AN AMERICAN MARIE BASHKIRTSEFE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11490, 24 January 1903, Page 6

AN AMERICAN MARIE BASHKIRTSEFE.

For how much studied introspection, with all its attendant evils, Marie BaahkrrtsefFs famous book of confessions was responsible can never be known. It can hardly be doubted - that, led by her example, many nervous, highly-strung young women gave rein to morbid eelf-study, which taught them nothing of good, and left them more morbid, more nervous, and more convinced that they were misunderstood than before. Marie Baahkirtaeff was undoubtedly a genius—with leea strength of character she might ißave been a "degenerate." To geniuses much.must, be forgiven, and one is tike nor* rsady to excuse hat carious

wlf-rerelalioiui because they were *fM« as to baflle imitators. We hate &3P spared the irdiictkai of copies of that "-picture of a young j«t5P ■heart," as some crfCc termed the «*3» sions, such as followed the •publicatioo -._l|r t»j> mawkishly tedious "Love Letters «* *lf|§S

Englishwoman." At last, however," _*>V"The Story of Mary MaeLane,'' w« «■-&' given an American version of the T&xuk' \ girl's book. Physically, and, in most •£ " spects, mentally, Mary Mac Lane is « 8 Afferent from her acknowledged exemplaf *• V daylight from dark. She ia no delate P-ar&rienne. frail in body, and lapped in. «| ■ the luxury and refinements that wealth tta/ afford... A Canadian by birth, she has l'f**f - all her thinking years, and she is yet ©alt" twenty, in.a mining township in Montana I Her life has been a lonely one, but sa»_' is evidently her own best company. Safe*; "<■ tude suit.-! her introspective nature, and beW aides, she has a companion of her own ing, a creature of her imagination, wba|a/!_£ she Oa'iLs in crudely plain English her "knl|*- ,i; devil," and to whom she talks in si«r wanderings. Furthermore— and here so* ; ' is at sharpest opposition to Marie Baah-* kirtwff—Mary Mac Lane is strong and vigorous, and intensely alive. "Oh, it _j ,-

"good to be alive," she exckjmt. w ' "It is unutterably lovely to be "a healthy young animal, livingr "on this charmed earth." And thtih' ", with characteristic candjour, sihe exploit*, ~ that she has gained much of her "atrengtfc, * " and gracefulness of body from ecrubbi&j. " the kitchen floor, to say nothing of sosst,' * " fine points of philosophy. It brinji V " certain energy to one's body and bnus.3 ' There are great hopes of a young woman, who talks and acta like that, and who hai v " reached some astonishing subtleties of ;

" ceptkm while walking for miles and lrs'lSf "over the sands and barrens among ths't't "little hills and gulches." These walks, sMi asserts, have had the effect of developjif |j her vanity and self-conceit to a truly markable extent, a remark which one for her assertion, "I am " tally, organically egotistic. Slot the •' remarkable part of it is that I know " egotism and vanity thoroughly—and phuss'|f "myself thereon." After this one *Wyr "I can see far, far onward; I sin i.% " genius—a genius in my own right," witlfefe* out surprise. Mice MocLane's frankness ei-f£ tends to descriptions of herself—"l harsS "graeped the art, the poetry of my Qsmt "feminine body"—and to admissions <*iji " petty vanities" connected with her ftymL —"some of it is handkerchief"—which imp, not usually made public. We are Wtftf

quite disposed to agree with Miss Mstwl Lane's claim that she is a gemus, but sa||' has a mind of her own and uses it, and m?.'-

healthy body will help to keep hey tally wholesome. But her style — mmwjljo; easier to imitate than she has found MsmK Bashkirteeff, that we fear, if her *mnstt||||; book is a success, it will be but the runner of a host of feminine self-retsisig' tions of considerably leas interest ***l§lj