Show I ies of Players I of Other Days I By R Robert Grau HELENA MODJESKA J I I OlIN in Cracow Poland loland and famous Camou I B BORN Bon In her own o country before she hc came cam hither In irs 1877 JT Helena lona kt mastered our lan language within with with- in Itt rt year yea Sho h did dill not like permit her American audiences I In to hear hea- her In n II forel foreign n tongue but made her debut eLut in San Sen Francisco In 1 1877 Sit y a-y an English r speaking actress In AdrIenne r Success was a instantaneous And Modjeska began heuI to taste the p. ts of nn un American triumph In contrast contra t with he her persistent reverses In impoverished Poland sl a had the good oo fortune to be under the management of or Harry Harr Sa Sargent Sar Sar- 1 gent an old tin manager who was the very first of ot the star boom boomers In Inthis inthis this countr country An And he surely urel directed her career with Intelligence Modjeska was aided and advised ad from tho the outset 11 by EdwIn ln Booth The two often otten played together In special per per- At the very la last t performance per per- performance per per- given h n In Booths Booth's theatre New NewYork e York on A April 30 30 1883 Booth pla played ed Romeo to Modjeska's 1 Juliet Juilet This was wan one of ot great reat nl nights which figured so often ofton In Modjeska's career Booth and Modjeska starred sll together for an entire season eason not because either olther could not attract the public alone lone hat lait r Il largely el because of tho the comra comradeship that had existed between thi the thc two front froni the tho day thc they met meL As AH an Individual 1 tar star Modjeska ka prospered prospered pros pros- almost until the last Her great roles rolE's were Juliet Camille Viola Lad Lady nn and Ophelia but the Polish actress a as t a IHo producer added greatly to tho the literature ture of ot the thc stage singe Also sho she was ivas tho the first to If nive t I tho ho plays of Ibson U tP presentation en tn lIo II Perhaps the tho oni only failure rE In J has ka's ns n's career oer wn wOJ was thin the of ot Maurice Maurice Mau Mau- rice Barrymore's u but bul Madame Ma Mo dame damo did not J ard it n ns us a failure Many thou thought hl that ta should have p persevered with tItle thin plu play play- ArId And poor POOl Barry was wan so lio heartbroken when whon It Il wa was' fd that Hint the terrible affliction afflic LIon tion which shortened bis his days has hils been attributed to the outcome from fro this hl his only effort fort an as a playwright ht But nul had triumphed o f-o re regularly rug reg that she chic ennui not bear benr th the thought t o of even en a partial Jn ln 1868 Modjeska was wedded to th the th Count For FOt more than thirty ar arli thc two tuo lived tog together ther Madame hall hail always laid hart a a. great par par- tI lt for California where she owned an n Immense ranch aunt and this accounts for her reduced activity on th the stage at atthe lh the tho last lut It wa was Modjeska who ilio was Instrumental mental tal in the withdrawal of Jot Jot-ef hoffmann Hoffmann Hoff Hoft- mann when hon as a a. child prodigy he created erelt ore ere lt d a furore in New York Hoffmann did 1 not forgot this Int In lii his fu future fil- fil tune lure when in lat later latr r had become n a matured celebrity II He and anti sl came cam from front the th same ante county count In Tol Poland Tolani nd Modjeska o va as In lag Ing I hn it caine came to a R question of n her hAr r 1 stage Ideals and she ho JI T stooped to any Sill artistic procedure that wa was opposed to liar her views view no matter ml what hat th the sac ac- I When efforts were marl made to induce j 1 her hel to grace the vaudeville aude stage she prole protested protected ted It became my province Iro to offer otter her a R week for Mr II I Keith illi Her lien reply relI to In my mr letter speaks s fur for It Itself Itself itself It- It self self- I t 1 am not nol worth wurth a a. week In III a vaudeville e. and I would not be offered such fouch H It sum slim on distinctly artistic artis tic grounds round Rut hut oven oten If It I would allow myself to be bp tempted th the effect would be DION A THOUGH I hii his fame a aa as a A L was WIlS greater than for 01 hl his acting the career of Dion HI cault may be he best bent summed d up in lit the tile famous expression Bion of or his colleague Lester who said sahl of him u n career up Il to tu now no le Is like my favorite fa book Pick It up where you will you 1011 find rind a plum Ulon a was at his hit heat best however I In adaptation rather titan than In tn oll original pha la play construction Y Yet t hi ho scored more mor than fifty fitly successes as an author I Among t these were such ouch sterling plays ax AM L d Il Astray Astra Tile The The Jilt Jill Tho The Colleen Bawn Hawn London Assurance Assur sur- sur ance The Octoroon Po Pogue uc Old Heads and Young Hearts and Kip Hip Van Winkle was waN as its a rule er very re reluctant re- re to act at nt all and all and the greatest successes of oC his hix career was tin tin- result of or Lester Insistence ce t ho himself assume the role of ot Con In hI The when that play was produced produced produced pro pro- at theatre then at al Thirteenth street and an Broadway Dro thirty years s a ago oTho o. o Tho Thio had hat a t run of or o oC over C l' l lISO ISO nl nights to lo tho the lal largest est receipts In the history of ot that theatre That this notable achievement ment was Wag due to the in in- in performance of I l is IH proved from t tl t e e fact that Oun the play pla hail had little vogue sa save when tho the author actor was as cast cost for fur the lie role In which he lie was Un una unapproachable a C ha hi ble e. e The file copyright laws Ians of or da day were wel suc such 1 that t was WaR im immune immune im- im mune from CrOIn roan payment of royalties though ho lie was quite willing to ave F-ave ave ate this the courts grant granta a a. fair fa h. h share or of his his profits to go go goto to those authors who he l Insisted provided him with wIlh little more more than tile the titles of oC the hue original plays was at his best after ho lie had hall passed d the threescore mark manic Ju in life Moreover l at this period he act d ton eon having 1111 tremendous success s 's Intile in inthe tile the repertoire of Irish comedies from hl his own pen On the stage he looked about thirty thirty en even when h he had li-ad passed his seventieth yea year I This he e explained as being being- due ue to spending 1 as much as possible of oC his tinie In tho tim society of oC young an and beautiful wom women n The society of or men lie ho once said ald yields nothing constructive while their discussions wear on on the vitality It is different with women particularly the lie youthful s sort with who whom I Jo lo a to associate te The They ThaI do o not ask you vou 1 0 10 io have haxe a drink every time you ou meet meet them and their viewpoint is always pro progressive nCi sive funn sunny sided and never pe 51 nils tic first wife wIre was Agnes nc Robertson a sterling actress who bore borc him several children all of whom have achieved prominence achieved on the tIm s stage age were Aubrey Dot Nina Ina and nd Dion Ion Jr Near tho lie end of oC his a sec see ond marriage went far to prove the thc I truth of ot preference for the society of ot beautiful Louise Loule Thorndyke was 5 3 33 years ears younger than titan when the two th the the- great actor we were p. p wedded ed ed She was waR Indeed IJa beau heau- u- u moreover moreo r an excellent actress pon Dion died in iii 1890 |