Life — February 21, 1889 — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Peter- oberts id San d San ‘k and York LIFE’S GALLERY OF BEAUTIES. No. 6. MLLE. JANE HADING AND M. COQUELIN ET HADING. ENOIT-CONSTANT COQUELIN isa son of one of the favor- ite characters of the great Ollendorf, whom the readers of that gifted author will readily recognize as figuring frequently in the shorter romances. Indeed, many students of Ollendorfiana claim that it was Constant Coquelin he had in mind when he penned those immortal lines: “ Aves-vous vu le fils rouge du boulanger jaune aujourd'hui 2” Constant pére was at any rate an industrious and respected boulanger of Boulogne-sur-Mer, who destined his son to follow his own profession, inherit the paternal doufzgue, and minister to man's epigastrium rather than to his sense of humor. As an actor, Coquelin is handicapped by the circumstance that he is not familiar with any but a foreign language, and it is for this reason that Mr. Harrigan has refused to cast him for a part in “Pete,” and that Tony Pastor does not recognize him as a popular artist. Indeed, there is even some doubt concerning Coquelin's French accent, since the young ladies of Miss Caramel’s boarding- school, in Fifth Avenue, who have learned to speak French fluently under the tuition of Madame O’Reille, for more than twenty years instructress in music, the languages, mathematics, history, the sciences, and the fine arts, in the Ecole des Chiffoniers, of Paris, as the advertisement relates, were unable to understand a word of the play upon attending the theatre during the actor’s previous visit. The circumstance that Madame O'Reille was obliged to follow the per- formance by means of a book of the play is also calculated to lend color to the suspicion that Coquelin does not speak the language correctly and elegantly. ‘ As a comedian, Coquelin cannot be compared with such gative artists as Harry Kernell, or Hallen and Hart. He is not familiar BENOIT-CONSTANT COQUELIN, with any topical songs, he cannot dance with clogs, he is unable to turn more than one somersault at a time. There is also reason to doubt his professional training, since he does not wear a fur over- coat on Broadway on warm afternoons, and thus far has not threat- ened to horsewhip an editor, nor has he eloped with any other man’s wife. Doubtless he expects to obtain notoriety by these eccentricities, We regret to be obliged to record, in conclusion, that Coquelin allowed the opportunity to partially redeem the family name go by when he chose an occupation for his son; for, instead of making him a respectable baker, like his grandfather, the actor brought his offspring up in his own profession. Jane Hading is open to the same suspicions concerning her French accent as her companion in art. It is worth noting, too, that she has not had her diamonds stolen since her arrival in America; that she has not fainted before the curtain from overwork ; that she has refrained from participation in railroad wrecks, and did not carry off any local dudes in her train for advertising purposes. These circumstances, of course, reflect upon her professional stand- ing; but the artists of the Theatre-Frangais have much to learn in some directions from their American brothers and sisters, WILLING TO DO THE BEST HE CAN. | Pees (who has just given a cigar to Sharpson Srom his own private box): 1 say, Sharpson, tell me what you think of that cigar. SHARPSON: Well, if you say so. I will; but I want you to understand that I’m no optimist. comicbooks.com