SIEDFORD MATE TRIBUNE, fEDFORP, OTCEQOy, TUESDAY, MATECIT 27.
PlOE FIVE
BERNHARD
I A GREAT ACTRESS
m
A
POOR
SPORT
SKETCH
OF
HER
TEMP
ESTUOUS
CAREER
Madame Sarah Bernhardt, who
died In' Pnria yesterday at 70 years
of neo, seemed still a girl, and was
known to every land as "tho world's
greatest. i acti ess." What dlssont
thero 1 mlRhti ' ha v.e been to this esti
mate,: and however far her detractors
ventured in their attempt to nilnl
ikmlze nor right to that distinction, the
(numberless admirers of tho "Divine
Sarah" remained convinced that
never before had the stage produced
an actress capable of soaring to such
heights in the realm of emotional
drama.
The work of Mine. Bernhardt' was
best where a theme afforded tho
greatest opportunity for a display of
her powerful emotions. At tho height
of her career this form of acting,
based principally on love, hate and
Jealousy, held the predomlnent place
now dedicated to character delinea
tions, and Bernhardt nover was sur
passed, her critics say, In this emo
tional school. Hundreds of parts she
either rewrote or created to suit
herself, seldom being content to act
them as interpreted by others.
Three generations have praised
and even worshipped tho art of Bern
hardt, and hundreds upon thousands
of people around the world have
thronged to seo and marvel at her
acting without understanding the
French language, which she Invar
iably employed upon the stage. Once
in Rio do Jnneiro, she was called be
w fore tho curtain more than 200 times
by a wildly enthusiastic audience,
nnd many times, in other parts of
the world, she was obliged to answer
scores of curtain calls at a single
performance.
Jito I,lko a Legend.
Tho long llfc-story of Bernhardt Is
almost legendary. Closely wovei
with dramatic incident, off as well
as on the stage, it was set down by
herself in a lengthy volume publish
ed many years ago, and, as one of her
critics has said, "through tho pages
of the book peers the face of a
woman, a little tired, weary of her
own reputation, and blessed with
more than her share of the vanities
of tho sex." As she and others have
told the story it is summed up here:
Tho date of her birth, the record
of which was destroyed in the flames
of tho Commune in Paris, was com
monly accepted as October 22, 1845.
Her mother-waff Dutch and Jewish,
and her natural father a French of
ficial. As a child Bernhardt spent much
of her time with relatives in Paris,
and at the ngo of 12 was sent to tho
Grand Champ convent, Versailles',
wberesb.e. jinnde her (Jeput In a little
miraclo play given by the Children.
Even at this early age, tho pale and
sickly child is said to have displayed
tho fits of temper which wore char
acteristic of her stage career.
Too Thin to Act.
After a year or two at the convent,
she conceived a passionate deslro to
becomo a nun. To this hor. mother
recorded unqualified opposition, and
suggested a theatrical career instead.
"She's too thin to be an nctress,"
said her god-father. "Let her be a
nun."
"I won't be an actress," littlo Sarah
categorically exclaimed. ' "Rachel is
an actress. Sho came to tho convent
and walked around the garden, then
she had' to sit down because she
couldn't got her breath. They fetch
ed her something to bring her around
but sho was so pale, oti so pale., I
was very sorry for her, and tho nuns
told mo that what she wjis doing was
killing her, for she was an actress,
and I won't be an nctress, I won't."
Hilt fate had determined otherwise
and at tho ago of 14 Bernhardt was
sent to a conservatory. At tho end
of the --first year she won second
prizo for'tragedy. A subscription
nmong tho players nt the Comedle
Francnise enabled her to spend nn
' other year at the conservatory, and
upon tho completion of this she enr
lied off socond prize for comedy. Her
first public nppearnnco was nt tho
Comedle Francalso in August, 1802.
Sho took a minor part without any
marked success.
Five years later she emerged from
laborious obscurity with hor first
definite success as Cordelia In a
French translation of "King Lear," at
tho Odoon, then as Queen in Victor
Hugo, 's "Ruy Bias," and above all as
Zanzett in Francois Coppee's "Lo
Passant," which sho played In 1809.
Then camd tho Franco-Prussian
war. Bernhardt increased her pop
ularity by becoming a war nurse. In
1871 she was made a life member of
the Comedle Frnncaise. Sho clash
ed repeatedly with M. Perrin, the
manager, over the roles sho should
take and onco in a fit of pique, fled
from1 the, theatre and decided to give
up tho stage, Sho plunged Into' sculp
ture. Her first piece, "After the
Storm," finished some years later
won a place in the Salon. Sho re
turned to M. Porrln only to break
with him ngnln, incurring a forfeit
of 4000 pounds, which she paid.
Sho Invaded England, receiving a
tremendous ovation, then toured
Denmark and Russia. Next she came
to America, where her success was
Instantaneous, sho toured tho Unit
ed States and Canada eight times in
somo 35 years, and appeared several
times In the larger cities of South
America.
Breaking with the theatrical syn
dicates, which denied her tho use of
their theatres when she refused to
come to their terms, she was com
pelled to appear on ono of her Amer
ican tours In tents, convention halls
and armories. She vowed never to
appear In a theatre again, but on
subsequent visits she came to terms
with tho syndicates.
Visited U. S. A. In 1916.
The great actress, was a grand
mother when she last appeared In
America, and had suffered amputa
tion of her right leg. Upon her ar
rival in New York, October, 1916,
it was evident to the group of friends
and admirers who gathered to wel
como her that she walked with ex
treme difficulty.
While playing in New England she
contracted a severe cold which
prompted her to take a trip south
for her health. A few weeks later
she underwent an operation for in
fection of the kidney and although
more than 70 years of age, she enjoy
ed complete recovery and remained
in America for several months.
. The injury to her knee which com
pelled the amputation of her leg In
1915 was attributed to many differ
ent causes. For years before tho
amputation the plays in which sho
appeared wero altered to hido tho
fact that sho was able to walk only 'and seldom touched anything
undoubtedly was what might bo
called beautiful although from the
Fronch standpoint her slininess was
against her. Tho greatest Interest In
tho actress, asido from hor art, wns
tho tennclty with which sho clung
to her girlish appearance. At 75 she
might have passed for a woman of
30, so well had the features of hor
younger days been preserved.
Not Very Vain.
Bernhardt seems to hnve had no
disillusions nbout her personal ar
pearanco. By themselves hor fea
tures high cheek bones aquiline
nose nnd Hps parted abovo an almost
masculine chin wqre not pleasing,
but taken together they comprise 1
tho harmony of expression which
gave her tho title of "(tho divine
Sarah." Sho admitted on ono occa
sion that tho offect of her long whits
face emerging from a long blue
sheath was by no means pleasant. "In
this rig I look like an ant," she said.
Bernhardt wns tho moBt famous
for her death scenes, but it Is dougt
ful If her breathless, spellbound au
diences ever knew that many of them
wero played whilo tho actress was
suffering almost unbearable agonies
from her various physical ailments,
of which sho never was heard to
complain.
Pntience seemed to have been ono
of Bernhardt's inborn characteristics.
She would spend weeks and oven
months trying to correct technical
faults In some member of her com
pany, and then, if the subject failed
to improve, she would explode and
have nothing more to do with him,
either on or off tho stago not even
speaking to him undor any circumstances.
Sho always displayed a koen in
terest In tho henrt affairs of her
troupe, and delighted in holding a
"cupid's court," in' her private car.
at which sho would require aggrieved
swains and the objects of their af
fections to submit their differences
Bernhardt to bo the final arbitor.
A Poor Ijoscr.
Another of her pastimes was gam
bling, although she was a poor loser.
She remained jovial and vivacious as
long as the game was running in her
favor, but tho moment tho luck
changed she became sullen and sar
castic. Her opponents, once they
had lost to her, knew that It was
gono for good, ror sho would throw
down her cards and leave the game
at tho first Bign of reverses.
A love for strange pets was an
other of. Bernhardt's pecularitles.
When she was a little girl she saved
her money and bought a goat. She
learned to lovo the animal so much
that sho wanted to become a goat
herd and cried when her mother ridi
culed the idea. During the Franco
Prussian war she raised geese for the
soldiers, but grew to care so much
for them that she refused to havo
them killed. Once In London sho
bought a lion cub, a tiger and two
chameleons at an auction salo. An
other tlmo sho bought a baby elo
phant, but It grew itself out of a
home. She tried for years to find a
dwarf elephant, but never succeeded
The convlvnlity of the dinner table
was another of Bernhard's delights.
She particularly enjoyed a feast at
midnight nftor a performance, when
the members of her -company wero
present. She drank In moderation
out
SPEND FASTER III
Three o'clock!
Feelkinda
droopy?
A nickel buys a
CHOCOLATE
1! KRUMBLE,
crunchy with nut
butter. Helps like
everything.
Mndo ly 1'nclflc Curst Wscult Co.
with great difficulty. Tho operation
was performed in Paris, and upon
her recovery sho reappeared on the
stage and wns given tho greatest
ovation of her career. Her manager
announced that henceforth sho would
interpret only motionless roles.
Xo Man Jlcr Master.
During the world war Bernhardt
made several trips to the French
front nnd gave a number of perform
ances for tho soldiers. This, sho de
clared, wns the "incomparable event"
of her life.
Tho memoirs of Bernhardt sedu
lously avoid any mention of her mar
tini experience, and only in tho mid
dle of the bulky voltimo docs sho
mention casually the existence of a
son. Ono of her clitics declared that
'sho never seemed to find tho man
who could master her."
"Thero was In hor," ho continued,
"the making of a super-woman, a-nd
although sho met Victor Hugo and
tho greatest intellectual potentates of
nor time, tho super-man,- who alono
could hold her, never entered her
lire."
Years ago a Jealous rival of her
theatrical career published a satire
entitled "Tho story of Sarah Bar
num," In which the love affairs of
the actress real and alleged, were
shamelessly laid bare. Bernhardt
resorted to tho horse-whip to punish
tho author.
In 1882 tho nctress was married
to Jacques Damala, a handsomo
Greek who had mado a name In tho
theatrical world through his work in
"The Ironmaster." iHo later took 'a
minor part In ono of her plays, but
after a year on tour they separated.
Later sho took him back to hor home
and nursed him through a fatal siege
of consumption.
Mmo. Bernhardt's natural son,
Maurice, showed no Inclination to
follow tho profession of his mother.
and after spending a short tlmo InL
mo kronen army, no married a Rus
sian princess. Sho died after hear
ing him a daughter, and Maurice
Bernhnrdt took a Pnrlslenno as his
second wife.
Mndo Big Fortune.
Mnny stories havo been told of the
fabulous sums nccruing to tho fa
mous actress, especially In America,
but authenticated figures show that
the gross receipts of each tour were
in tho neighborhood of (500,000, of
which sho usually received fifty per
cent. A large part of her earnings
was reinvested In theatrical enter
prises nnd nt one tlmo she owned or
controlled half a dozen playhouses
In Paris.
Of the more than 200 parts Bern
hnrdt essayed during her long stage
career, perhaps the boldest experi
ment of all was the title role In
French production of Hamlet, which
met with such unmistakable success
that sho was prompted to nppear
again as a man in "L'Aiglon." Her
repertory. In addition to the plays
mentioned, Included "Joan of Arc,'
"Fedora," "Adrlenne Icouvreur,'
".Sappho," "Theodora," and "Her
inanl." Her greatest successes, how-
over, seemed to center in tho Hugo
and Snrdou dramas, both tragedies
and comedies. Mnny of these plays
were wrllten around her nnd "fitted
like a glove."
A physlenl description nf Bern-
I b.trdt is difficult. In her youth she
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fin., Mar. 27.
President and Mrs. Harding expect to
spend Easter in Augusta, Ga. Prelim
inary arrangements were being made
today for the departure of the presi
dential vacation party from St. Augus
tine late Saturday after a stay here
of a week and for removal Sunday to
Augusta,
How long Mr. and Mrs. Harding will
stay in Augusta has not been decided,
nor have any decisions been reached
as to whether other Btops are to be
made enroute from that city bock to
Washington.
After a shower last night St Augus
tine was bright today with sunshine,
an ideal day for golf, and the presi
dent planned to take advantage of it.
Members of the party today pointed
to the 36 holes of golf played yester
day as proof of statements that the
president's physical condition had
been greatly Improved by tho throe
weeks spent In Florida-
Chairman Lasker of tho shipping
board who Is a member of the presi
dential party, announced today that
he had abandoned, by request of the
president, his plans to leave tonight
for Washington. The work of tho ship
ping board in preparing the alternate
plans for solving the merchant ma
rine problem is progressing satisfac
torily, Mr. Lasker said nnd will bo
ready for submission to the president
early next month.
cA
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champagne. She nover was known to
smoko.
Two of the treasures in her. Paris
home invariably excited the interest
of visitors. Ono was tho skull given
her by Victor Hugo, on which ho had
written autograph verso" to tho act
ress and tho other was tho coffin in
which sho occasionally slept. This
strange bed, sho explained, was pad
ded with "memories of her dead mo
faded rose loaves and letters yellow
with age.
Fascinated by Death.
She once expressed a wish that this
coffin bo her final resting place, and
in 1922 tho idea was elaborated upon
whon sho bought for (100 from tho
French government a little granito
island In the Bay of Biscay, not far
from her summer home at Bello Ho,
where sho planned to build a mag
nificent tomb crowned with a mnrblo
statuo of herself, tho arms out
stretched as If beckoning flo hnr-
rassed fishermen imperilled by tho
storms.
Death had a weird fascination for
Bernhardt, and for years sho con
tomplated it with what appeared to
bo an uncanny humor. Tho wish sho
most often expressed was that sho
might die in tho midst of hor tri
umphs. "I shall play until death,"
she said, "and the death I hope for is
tho death Sir Henry Irving died.
Her English contemporary died on
tour, being stricken with apoplexy
after a performance in 1905,
Toward tho end of 1922, It was
thought this desire might shorten her
life considerably, for while sho was
dangerously ill In hor Paris home.
she pitted hor iron will against tho
physlclnns and prepared to resume
her part in a new play by Sacha
Guitry thnt she was playing In when
stricken. She felt tho end was near.
her sick-room attendents said, and
wanted to be acting a leading role
when death rang down tho curtain.
Plenty of rtAc
kick in jgjff V
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