itur. ii Bijir.ii
THE HESPERIAN
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which he replies, "Do trust mc. Let me help you; I will die
before I will let any hum come to you." After some hesita
tion she consents and steps into his boat and he takes her to
his old classmate, Hans Mcyrick, who receives her kindly.
She proves to be a beautiful Jewess, named Mirah, who has
run away from the oppression of a cruel father in search of her
brother and mother of whose existence and whereabouts she
is uncertain. Dcronda resolves to aid her, both in finding
means of support as a music teacher and in searching for her
mother. The Mcyricks are strongly attached to her, so, lcav
ng her in their care, Deranda goes to Germany, where he
meets another character in the novel. Gwcndolin Harlcth,
a selfish spoiled child, is beautiful and much admired. Her
coquetry is fearless and unscrupulous. At last, troubled in
mind by the last flirtation, she seeks diversion in a gambling
house in Leubronn, where she and Deronda meet. Hcr
former good luck is reversed she loses and leaves the
house with an empty purse. Still the mesmeric influence
Dcronda has thrown about her follows her and though feeling
under his accusation, she also feels that she is the object of
his admiration. Soon after, on account of the loss of hcr for.
tunc she is compelled to return to England and though no
word has passed between hcr and Deronda, she feels that he
is exerting an influence over her which she cannot shake ofT.
But she soon marries Grandcourt, the former object of her
scorn and now lives a life of splendid misery. Grandcomt
practices a heartless tyranny over hcr and awakes a hatred for
him as well as a gnawing remorse for hcr folly in marrying a
man she did not love. Then in her agony she turns to Dc
ronda who becomes her ideal of rectitude, her confidant and
instructor. Soon after, during a yachting excursion on the
Mediterranean, Grandcourt is drowned, but Gwendolin is res
cued and throws herself on the protection of Dcronda,
clinging to him with such a fullness of love and trust that he
is alarmed, knowing that he cannot requite her love because
of Mirah. He discovers his mother who is an Italian Jewess.
Thus the mystery of his birth is solved and this discovery
strengthens his attatchment to Mirah. He hastens to Eng
land and marries her, to Gwendolen's great disappointment.
He then starts with his bride for the Orient, intending to aid
in the return of his Jewish brethren to the land of their fath
ers. Such is the outline of this production of the "queen of fic
tion." The style is charming but we fail to find the "lofty
ideals" of which many of its admirers boast. In the charac
ter of Deronda, though it is true to nature, we find a weak
sickly mind, given to dreaming and brooding, a lack of that
strictness of principle which is the characteristic of true man
hood. The author's philosophy of life is expressed in Dcronda's
counsel's to Gwendolin when her heart is bursting with grief
on account of her husband's conduct. The philosophy is
shallow and selfish. Gwendolin forces her confidence upon
Deronda, tells him that she is miserable, intimates that she is
tempted to escape from her troubles by some act of despera
tion, but the inspiration of his character causes her to seek
such goodness as she sees he has. She asks how she can ob
tain this goodness and the author's theories of self develop
ment are shown in Deronda's replies. He recommends occu
pation to prevent brooding over her trivial sorrow.s He says,
"The refuge you are needing from personal troubles is the
higher, the religious life, which holds an enthusiasm for
something more than our appetites and vanities. The few
may find themselves in it simply by an elevation of feelings
but, for us who have to struggle for our wisdom, the higher
life must be a region in which the affections are clad with
knowledge."
This vague, rather sentimental advice gave the poor co.
queue no comfort and it is no wonder since the advice is
given by one little better than she. His virtues arc mostly
negative and his best qualities arc cultivated through selfish
motives. The book ranks high as a work of art. The plot
and skill which its author shows in the characterization arc
enough to assure it a place in universal literature.
CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN.
Charlotte Cushman was born in Boston, July 23, 1816.
She said of herself that she was boin a "tomboy." She
delighted to climb trees, to run like a boy, and to work with
mechanical tools. She was, as people say, an "awful child,"
full of energy, that was spent in rough and provoking acts.
Still, she was sweet and affectionate, and though she often
vexed, she did not anger hcr friends. At school she was a
arithmetician and a wonderful reader. Hcr imitative powers
were remarkable. She could mimic anyone or anything.
The business misfortunes ofMiss Cushman's father de
prived her of an academic education, and so she was placed
under a music teacher at the age of thirteen, that she might
as soon as possible help to support the family, as a music
teacher. She had a fine voice which led hcr indirectly to this
stage. Mrs. Wood, an actress, needed a singer to sing with
in a duett at a public concert. Miss Cushman being recom
mended, she was accepted by Mrs. Woods, who was delighted
with hcr voice. Thus encouraged and assisted by Mrs.
Woods, she sang shortly after at the Fremont theatre in
Boston, and hcr success here led her to become a pupil of
Mr. Mardor, musical director of Mrs. Woods, and to accom
pany him to New Orleans, where she injured her voice by
excessive use. She went to the director for .advice, and he
said: "You ought to be an actress, and not a singer." So,
aided by his friendly influence, she gained the opportunity of
appearing on the boards of the principal New Orleans theatre
in the role of Lady Macbeth. She did not fail utterly,
saying a great deal in hcr favor.
She then spent some time in hard study and harder struggle
for popular recognition. She acted in numerous roles in New
York, in Albany, in Buffalo, in Detroit, in Boston and in
Philadelphia for several years, constantly gaining the good
will of the people who listened to her, and winning distinc
tion on account of her family connections, her morality and
dighity of character, both of which she maintained, in spite
of the tendencies of stage associations to detract from them.
She won lecognition as an actress of the very highest
order when she made her appeara'nee in London as Bianca,
in the tragedy of "Fazio." Her success then was "brilliant
and triumphant," she says in a letter to her mother. "All
my successes put together since I have been upon the stage
would not come near my success in London." Critics wrote
in praise of her genius, the theatre was crowded when she
acted, and unbounded applause now always greeted her.
Nor was her triumph of short duration. It continued with
undiminished splendor to the end of her career. Whether
on the stage or in the readers desk , she was always greeted
with rapturous applause. Many years after, when she bade
farewell to the stage at New York, Philadelphia and Boston,
her admirers gave her such ovations as have rarely been given
to the' greatest of public speakers. Thiough thirty years she
reigned queen of the stage or of. the reading desk; and she
remained a popular idol in the dramatic world, both of Eng
land and America, from the day of her first appearance on
the London stage, to the hour of her death in Boston, in 1876.
She maintained throughout her life u spotless reputation
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