The Ogden standard. [volume], October 03, 1919, LAST EDITION - 3:30 P.M., Image 11

About The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1913-1920

Image provided by: University of Utah, Marriott Library

                
IheDreM that Made V x I
DeautimldVdUierer Sv I
Luxuries of er Life Miseries S
I Her to End These Wickednesses KteL ' - .miSMY 1
Z?v fe Lavalliere.
I GO from the lights to the light. I am
tired or the world, the stag? with Its
B hectic rush, its superficiality and its
I insincerity. r
l F Undoubtedly I have enjoyed my carcor.
I It would bo idle to say 1 l ave not Prino
I uPfl statesmen have paid me court. Jewels
jjwd gifts have been la i: .!'. upon mo
I from admirers, many of whom I have
never seen. Hut I know I have not won
I this tribute but the glamor which sur
I rounds the life of a woman of the stage
Perhaps it is well that 1 make it clear
what has induced mo to pivo up the si ago
I at the height of my career and enter upon
preparation for my novitiate into the Car-I-
xuelii ' rder
'it began with a dream T had. This was
I in the days before the war. 1 had ome
, I homo from the theatre with a number of
I friends. We were very jolly, much wine
I -was drunk, there was much laughter,
much love and many kisses before the
party broko up for the night. Day was
V dawning before I got into bed. I fell
I asleep at once, for the performance was
I a heavy one for me and the gaycty also
I tirod me.
I At once I began to dream. T saw a pic
f ture of the stage, the co. tly sc-nerv and
B drcs.-cs. the magnifimt gowns and jewels
I of 'lie ponple in the audience. Then 1 saw
I B.onts!l- of the theatre. It wan snowing.
There were cold, half-starved little
If Urchins of Paris huddling for shelter
fm against the walls of tho house Old women
wm verr' selling matches in (lie gutters,
71 drunk -n ni'-n wore slouching into a cab
1 arc i it i
Kr F In a dream one can live through an age
puf and think the thought- ol a lu'etime I
M thought of all tho reckless extravagances
T of which I had been guilty or of which 1
T had been the obk-ct I retailed particular
m ftxperienc where ihe exnonditure nw
At appeared io me paiticularly sinful, and I
ty; recalled many acts of which I felt deeply
di ashamed
9 dreaming mind went back to a ban-
iWt that had been given one Sunday in
If aiy honoi ;r a beautiful resort on the
banks of , the Seine The table was en-
ilrely decoraled with rare lavender-col-5
ored orchid.- lor my pleasure. These flow
3 srs alone bad cost perhaps 10,000 francs.
fK It was the most astonishing extravagance
Kit one dinner that I had ever known, even
In my varied experience, and made a deep
I Impression tn me at the time.
i The young man who gave the banquet
f exhausted his vast fortune by a series of
I similar acts and a !e-;al guardian had to
i be appointed for him
The banquet lasted all through the
warm Summer night and at dawn we were
assisted into our automobile and sped
lack to Paris.
As I was approaching my apartment it
seemed that my car ran over an old wo
man who was too weak to step out of the
way Though dead and crushed she stood
up before my car all the way home, not
saying a word but just looking at mo with
reproachful, appealing ces. She war. a
poor widow straggling to support a family
and had been going to early work when
my car ran over her. She was too weak
from lack of food to step out of the way.
1 knew too well ihat there was an uncount
able number of such women.
In my dream the contrasting figures
were strangely mixed up.
Then from above I heard a deep, sweet
rich voice saying:
"Help these people' Do not add to the
sins of the world and increase the Batter
ings of the poor! Do not be a wilful para
site of society! Take up yov.r cross!"
I awoke then, feeling perturbed, but fell
asleep again. But twice more T dreamed
that dream. Each time I awoke and felt
more frightened I could not get the mem
ory off my mind It haunted me all dav
rnd was with me when I went to the
theatre in the evening.
And then the most curious thing hap
pened. When en the stage I seemed to
recognize the faces of those who were the
audience of my dreams, and when T left
the theatre it was snowing, and there, un
der the walls, I saw the children of my
dreams and the old women and the
drunken lounger?.
Truly, I was worried I went to a cure
who lived near my apartment, and told
him my experience. He told me to pray,
and that he, too, would pray. I dreamt
that dream again, and finally T was con
vinced that I was called' by a divine mes
sage to leave my life of vanity and to work
for others instead of myself.
During the war I made my definite sev
erance from the stage, but I gave no rea
son for it, but it was but the first of
several steps toward the great change.
I believe heaven sent me that vision in
order to prepare me for the change. When
the war was declared I was playing in
Paris, and at once I determined to throw
myself into other work. I threw off my
low-cut stage gowns and donned the garb
of a nursing sister. I attended the suffer
ing poilus and the brave soldiers ol
Britain.
I Eve Lavalliere in Her Beautiful Bed That Belonged to the Historic
Mile, de la Valliere, Favorite of King Louis XIV.
"In my dream I saw the ( f H'': I
throng of my extravagant jf;,, 4' i U y -
admirers in the theatre and a V f lC 'j ( VV 1
poor old beggarwoman and a f A I ill '
starving child outside." Q 'IAtAi b i
Then there was need of help among the
poor of Paris 1 went back to them be
es use there were then plenty of nurses but
fw women who could be patient with
children In Paris 1 learned much of what
I had mKsrd in m gay life upon tho
:-.tage. I found the Holy Mother in those
days, and she has guided me ever since
It has been said that I am taking this
Btep because of disappointment in love. It
Is not so. I do not like to speak of such
things, but it is truo that many men have
wished me to marry At one time I so in
tended to do. but, as Is well known, the
man I cared for was killed In the fighting
in Alsace-Lorraine.
I know It has been suggested that it is
because of that am retiring from the
stage. Those who BUggest such a tulng
do not speak the truth I take the veil
because I have heard a voice from heaven
calling me.
What Her Decision Costs Her
PARIS. S"pt. 20
EVE LAVALLIERE, most typical and
charming of Parisian actresses, has
abandoned the stage for the convent.
She has in fact entered one of the severest
of cloistered orders the Order of Carmel
ite Nuns.
The announced intention of the noted
actress to hide herself from the world has
already been reported in this newspaper,
but at that time thero were, not unnatural
ly, many persons who could not believe
that she would actually carry out this sur
prising decision.
How could one who enjoyed more lux
uries than any woman in Paris submit to
the cold severities of the cloister?
How could one who had interpreted the
spiciest of Parisian comedies devote tho
rest of her life to religion?
But the astounding news was really true
And Mile Lavalliere today explains for
the first time the reason that led her to
tak (his grave action. Briefly, that reason
was a dream in which she saw the misery
of the poor contrasted with her luxuries,
and which continued to haunt her during
her gayest performances. Mile Lavalliere
has now entered the novitiate of the Car
melite Order
In recent years Eve Lavalllero hag been
considered the foremost comedienne of the
Parisian stage. Her position was fully
equal to that formerly held by Madame
Rejano and equhalent to that of Sarah
Pernbardt in another line.
Lavalliere leaped into success instanta
neously, and from that moment never
ceased to enjoy every luxury, to roll in
wealth and to have hosts of titled admirers
t her feet. Her first great success was in
"Lo Vleux Marcheur" (The Old Rounder),
n which she played an ultra-modern, un
scrupulous, decadent, gay, amorous little
fife.
She had an original, attractive style of
' beauty of a rather boyish type. With won
derful skill she handled the most delicate
of risky scenes
The eyes of Lavalliere were pronounced
the most beautiful possessed by any wo
man on the Parisian stage, not even ex
cepting those of tho late Lucie Lantelme.
To her great range of skill ns an actress
she added the advantage of being an ac
complished stage dancer.
The French newspapers before the war
were filled with stories of her luxuries and
caprices Her apartments and houses
were adorned with exquisite and costly
treasures of ancient and modern art Her
favorite color was lavender and her most
(C) 1919. loteTMUonol Fcatur Berrlce, lac.
intimate apartments were decorated In
this color Her splendid motors were up
holstered with material of the same tone.
In Paris Lavalliere occupied a beautiful,
princely apartment overlooking the his
toric Tuileries Oardens. A visitor has
described finding her there in a bed that
had belonged to her namesake. Louise de
la Valliere, tho earliest favorite of Louis
XIV. The modern idol of the boulevards
reposed there delightfully propped up with
soft piles of delicate lace and cambric pil
lows, enfolded In a marvelous quilt of old
rose, gold and lace.
Lavalllore'rf unusual type of beauty and
her ultra-modern, cynical wit excited the
'.nterest of the most prominent men of the
French capital. Princes, statesmen, Euro
pean and American millionaires thronced
to her salons and laid tribute at her feet.
At a supper given to celebrate her suc
cess in "L'Oiseau Blesse." a rising French
statesman, who divided his time between
the Chamber and the theatre, said:
"I toast Eve Lavalliere. the incompar
able artiste, wit and genius. I drink to
the brilliant and beautiful -woman, who
makes Paris laugh and helps to decide the
destinies of her beloved France."
men?-, evfn in the niidet of the most
sumptuous banquets. Eve Lavalliere often
suffered strange moods of sadness and re
flection. When a certain duke noted for
his gayeties had pnid her a most extrava
gant compliment she replied:
"Thank you I wonder how you would
treat me if I were poor and unknown "
The war marked a turning point in her
life. She plunged herself into her coun
try's cause, and many a French airman
found inspiration for his gallant deeds In
the smile of Lavalliere. Early in the war
i group of aviators banded themselves as
"Lavalliere" men, for the Frenchman loves
tr. fight for an ideal, and six of them won
fame.
"The war has altered the tenor of my
life," she said. "I have drunk deeply of
achievement without finding full satisfac
tion, and now has come for me the time
of meditation "
The famous actress hastened her de
cision because during the war she lost
many dear friends, including one who had
touched ber capricious affections more
than any other. That fact, coupled with
the break In her professional career, made
her feel that she could never wholly re
cover the magic of past days. For two
years she has been assisting the sick pil
grims to I-ourdes to dip themselves in the
healing waters of the miraculous grotto
Consider the luxuries and gr.yetles of
(Jrrtt Britain Rlfbta RrTtd.
V I
the past life of this spoiled darling of the
Parisian stage and then consider tho ex
tveme hardships of the Carmelite nun's
existence.
When her novitiate is finally completed
she will don a splendid bridal costume of
white satin with lace and orange blos
soms. In the convent chapel she v. ill say
a last good by to her friends and then par
take of the mass.
In deathlike silence there will be heard
the sound of a key in a lock and a bolt
withdrawn. The novice will bow to her
friends for the last time and step forward,
'iv.o nuns will receive her and one will
present to her a crucifix which the will
kiss. Upon a rough brown cushion the
bride must kneel. Beside her are placed
the mantle, the scapular and the girdle of
the nun's costume.
"What do you demand?" asks the offici
ating prelate
"The mercy of God, the poverty of the
order and the company of the Sisters,"
answers the postulant.
"Will you constantly persevere In the
order till death?"
"I will "
"Will you observe these things for the
love alone of our Lord?"
"Yes, with the grace of God and the
prayers of the Sisters."
Then a priest will hand to Eve Laval
liere tho brown robe, for which she has
The Austerity of the fl
Carmelite Nun's Exist
ence Which Eve Laval
liere Will Assume for ?
Life in Place of the Lux
uries of Her Past Career V?
I
g'ven up her worldly Joys and she will
pass the grating The Sisters will lead
her to her cell, where she will put aside
her wedding dress and put on the brown
iobe.
At one end of the wide circle Is a crown
of orange blossoms and laid upon it a
wooden cross. She will take up that cross
and wear it for the rest of her life.
From the time a Carmelite nun takes
the veil until she dies she never exposes
her face. She never speaks except when
compelled to do so bv religious duties. She
receives no visitor but death Even her
own mother would not be permitted lo
visit her. '