MADAME JANE HADING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1973, 12 September 1889, Page 32

MADAME JANE HADING.

HER BEAUTIFUL EYES: HOW THE FRENCH

ACTRESS GAME BY HER LONG EYES.

THE AMERICAN YOUNG PEESON.

. An odd little story is told about Madame Hading, who is now in London. Her .eyes are very remarkable; not only of the clearest and purest brown, like that of mountain brooks, or the eyes of Gwendolen — -which George Eliot described as resembling " wovewashed onyx " — but they are veiled with a thick fringe of black and silky lashes, and are most unusually, extraordinarily long. It is the most noticeable thing in her face, and when she turns her eye 3 upon a man he begins at once to recall all he has ever read concerning the eyes of odalisques and longeyed Circassians whom the Oriental poet 3 are never done with praising.

The story is that Madame Hading owes this marvellous length of eye to artificial means used by her parents in her childhood. It is said that it is a common practice among the Turks, who hold long eyes in such exaltedjesteem as to lengthen, by cutting the corners, the eyes of girls who are being raised for the harem. This is done very early, at the age of two or three years, and the outer corner is deftly slit with a lancet, about the 12fch part of an inch. While the wound is healing the lids are drawn outwards every day, and when it is quite cured the eye is still submitted to the drawing process every day for a long time, with the eventual result that it becomes long and narrow, and fulfils the ideal of the " unspeakable Turk " when he is in search of a new favourite.

The story about Madame Hading goes on to say that her father had been in Turkey and had seen thi3 practice, and determined to try it on his little girl, who was then a pretty baby of three years, with bright brown eyes, and a mop of yellow curls, and already taking part in pieces requiring babies. Whether the story is true or not, one thing is certain, which is that the actress from the Gymnase has the most beautiful and remarkable eyes of any woman on the stage.

Madame Hading has communicated to Galignani's Messenger some of her impressions of America, North and South, where she has been touring for the last 12 months.

TWENTY-SEVEN BOXES OF PBESENTS.

The impulsive South Americans and enthusiastic Havanese express their delight (she says) in a most lavish manner. In Mexico I had sent to me, from people I had never seen in my life, the most beautiful and costly gifts, accompanied with the card of the donor, and a word to express the hope that I would accept fche presents as a slight acknowledgment of the pleasure I had conferred by my acting. I have brought home something like 27 boxes full of gifts with which to adorn my residence in Paris. These boxes contain beautiful specimens of Mexican silver-work, the featherwork of the South American Indians, Brazilian diamonds, Hondurean opals, carvings_ from Chile, and specimens of the exquisite drawn-work and embroidery — which is equal to painting— done by the Peruvians nuns. In Cuba I was given some lovely Spanish lace ; and I had some few gifts in the United States which I prize very much because of their being objects, characteristic of the co'iutry. Thus, after my departure from San Francisco, a spade o! solid gold was sent on to me by my admirers in that distant city.

Most of the young American girls it has been my lot to meet possessed BeaUty like the English and piquancy like the French, with something added in the shape of health and spirits, producing a tone of mind and a frame of body we know little about in France. They dress prettily, wibh just a touch of eccentricity, which, however, becomes them exceedingly well. They are genuine from head to foot, and perfect little Parisiennes in their way. The deference paid to them by the male sex is warranted by the fulness of qualities they possess. They are, in fact, an epitome of " every creature's best-. 1 ' Besides the beauty and piquancy t have alluded to, they have a vivacity of intellect, an aptness of speech and address, and a noble uprightness of purpose, which include every charm, and here again they combine the Gallic and Saxon blood. Nor are they so fast as some have said ; at least, they are cerbainly less so at home to my mind than when they firsb made their appearance in Paris. Perhaps they have toned down a little, or I may have got used to their free, impulsive, and independent ways.

HER INDEPENDENT WAYS.

In France no young lady goes to the 1 play without her parents and relations; but in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, arid elsewhere, I have frequently seen perfectly proper and well-born young women enjoying the performance with a stylish young man for chaperon. Most of these couples will even hare a little supper or a plate of oysters when they leave the theatre. I do ndfc mean to imply that they act any the worse on that account. But the faot strikes us foreigners as peculiar. Sow youth should be so well supplied wibh the reason of elder years as, in general, to keep clear of wrongdoing is already a marvel. Then what about suspicion 1 In Prance, no Frenchman, however innocent a girl might be, would think of marrying a young lad\ who had gone to the play ahd supped with a young man, even in the daytime, let alone at night.