Life, 1883-12-06 · page 12 of 16
Life — December 6, 1883 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis: Life Magazine Page 294 This page contains social satire typical of 19th-century Life magazine. **"Mottoes for the Many"** offers cynical one-liners mocking various professions—burglars, lawyers, clothes dealers, teachers—presenting their unspoken mottos as mercenary or hypocritical ("Nothing new under the sun," "The switch is father to the taught"). **"Storm Beaten"** is a theater review savagely critiquing poet Robert Buchanan's dramatic play at Union Square Theatre. The writer argues that while Buchanan excels as a poet, he lacks skill as a playwright. Despite strong acting and staging elevating the mediocre melodrama, the review suggests his theatrical ambitions are misguided—implying a good poet can be a "very foolish playwright." **"Difference of Longitude"** compares two barn-raising scenes: the left shows an orderly New England community effort; the right depicts chaotic frontier conditions in the West, with people flying through the air. This satirizes regional differences in American civilization and social organization. The tone throughout is witty, dismissive, and class-conscious.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: of brass, that that same Aristocrat who refused to deck his house last Monday, will every morning, while he lives, anoint the feet of,the Colossus with the black paste peculiar to the country, and polish them until they dazzle the nation. Even then he would be doing no more than he did last Monday. Let Geoxce but stretch his foot and give WILLIAM a chance to get in some fine and beautiful work. MOTTOES FOR THE MANY. Burctar’s.—Go it till you're hung. Lawyer’s.—Sue as you would be dunned by. SECOND-HAND CLoTHES DEALER's.—There 's noth- ing new under the sun. Tue Teacuer’s.—The switch is father to the taught. Tue ScHoLar’s.—It never pains but it roars. Tue Guest’s.—None so left as those who're not here. A TRIOLET. N ulster of ancient cut, Dragged from a closet’s corner. It's cold and I'll wear it—but An ulster of ancient cut, With many a stain and smut, Yet it might be much forlorner ! This ulster of ancient cut, Dragged from a closet'’s corner. “STORM BEATEN.” JF the first programme of Mr. Robert Buchanan’s play, at the Union Square Theatre last week, illustrated this fact: That a brilliant company of actors, vigorous and intelligent stage-man- agement, and charming scenery can elevate a commonplace and melodramatic play to afevel much above its value. Mr, Buchanan appears to have a wild desire to write dramas. Well, the desire is natural enough, and it is possessed by many excellent and vir- tuous persons, If these persons would only show a noble self- sacrifice by not placing their work upon the stage, we should be exceedingly grateful to them and might be induced to regard them as heroes, on a small scale, Bat the man who evolves a play is immediately ambitious to have his play acted, to see an audience groan in spirit over it, and to be convinced that genius, in this melancholy world, goes without its proper reward. All this bears indirectly upon Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Buchanan is a Scotchman who has written spirited and fine verse. Much of his verse is essentially dramatic. Yet he is not, on this account, a dramatist. It is one thing to have dramatic ideas ; it is another thing to give shape to them. Mr. Buchanan has won wide repu- tation as a poet ; his plays have been invariably unsuccessful. It is likely that, in ordinary conditions, ‘‘ Storm Beaten" would be equally unsuccessful. But this drama has gained here some foot- hold of success, So much the worse, perhaps, for Mr. Buchanan, for the production of “Storm Beaten” can add no whit to his reputation, if, indeed, it does not make one reflect that an excel- lent poet may be a very foolish playwright. It is to be remarked that the genial and accomplished Mr. A. R. Cazauran has had his name printed among the officers of the Union Square DIFFERENCE OF LONGITUDE. A Barn Ratsinc In New ENGLAND. A Barn RAIsING IN THE BOUNDLESS WEST. comicbooks.com