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Show MADAME JANAUSCHEK. Row a Oreat Actress Won Her High Name Her Original Ambition. As Madame Janauschek, the great actress, ac-tress, will appear in tragedy in this city four nights next week, and as she is one of the most prominent figures in the world of dramatic art, the following follow-ing sketch of her life is timely: In person Madam Janauschek Bhowa that - Bplendid physical development which comes with sound health and a well-balanced mental organization. In private manner she is affable and kind-hearted, kind-hearted, and there is said to be many a poor struggling artist whom her bounty has benefitted. -It is in her professional life, however, that we are most interested, for her success has been phenomenal. Her very appearance on the stage indicates indi-cates the wonderful strength of character that she possesses. She knows and feels her own power and superiority, and in her own sphere she is a queen and an autocrat as well as a philosopher and a critic. Her long life of devoted study and observation has given her one of the most incisive minds of the time, and in all matters theatrical her judgment is considered invaluable, while her critical knowledge of history enables her above all women on the dramatic stago to reproduce re-produce past events and portray past characters with masterful accuracy. It is generally supposed that Madame Janauschek is a German. Such is not the fact. Her full name is Francesca Romaha Magdalena Janauschek, and she is a Bohemian, having been born in Prague, Bohemia, July 20, . 1,837. Her native tongue, therefore, was Slavonic, and she had to master the German language lan-guage by hard study. It was while under vocal instruction that she was introduced into the society of actors and was per- suaded to go on the stage. Though she has reason to be satisfied with her success, suc-cess, she still retains her preference for the life of a prima donna, and feels that she was fitted to command that position. " Even when in the midst of my first great success at Frankfort," said she, " I once had my trunks packed, ready to go to Gottschalk at Paris, and prepare for the opera. But my sister opposed the idea. I was now in a good' position. Why give it up for an uncertainty?" After playing a while at Prague, Madame Mad-ame Janauschek went to Chemnitz, where her fame spread rapidly abroad. She next became leading lady at Cologne and Frankfort; at the latter place she remained re-mained about nine years. On leaving Frankfort she felt that her reputation was established, but concluded to put it to a test by a tour through the continent, going to all the principal towns where German is spoken, but also visiting Russia. Rus-sia. At Yessel she played before Napoleon, Napo-leon, and during the year spent in Dresden Dres-den she was a great favorite of King John, then ruler of Saxony. Her repertoire reper-toire was made up of the leading plays, in which she appeared as "Iphighenia.'' "Antigone," Medea," "Phedra," and in the leading roles of most of the tragic plays of Goethe, Schiller, Lessing and others. Everywhere her success was so marked that it was really a continued ovation. The number of times she was called before the curtain during a single performance would, if repeated here, seem incredible. Her success was unbroken, whether in Russia, at Vienna, or afterwards after-wards in London. She played three years in Europe, and in 1867 she came to America with her own company, playing first in German and winning full appreciation, even in that . language. But she ' could, not be coptent with this foreign tongue, and after three months in New York, she returned and began the study of English. Returning to America in 1871, she began her American career as "Deborah," in the Academy of Music, New York, where she remained for a time and then traveled trav-eled about the country. In 1876 she went to Australia and thence to London, playing only short engagements and returning re-turning to America the same season to fulfill her engagements here. Sh has since remained in America, satisfied that this is her proper field. She has received numerous invitations to return to the scene of her former triumphs, and hopes to be able to accept them, but no definite plang have been formed. , Madame Janauschek is said to have the finest diamonds in the world outside of a moiety of European royalty. |