Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/823

782 notable. On the 27th of November, 1875, she made her first appearance as Juliet, in the Macaulay Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky. She won a most pronounced success.

After this she had no more difficulties to overcome. She was welcomed everywhere, and everyone was now willing to acknowledge her great talent and natural genius as an actress. Her dignity and high standard as a woman, gave her a most enviable social position, which she has held all through her life. In 1879 she made her first trip to Europe. In 1880 she received an offer to play at the Drury Lane Theatre, London, but declined it fearing she was not quite equal, as yet, to such heights of fame, also refusing an engagement at the London Lyceum, but in 1885 she accepted an offer at the Lyceum in "Parthenia." Her triumph was instantaneous. From this time on during her entire stage career she knew nothing but success until her name was placed at the head of American actresses of her day. In 1889 she was obliged to retire from the stage owing to a severe illness, and in 1890 withdrew permanently to the sincere regret of every American citizen. Soon afterward she married M. Antonio Navarro, a citizen of New York. They have lived, ever since their marriage, in England, where her social position is second to none.

Miss Rehan is one of the most noted artists of her adopted country. All of her honors having been earned in the United States, Americans rank her among the distinguished artists of this country. Miss Rehan was born in Limerick, Ireland, April 22, 1859. Her name is Crehan and was accidentally misspelled in a telegram, when she adopted it as her stage name, and by it she will ever be known. Her parents came to the United States in 1864, and settled in Brooklyn, where Ada was a pupil of the common schools of that city until fourteen years of age. At this time a company was playing Byron's "Across the Continent" in Newark, New Jersey, and Ada was asked to take the place of one of the members of the company who was ill. This was the beginning of her professional career, as her family decided after this performance to have her