Life — May 12, 1887 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

VOL. IX. MAY 12, 1887. No. 228. 1155 BROADWAY, NEw York. Published every Thursday, $5 a year in advance, postage free. Single copies, ro cents. Back numbers can be had by applying to this office. Vol. I., $1.50 per number ; Vol. II., 25 cents per number; Vols. III., IV., V., VI., VII. and VIII. at regular rates. Rejected contributions will be ‘destroyed unless accompanied by a stamped and directed envelope. HERE is a new labor organization. It began on Sun- day night, ten days ago, in Boston. Its members call themselves squires of work. The only squire who has an- nounced himself, so far as organized, is Mr. Edward Atkinson, the honored founder of the order. He proclaimed the new faith in a speech made to a big houseful of Knights of Labor. It did not please the knights much, but it has pleased a lot of other people. The first principle of the organization is, “ Mind your own Business,” and the next principle seems to be— though the founder did not say so in so many words—“ Smash any man who tries to prevent you from earning an honest living in your own way.” ‘There is an adult, substantial call for such an order as Mr. Atkinson suggests. His address was full of wisdom of a sort that we workingmen will find it profitable to assimilate. The newspapers have reported it more or less fully, but doubtless it will be printed in a cheap form, so that we can all get it and paste it in our notes for future reference. No one will find the information it presents more important than the Knights of Labor. Mr. Atkinson, with his figures and his common sense, can do them more good than all the walking delegates that ever called better men names. * * * HILE Mr. Atkinson was talking common sense in Boston, and making himseif disliked by his audience, in New York, a crowd of people in Chickering Hall were shaking that edifice with cheers for Dr. McGlynn, Henry George, and the Anti-Poverty Society, the corner-stone of which it would appear is Mr. George's blessed theory of public | property in land. When the cows come home and Father McGlynn’s democratic pope is observed walking down Broad- way in a stovepipe hat, Mr. George’s theories may relieve the necessities of the poor; but to tide us over the interval, Mr. Atkinson's ideas come in very handy. * * Celtic eloquence to twist his fingers in the scalp-lock of Lord Lansdowne, and make that noble earl wish he had been born bald-headed. They say his lordship is not kind to his tenants, which is lamentable if true, and that it is true Mr. O’Brien will probably refuse to let us doubt. Precisely what effect his mission will have it is hard to premise, though itis safe enough to say, no doubt, that no New York con- stituency will send the Canadian premier to Congress after O'Brien has finished with his character. * * * HILE Mr. O’Brien has his hand in with the British peerage, he may find an inviting subject in the late Edward Bulwer, Lord Lytton, who is held up as a painful instance of the way a man ought not to treat his wife. by Lady Lytton’s new biographer. Lord Lytton is dead, which would perhaps be a disadvantage from Mr. O’Brien’s point of view, but at least he is intimately known in this country —which Lord Lansdowne is not—and a great many people will be interested to learn anything to his discredit. If the American people are thoroughly apprised of Lord Lytton’s possible defects, they can stop reading his books; but how- ev. ‘they may feel about Lord Lansdowne; they will have to bear it and be quiet. They don’t owe him anything, and he has written no books. * * * Te pictures of the Pharaohs in the last Century must not be mistaken for illustrations in the “Life of Lin- coln.” The authors of that exhaustive biography passed the Pharaohs several numbers back, and are understood to be well along in their retrospective summary of the Middle Ages. * * * ONSEIGNEUR DOANE is a Roman Catholic bishop, or something, down in New Jersey. At least, he is high-priest in St. Patrick's Cathedral, at Newark, and spiritual adviser to Miss Mary Dunn. He says Miss Dunn, being a Catholic, must not sing soprano or otherwise in the Protestant churches, and New Jersey is mad and wants his scalp. Monseigneur, you are all right. You think that the mem- bers of a Protestant church choir personally participate in the Protestant form of worship, and encourage the congregation. Therefore, you think a Protestant choir is no place for a pious Romanist who believes that Protestantism is a snare. Sir, you flatter the Protestant churches by your opinion of their choirs. The facts are not as you suppose. The aver- age Protestant choir merely sings. It neither performs any worship on its own account, nor abets that of the congrega- | tion, and it is probable that Miss Dunn might sing in the Reformed Church indefinitely long and never think a bit the | less of the Pope. R. WILLIAM O'BRIEN has come over seething with | haps your action may be an incentive to Protestant choirs to But the facts ought to be as you think they are, and per- live up. to your opinion of them, and so good may result. comicbooks.com