perish the thought! Every tooth in
my head is strong and is my own
(and there are at least thirty of them),
every organ functions perfectly; I can
walk and carry myself like a young
GIRL and to judge by appearances 1
tould give half. my vitality to some
specimen OF the so-called "flapper"
and stiH have sufficient for my own
use. love life strongly. but it must
abe the life of the theater, So with any
chance at all, il I must lag know
where shall do it,
But even while I am making these
serious statements there arise in my
mind questions that must be in the
minds Of the people who have always
been SO good to me-my audiences-
and these ] want to answer with all
candor.s
And the first is, Why should an
actress who rarely has been "at lib
erty,"aas the professional phrase de-
scribes one without an engagement,
and who for thirty or forty years has
commanded large salary and re-
ceived it. why. L repeat Cor they re-
peat), should such one be in want?
Many Reasons Account
For Impecuniosity
The popular answer to this question
II a reference to the happy go lucky
bohemian temperament. long consid-
cred sufficient to cover extravaganza
Yand folly of artists in money matters.
3qther answers are not so kindly in
Intention, sometimes imputing to the
artist a tendency to gamble In Wall
Street or to live beyond his means.
In my own case none of these things
explain. Almost from my fourteenth
year / have carried the responsible
ties of family. was no older than
that when went on the stage in Eng
land and at sixteen played Lady
Macbeth, so that 1t did not seem so
unreasonable that ] should help out
near and dear relatives. For my sis
ter Ely provided musical educa-
ton at the Paris Conservatory Of
Music. and from my own to the sue
ceedfng generation I have had the
happiness and the opportunity to
serve my own dear ones. Farther
than this ! shall not be constrained to
speak.
Always an artist who has gained a
a oix,r r. .tn
Is compelled by her position to live
a little beyond her means. To save is
not customarily permitted her. she
must spend great sum on her cos
tunes every year, she must so to the
leading hotel in every city she visits
In a professional tournee. She can
do nothing without personal maid,
in many cases a personal manager is
as much of necessity. These ex-
penses, forced on one by the law of
noblesse obli0e. are no more to be
avoided than those of entertaining
guests in the White House can be
omitted from his personal budget by
the President.
And to complete what wish to say
on this truly delicate subject, after a
woman has been half century on the
stage parts suitable for her to act
are not often provided by the modern
playwright. Her very reputation fire.
quentiy stands in her way. 1t was
only recently that / was sent for by
q firm Of managers and offered a
really good role in modern play by
an English author. The script was
placed in my hands. terms discussed,
everything, in fact. carried out ex-
cept the sienir. of contract.