Life, 1899-04-06 · page 13 of 20
Life — April 6, 1899 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on American theatre and a brief comic dialogue. **Main Article:** Critic William Archer (a real British theater critic) has been sent to America by wealthy magnate William Waldorf Astor to write articles about the American stage for a British magazine. The author (Metcalfe) sarcastically questions Astor's motives, suggesting Astor—who lives in London—is either trying to profit from American theatre or atone for his absence by funding a National Theatre. The piece mocks both Astor's presumed business calculations and the limited British interest in American drama beyond *The Belle of New York*. **Comic Strip ("Hear Him Out"):** A man tells a woman that marriage reveals true happiness—but admits "it is too late," implying marriage has destroyed his happiness. The woman dryly agrees. This is a conventional domestic joke about marital disillusionment. **Puzzle Illustration:** Below the text is a theater interior diagram labeled "Find the Author"—likely a visual puzzle for readers to solve.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BY does Mr. William Waldorf Astor =f send Mr. William Archer over hero SJ to write a series of articles on’ tho American stage? Have the English people become so deeply interested in America that scholarly articles on our theatre will be a drawing card in a maga- zine that caters to the English masses? This scems hardly likely. British interest in the American stage is confined to the professional element, which regurds this as a flold for onterprise, and to such of tho theatre-going public as aro entertained by a few American productions which have succeeded in London, The former is a small class, Interested only by the business and technical aspects of the theatro, and the interest of the latter class may be judged by the fact that its greatest evidenco ‘LIFE: is the success of a Casino production called “ The Belle of New York,” Mr. Archor is | competent and honest critic—his head a trifle among tbe clouds, perhaps—but it is not likely that his obser- vations will be read by either of the classes mentioned, and bis topic is not one to be an attractive feature for a popular periodical. Mr. Astor must have u deeper motive, then. Can it be that he has sent Mr, Archer to study the organization of The Syndi- cate for the Strangling of Dramatic Art? This seems unlikely, for that is simply a specalative concern, which Mr, Astor’s busi- ness representations could describe better than an accomplished critic. Thero seems to be only. one other solution, Mr. Astor is going toatono for removing himself from America by endowing for his bereaved PuzZLe. FIND THE AUTHOR. 305 countrymen a National Theatro where they may forget their loneliness while witnessing artistic performances of dramatic clussica, For this purpose, doubtless, bo has sent Mr. Archor to spy out the ground, and on the return of bis emissary the necessary five millions will probably bo sent over by return steamer. If Mr. Astor will do this, we will gladly forgive him for living in London, Metcalfe. Hear Him Out. AGGLE: Yes, sir, a man never knows what happiness is until he marries— Mrs. W. that. ‘And then it is too late.” I'm glad to hear you say