PLAIN TALK ABOUT AMERICA.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12718, 14 February 1910, Page 4

PLAIN TALK ABOUT AMERICA.

Madame Yvette Guilbert, the famous Fremch comedienne, is returning this week from a visit to America with the firm conviction that the great United States is all bluff and dollars. She did not hesitate to say so to the reporters before sailing from New York. "In America all is business," she, said. "You make little boys six years old sell papers in tht streets, and in offices there are more little boys, who don't say 'thank you' or 'please.' The qmployee doesn't make his employer's interest his own. He studies his master's business ony for the sake of the dollars, and if lie can he will supplant him. All is measured by dollars. I take the newspaper to-day, and I see '40,000 dollar fire. at*Ohicago,' 'Boston's 1,000,000-dollar opera house open.' The new theatre, New York, your Comedie Frahcaise, as it weje, is called ' 'The Millionaires' Theatre.' A billboard invites me to see a 12,000---dollar actor.' The rich widow is called 'A 5,000,000-dollar bride.' " The Press agent, whose business it is to "boom" theatrical and musical stars, roused Mme. Guilbert to wrath. "Mary Garden comes here," she said, "and the PrSss atrent doesn't talk of her singing and acting, but writes a gross column about her twenty-five Hats. You weigh Slozak instead of telling what a great tenor he is. A lady Press agent meets me at New York and calls me 'hone^ I ,' though I've nevei\ seen her before. It's so familiar, like the servants at home. Honey, indeed!" And at this point one of Madame Yvtvtte's hands smacked the table angrily. Then she went on : "And when I tell her I don't like familairity she says she can make me famous. Me! Who for twenty years have worked to gain fame. Here fame is bluff, and the . boom, boom of the papers — that is America. In London the music-halls and their clienteles are the best in the world. They have/ artistic posters and translations of my songs. It's all so different here. Once I say to. an American theatrical man- j ager, 'Why don't you educate your public with artistic posters and seen- I cry and surrounding ?' Hft laughs ha ! ha! and he says, 'Pm not in business to educate the public. I want the public's money, and when I g6t enough I'm going over to Europe to live.'" ]