The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-29
Mrs. Beecher:: An Appreciation

AS I sat among the vast throngs last Thursday afternoon in admira- tion before the beautiful art of Mrs Leonard T, Beecher, when she gave her charming interpretation of Sir James Matthew Barries whimsical Alice Sit-By the Fire" and selec- tions from modern poets for the Art league, as she stood before the be- coming curtains of the "coleur de rose" her graceful figure, clad in some sort of shimmering, scintillating, glimmering gown, lovelier than I had ever seen her, these are some of the thoughts which ran through my brain;
 How easily she might have been the model for an artist, or she might have been Raphael or a Michael Angelo with the brush had she chos- en to be 6 canvas arist; more than that, she ght have been a great musician--a Chopin--a Mozart--and still further-there is the nobility of Joan of Arc in her wondrous mind and vision so exquisite and so exotic in her charm.
 Again, 1 thought: What a wonder ful smile she has-the Mona Lisa smile of beauty and of incomparable sentleness, and her lovely voice that passing sweet enchantment" which gives to womanhood its crown of glory and, above all, her radiant heart and cultured mind.
 Small wonder that this wonder woman" has woven her personality into the minds and hearts of Birming- ham-of Alabama-of the south where her beautiful art Is known yes-further-into far-off northern cllmes where snow and ice make tho environment cold and chilly--and yet she has permeated 1t all with the magic of her lovely voice and tho charm of her fascinating personal ity.
 Mrs Beecher has the temperament of world wide genius, and, again say she might easily have been great painter. 8 poet, writer, musician, had she chosen--but hers has been the better part of valor- beautiful womanhood. which has made her the adored mother and wife above and beyond all her great ac- comp1ishments which might have tempted many . woman of less fine calfbre to leave and desert for the plaudlts of the multitudesl
 Mrs. Beecher's heart and mind combine to give her that broad vision of people and things which she reads into every word she utters-for she has the power of looking at humanI nature, or a sonnet, or a sunset, with almost Raphaelic comprehension deep spirituality and spiritual char acteristics; & poet, an artist. mu- scian--had she chosen-instead of the wife, the mother. the woman.
 That she neither paints. nor writes. nor composes music, nor plays 1t, makes her none the less tho artist-for she has the artists soul and tho artists vision, and these are dominant in her public appearances. whether shs is reading an effusion of Tom Dalys, the whimsicalitX of Bar rie or tho poetic beauties of Alfred Moves:
 "In lilac time. in lilac time
 Come down to Kew in lilac time," seeming still to ring in ones ears with that soft, Hitting, rhythmic ca- ross of tone. which bids us "come"- for
 Tt is net far from London.-
 Mrs. Bseoher has more than mere beauty in her face; she has soul and she has intellect and the grace of her form and the ease with which she carries herself-make her an arrest ing fiRue in the amateur world of art today--a figure that might have been pre-eminent in the world of professional art had she chosen that course.
 Mrs. Beschsrs delightful intarprs- tation Of Alice Sit-B By the Fire" which she save before the Art league,