A GREAT ACTRESS PASSES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 30 July 1928, Page 6

A GREAT ACTRESS PASSES.

The death 'of Dame Ellen Terry has removed a figure who bold graced the English stage for over hiattf a century, birimgiing to her iworlc strength of intelligence and 'artistic ability, but bold - iinig her plaice in popular favour perhaps more by virtue of her chgrming person - ality. Popular fa.ncy v» often a. very fickle tilling, yet .hare /was am illustration of favour thalt never waned and nldmiraition thiaifc never faltered. And While flue groat gifts of Ellen Terry as am actress may have done miueh. to win Wiis .recognised place in the affection of, one might say, the whole nation, there Was a Subtle power, hard rto define, that remained potent editor her aeI tive career tod dosed. Looked a;t in I retrospect, it must toe admitted that she ! lived <1 life /of 'great usefulness. For more ttom: two generations she bad made mi/any of tllio female characters in Bh!akespeare’is plays realities, bad stimulated interest dm the works of our /greatest dramatist., aind that in itself was a eultiurail contribution mot easy to estimate. Elderly people in main.y parts of the wo/rid have vivid reeollec.tiomls of seeing Ellen Terry iu ‘ ‘ The Merry Wives of Windsor,” "The Merchant of Venice, ’’ ‘A Winter’is Tale,” aind in malny other of her Striking impersonations of Shakespearean characters, amid even l the passing of the years has mot removed the distinct memories of What, to them, h’a/vo always remain!ed great occasion's 1 . The versatility, richness, ibeanty, joy and. 'Sorrow of Ithiose great masterpieces cam. never bo | dissociated from her whose greatuass of

i cliiairaeter len-abled her isio comprehendingly to i ntcrrpreit them. She ©toad proomimenit m that company ipf (great platypus who delighted (lover© of the sibago <fer geniorationhi Her association . with Sir Henry Irving, just hailf a century ago, wais not only the beginning of i a 'long artistic partnership in which her 1 attractive personality contributed -large(ly ;tio success, ibuit it 'also mlark-ed one of the great isbaiges in the deveilapmeait of itho 'dmaima in the Old Country, land- set a standard for all schools -of dramatic art which ha is -been- an inspiration to those who 'have come after. A very generous tribute to the memory of the 'late actress has come from America, for as a, result -of her -several visits to that -country the people there had. -long held her in high esteiemi, and in 1906, when her stage juiblle-e was -celebrated in London, they paid their homage in words -of 'unstinted praise and im a very .practical way as w-eTI, contributing a generous portion of the gift -of £BOOO made ibv her admirers. It has been said that the British people are slow to display any signs of -affection or emotion, but am the case -of Bilan. Terry there has always been such a frank expression of admiration. for her, both as ! an actress aind- o's a 1 woman, thalt she filled a distinct niche in. the notional lifei. T'h.e- recognition by the King of her great services -to the British Stage , by com ferring npon her in 1925 the i rank -of Jkim-e Grand Cross o.f the Bri- : •bi-sli Umpire was generally oeelaim-ed. ' Her passing robs itliei (nation of «■ very lovable and distinguished woman.