The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 25, 1902, Page 10

10 TH® SURKDAY CALL. 1f 5t were done, when ’tis dome, them e well it were done quickly. —s! akespeare. XEMPLIFYING that peculiar fact, of the West less than years ago, a little girl— er, gentle maid with a soft wondering, sadly the conquest of d great to went rdous undertaking fop such girl, and the anxious friends ng, hopeful mother in Den- er progress with fear and when Augustin Daly, the s and Daniel), the Lieb- and finally Willlam the end was assured. that was less than d the slender, gentle e more than sixteen years er up slender, gentle maid, returns to conquest of stageland success the world loves as the loves a lord—from interna- in New York and London—a ief is the career of Miss the youngest Juliet and the ngest stage favorite in histrionic his- She opens an extended engagement the Grand Opera House as “Babbie” “The Little Minister” to be followed by e Two Orphans,” “Romeo and Juliet,” d possibly “Shylock” and several other with E. J. same eteen years old om th her extraordinary girl has been since she was a little tot of three but her real success, strange as been built on her su- the prophetic belief lysis of her hand by He sald: rs old has seem this is the oung lady but surprising that ¥ sion of character. S0 many Western people this palm belongs to the pe. This gives the necessary independence of character, to is ¥ well balanced, strong determin- reason. The conic type to efore attempting to th accumu 1 there is the abil Imagination is well-developed, as is also the Mount of Venus, showing love of ty, ha mus! and art and shows s develop- idence over a naturally sens nature. The upward ne are strongest at that age also ded strengthen- y or fame is nced in right hand, and nt of Apollo promises marked ng artistic lines. the e ‘e numerous, and the p eventful life which is very flattering, but it tely no part whatever in gment of her talents aging her for five ave never believed in tendering un- mited assurance of future greatness to g2 people who possess talent. Too hat otherwise might have sful career. But in the e Miss Fealy one’s arguments s strain are somewhat disarmed by r own excellent lack of self-conscious- verything in her favor at talent, opportu- only sails to the wind- a that the future of dra- upon her own diminutive s w She matic art rest shoulders or that the stage has awaited her coming with frenzied impatience she will probably encounter no difficulty.” At that time Miss Fealy was the bright particuler star of her own mother’s dra- matic school of acting in Denver, Colo., and was more than passing clever and winsome in such roles as Juliet, Parthe- nia, Niobe, Galatea, Virginia and the whole range of Shakesperean heroines. When Daly first beheld her she was fresh from her first triumph as Juliet to avdeJealys rise Blanche Walsh’s Romeo, an assumption of a masculine part that won fame for Miss Walsh and, incidentally, a new re- nown for both in the metropolis of the Rocky Mountains. This was all the more noteworthy be- cause for years the dramatic critics had been lamenting the non-appearance of an ideal Jullet. They had always declared that the adipose, middle-aged lady who generally plays the part in the greatest love drama ‘ever written is not the fair young child of innocence that Shakespeare drew. And so it was that Daly found in the pretty little Denver maid a positive novelty, whose youth alone was her great- est and strongest advertisement, though there was an elusive charm In her fresh, innocent face, the lack of the worldly look in her eyes and the convincing ex- pression she gave to the most dramatic scenes in her repertoire of plays. But it was here that the long list of laudatory press notieces for her youthful talent suddenly ceased, for Augustin Daly fell into the last sleep that knows no awakening, and then it was that the pretty little child prodigy found herself stranded in New York. The great and glorfous international career she had looked forward to was seemingly coms te an ignominious end. But it was at this point that Richard Mansfield was attracted to her. He had heard how she had first appeared a wee little tot as the angel in the ascension scene in “Faust,” when she had asked of her jmother when the red light was thrown upon her, “Do I look pretty, mam- ma?”’ and laughed over the story. But he sent for her, was charmed by her youth and impulsiveness, gave her the part of Roxane to rehearse and lost her only be- cause a better opportunity was offered her by the Lieblers to create the role of Eunice in “Quo Vadis.” BShe was now just turned 17 years old .and this was her first chance to make a real metropolitan furor, such as she had always dreamed of. She wasted no pains over it. She gave to the part a wondrous beauty hitherto undreamed of, but when she was interviewed after her first suc- cess her childish ingenuousness most apt- 1y contrasted with her - sudden rise to fame. *“The critics praise my performance en- tirely too much,” she said, with the air of gravity of one three times her age. Then she laughed and added: “But I like it.”” ‘‘You see,” she went on again seriously, *that, although I'm only 17 and this is my first interview, I have become most horribly practical and human. I love my art and am ambitious to succeed. I sup- pose I ought to say that. Most actresses do, don’t they? But I know that I have much to learn and that beautiful parts like Julfet require a great deal of study.” ‘“You are a Southern girl, are you not?" asked the interviewer irrelevantly. “How did you know that?’ asked Miss Fealy in a startled tone. “There is a certain something in your manner,” the interviewer began. ““What is it? An evidence of indolence? No, call it by its right name—laziness. Is that it?"” The interviewer protested. “You needn't deny it,” protested Miss Fealy, trembling under the excitement of the ordeal as the criminal might quake at an awful sentence. “It's true. Most Southern girls are indolent, or lazy. But you mustn’t forget the Southern climate.” ‘““Then you are a Southern girl?" “Yes. I was born in Memphis, Tenn., though since my mother married a sec- ond time and went to live in Denver I've always claimed to be a Western girl. You know the California girls are famed as the best actresses. So it's too bad that mamma did not go to San Francisco in- stead of Denver. Then I should have been ever so much greater. What! Is that all the interview? Really, I had expected something quite dreadful.” It was just about this time that the startling though gratifying news was sent broadcast that Willlam Gilletts had engaged pretty little Maude Fealy for his new leading lady in “Sherlock Holmes.” She had reached her goal in one sudden ‘bound, though, as she said, “ft seemed so funny to hear myself so constantly spoken of as the youngest leading lady on the stage. “Mr. Gilletts hadn't seen me when Mr. Frohman decided to engags me, and when he sald I looked too young I hurried Story of the youngest Staron ) the St=ge. downtown and got my first long skirt. When next I saw Mr. Gillette my ha done up for the first time, and high-heeled slip: Ic good deal more He and said I looked lot: but I didn’t. “I will didn’t fit amount of it presentable w by a wom that that was wore »man. older, long skirt. In her new role of leading lady she learned the art of doing nothing and do- ing it so well r part acquired a new importance nev designed by the author. “Sherlock Holmes” early introduces tt avdience to the home of James Larabee, a crook of the ‘flash’ order. Larabee an kis wife are holding a young girl, Faulkner () e Fea a pr ‘wants to be revenged on a na: tocrat who has has some docum: to incriminate th personage. Of course, after all manner of stirring ncidents, In which Gillette, as the de- tective, comes out victorious, he escapes from the clutches of the villain with the fair Alice, with whom, during the action of the play, he has fallen In love. It is a star plece, most assuredly, and cutside of the principal actor no one had betrayed her s which are supposed titled but nameless much of a chance; but it was circumstance that in both the New York and the London run of the play pretty little Maude Fealy divided full honors with the author in every scene. b % The Englishmen liked her beca her looked so very giriish in her simple little frock of white crepe de chine, high neck and pouched, the skirt tucked and Lodice relieved by a lace yoke. She wore her hair parted and rolled into a bun at the back—such a head being quite freshing against modern overdressed coif~ fures. Added to all this Miss Fealy has ways been wise in selecting a g obedient photographer, one wh makes her look as young as she reall “I dldn’t know that great sec says, “until I was 17 years old and the stage to go to school, only appearing in stock companies during my cations. Then it was that I f difficulty in getting engagem agers sald I was capable, but too yo and oh, how I longed to be flve and twen» ty! And that was less than three years 2go. I can scarcely realize that it Is not all a dream even yet.” And this, in a sketchy sort of way, is the new star who went from the West rise in the East, and who now comes to San Francisco for the first time to prove to us that she is a brilllant of the first order. She has certainly had a meteon career during the past three yea which cannot be altogether dus to youth, beauty and skiliful advertising, which makes her engagement doubly rich im promise. 7