SARAH BERNHARDT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 123, 17 February 1908, Page 3

SARAH BERNHARDT.

V:Mr;;Max 'Bberhphm f reviews vthoV "Memoirs of. Sarall'-Bernhartlt" .'in -tho '.'Saturday, Re-'. • viow!'.:-r-'i.'' "' ] '•. '-4, i' .-Ai; ■ ,'''Hers.Ufea' .volcanic^nature'/-as; we'-: know, : r 'n^tlun^':fof-''-;i^is''V'6lt:ahioisin|'is-; lost' in her. description:'of' it.lt .has. .been' doubted whether she-really .;.wrbto:',tliD book herself. . :'Tho .'the ,sure : sense .of: what, .was. .ivorthtelling. and .what ! was not.i'tlib.■ shatpi;;;sa!lt-;yjvacity'.' of. the stylo- (whic^'not"eV>n'.-.the;slip-shod .English , _p'f i WibS:translator' : , can'f obscure)7—all ' these ; .' vfrtues-'lhave ; t'o.: some?,pedants-:.;seemed- 'in- '. 'c'bmpatibT6;#itli "authenticity. '• ; There-:-is JllO '!.''ns6Wp^tehtog" ; not write: this: book--| herself;.;--;fParisf i contains; of -Vconrse,* many-.'accomplished hacks %ho would. gladly' .••havo:'dose =the"job if6r-'iher,%anji'-Would> haVc i-Butnipno bf them could] • ''havo' impartbd:t6''thQ -boob-tfie peculiar firo l and salt' that' it; has—tlio''rushing..spontaneityi ' that '-discriminating reader, as Sarah's 'own/'v.- : ■■ I "Her:'life^ ; may'' be:;said-';tb r hav ( e been an almost' unbroken; from tho moment, when;-at 'tho:'ago of -three, she. fell: \ ■ :intorthe : Sre/i>i : f;Thefi - '■■ father,^whp;could-'not-move;-brought in. some neighbours.' •>'l->' was v thrown,all« smoking,

-i into/a large .pail of • fresh . .milk/.Z. : .> '.- havo/ .beeiirtoldftsihce'■ that/'nothing'"was /so -•'^'^inful:!toj;witnes^^d. : r^et ,l 'M'.-cfiarmiij4.-. as '•-:iriy/j®6tßia ! s;;.d'^paij!?'.. i f-' ! 'girl/would/not"'resent.;being■ removed fronr-a boarding-school by an aunt. Sho would-not .-'roll-about bmth'o ground,-,'uttering/the mbst / heart-rending-- cries.! 'But:that -.-. ;is-what. •'•little;.-'^rah4aid's;.andH'i ! tHe : ~'straggle)' lasted: "twdjhours/vahd rwhilei;-T was^b'eing;-dresswl ■'I /;.'escape'd.;'twico'.-into;- ; the. /gardenV and 1 : at-; tempted to; climb' itho-. trees-, and to throw . myself'into-' ; -.tho'r r '.pbnd..'i.l was 1 so . feverish- that! my lifo was -said 'to' be 'in danger.-'' --/-'v;', / ;/•''•'• •■ : • •/ ''On ''another-/occasion- she' swallowed/tho /contents ;of ; -? a^.largev/ink-pbt/. / / ;mbther/'had i.madb' her./take ■sdme-medicine';, "ah'd'l-cried-'to mamma",/"It is you who have. ; killed' ; met" :Tho; : -;desire / [for : death—: /death7 : as 1 a-/'means pi ''scoring*, off spmcoiie, . or/ as' ah' : 'biri6t.ibn'al : experiencc-^was : frequent .both'yin' her childhood'and jn -her-maturity.--: ; When; she -was . appearing- /as 'Zaire,' M. Perrin,"her" manager/-offended - her in 'some 1 : way,/andoshef.was v determined;to. faint, • de- . termiiied- 'to; vbiiiit blc'od, determined jto die, in : order.to/enrage Perrin.; Fainting was ... tho'jiioxt':,.best.ithing^'tp/dying, ..and ( Sarah,/ ithroughout her/early career, 1 was .'continually , o'rj without .proyocation'. .-.. '/ /

HER EMOTIONAL ENERGY;//;/,V: ' -i" "It/is. a/bonder."; that/so much/.emotional' energy as she had to express-, in 'swoons,: in, :,floqds,..of.':trars/;anvt6h-ents; of, irive'etive, did '-body. /Somehow-: -ner.- bjidy/fed/'and/thrived- on her spirit. ' .The-'tragedian' in/her cured 'the]in-, ; ■ if:.'sh"e. : had not, -been by, c.naturei.-a tragedian, ] and if till her-; outbursts /.of ■ emotiqn;/.ha'd/;/comb , straight.' /.'from'<her I K^a9:;ngartV:.sne)«^u]4, : not -have/survived/ >:-It : iS Jclear; that'/ eveh; in-.; her most, terrific . moments/one j-hajf/t of sher. soul was/in. ..the, vigorously .This/artistic/'.detacKment. ,curiously-'illus-..;6rated j.by-tho.:vtqhei,' she .takes- about herself - througkaut-her. memoirs. -The test, bf a: good. /.cautoblography '-is - tho" writer.'s/ppwe'r, to.-, envisage- _himself. ; ;.. Sarah ....envisages/' herself ever with .perfect clearness and composure. She does' • not,-, - .'inu,retrospect, applaud herself except '. "jvhen "applause is desorved. Sho ,is, never/tired of'.laughing at herself with thoZutmost I 'gobU humour, or of scolding herself with • exemplary, sternness; "Emotion for emotiori's sake is not the law of your being. It is :becauso ithat is so immutably,-' s° /'overwhelrpingly,; thf.• law of Sarah's being that wb have-, in-Sarah—yes, even -now, for/all the tricks sho plays with her art—the greatest of living tragedians."