Life, 1893-12-28 · page 15 of 53
Life — December 28, 1893 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Article: "Bravo, Mr. Damrosch!"** This editorial supports conductor Walter Damrosch against his orchestra's union strike. Damrosch wanted to hire a recently-arrived foreign musician, but union members prevented this. Rather than give notice beforehand, they waited until the audience was seated, played the opening bars, then walked out—described as a "brutal affront" to paying patrons. Life frames this as union tyranny violating American liberty and individual judgment, criticizing the union's underhanded tactics. **Side Cartoons:** The upper vignettes mock smoking cars and clueless passengers ("Sure an' I know it, sorr"). The bottom cartoon shows an elderly man asking granddaughters how much they love him; they flatter him by praising his hair. A separate joke mocks someone named Thompson for cheating at solitaire. The page reflects late-19th/early-20th-century anti-labor sentiment among magazine editors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WM. ie “THIS IS THE SMOKING CAR, MADAM.” BRAVO, MR. DAMROSCH ! I F other conductors would only follow the example of Mr. Damrosch, they could speedily put an end to an offen- sive tyranny that violates the most important principle of American life and liberty. Mr. Damrosch wished to hire a good musician who had recently arrived in this country. This he was forbidden to do by the other members of his orchestra ; but he insisted upon exercising his own judgment as to the selection of his own men. This was too much for the “Union,” under whose benign influence his orchestra played an ignoble trick upon him and his audience ; a trick too contemptible to be executed by any body of men except just this kind of a‘ Union.” The members of this orchestra, instead of giving him decent, human notice that they would not play on Sunday night, must wait until the audience is all seated and then, after the first few strains, stop short, put up their instruments and leave. That an American audience or an American public should submit quietly to such a brutal affront is dispiriting. Mr. Damrosch has LIFE’S warmest sympathy and best wishes. May he be able to fight it out on the line he has started. Grandpapa: The Girls : Grandpapa: “AH, pO you?” -OBBS: What a confounded cheat Thompson is ! Dosss: Cheat! Why that fellow can’t even playa fair game of solitaire. HoW MUCH DO YOU LOVE ME, GIRLS? WE LOVE EVERY HAIR OF YOUR HEAD, Is THAT ALL? comicbooks.com