Evening star., 1932-02-26

Differing only in degree, tributes to
Minnie Maddern Fiske, as death ends
her long career, all place her among
the great as an actress and as cltl-
zen. Many would put her in the
supreme position on at least the Eng
disappearing stage. There Is an over
whelming volume of evidence that she
held the affection of the country.
America loses a fine lady and a
great actress, probably the greatest on
the contemporary stage" declares the
Hartford Times, with the thought tnat
truly the memory of Minnie Maddern
Fiske is something that every play
goer who saw her will cherish" the
Times comments as to her art that she
could play everything and play 1t
well" and dominated the stage when
she was upon it." The Rockford
Register-Republic States that she wore
majestic title-America' foremost
actress" and that millions have Wor-
SHIPPED at her shrine and they loved
her to the hour of her passing from
earth"
1--WE have lost the greatest actor
America has yet produced-the greatest
that America may ever produce" In the
opinion of the Columbia IS. c. State,
which recalls that 'she acted each
character so perfectly and with such
freshness and inspirational charm that
she seemed to have attained in each
successive impersonation the utmost
crest of her art" The State also offers
the estimate: There are but one or
two actresses that could pretend to be
Of her starry magnitude. These are.
Of course, Bernhardt and Duse, with
Rachel as possible peer or lady IN
waiting" That paper concludes its
fr;IN tota f'WhpthH
in the whimsical psychology OF Nora
or the soul-racked Hedda Gabler or in
the fiimsiest and trickiest comedy 1t
was always the same fnerrant genius
that impersonated and interpreted for
US. Let us leave to Shakespeare, god OF
her stage and heaven, to say the maj
word for her:
After life's fitfuI fever
. Take her for all in all,
I shall not look upon her like aga1nI "
"She possessed a find mind and a
skill in Interpretation that set entirely
new standards for the English-speaking
stage" according to the St. Louis times,
which remarks that "She was the f1rst OF
our players to abandon the declamatory
style" The San Francisco Chronicle
holds that through long line OF tri-
umphant roles she shed luster on the
traditions of the American stage" and
the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern finds
great numbers who can look back
reverently and wistfully through the
corridors of memory to revive the magic
of woman who was able to create life,
reality and beauty upon the stage"
Mrs. Fiske gave more than superb
talent to the stage" says the Fort
WayEs News-Sentinei. she gave her
whole self-her whole life. She was
not yet three years Of age when she
MADE her first theatrical appearance
as the Duke of York in Richard III.
In the more than three-score years
that followed, she appeared in hundreds
of roles. wrote plays herself. visited al
most everey State in the Union. Her
was almost superhuman. In
Tess Of the D'Urbervilles, Becky |
Sharp The New York Idea, The
'Hedda Gabler,' Ghosts The
School for Scandal A Dolls House, |
Ladies of the Jury-hers was always
the mind Of the theatrical artist at |
its best, supported by buoyancy OF
spirit which Knocked all those tempera-
mental pretensions with which SO many
moody Thespians disgust the laity. Nor
did she ever permit herself lapse of
the good taste which restrains
dramatic artist from grotestquely essay
ing roles for which he or she is
Quoting statements that she was
'anequalsd 6among English-spe sking
actresses" tA Schenectady Gazette re-