Life — October 31, 1901 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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354 Kickers’ Column. ‘The Editor regrets that he is compelled toexctude many interesting letters on account of their length. Letters should not be longer than too hundred words, and are more likely to be Inserted Uf stilt shorter. T° THE EDITOROF LIFE. Dear Sir: The only real star that has appeared on the stage horizon this year Is David Warfeld, The man has genius and bas shown it in a very ordinary play entitled, “ The Auctioneer." There talittle sympathy here In Amenca for the Jew. He has contaminated everything in American life that he has touched. But Warfield has made the stage Jew not simply @ thing to be taughed at, but a human being to be laughed with aod wept with. our edition of Looking for amusement The above was printed in October 3, 1901. come across so sad an exhibition of bigotry You owe the American public, which stands for freedom and fair play, an apology for so gross and contemptible an attack upon a whole people as that which you make in the sweeping charge that “ the Jew has contaminated everything in American life that he has touched. You know the statement to be a lie, for you disprove it at once yourself by your praise of Warfield, who is, 1 am told, a Jew, in showing that he has dignified the stage by his presentation of the Jew as * not simply a thing to be laughed at, but a human being to be laughed with and wept with. Your remarks are an insult, not merely tome and to my people, but no less so to every self-respecting Am Inasmuch as they have fallen under my notice, I can- not let them pass without demanding their retraction. Respectfully yours, Henry Berkowitz, Puttapevruta, October 8, 1901. rican. Lire admits that the statement to which its correspondent objects was a sweeping one, which fact implied that it might have exceptions. For the higher-minded Jews who made possible the exceptions, Lire has always ex- pressed its regard and sympathy, but it is not prepared to make the retrac- tion its correspondent demands. In support of its assertion that the Jew is a contaminating influence in Ameri- can life, it is only necessary to cite such cases in point as what the Theatrical Syndi done to debase dramatic art in America, what Mr. Pulitzer has “LiPE* done for American journalism by the discovery of yellow methods, and what Mr. Andrew Freedman has done for the American national game. Many others could be quoted, but they are beyond the limit of our space. The fact that one Jewish actor has betrayed the possession of rare power in delineat- ing the humor and pathos in the life of one of his people proves nothing for or against the statement our correspond- ent critici When greed for money, no matter how vuigarly or immorally to be obtained, ceases to be the leading racial characteristic of his people, Lire will be glad to make the retraction our correspondent so courteously requests. —Epitor. To tne Eprtor or Lire. Dear Si do you give up so much space to Christian Science and McCrackan? McCrackan is getting to be a public nui- sance, and his wholesale vindications in the papers of his own particular cult have not even the merit of being few and far be- tween. His main refuge, in answer to the criticisms he tries to refute, is that ** spirit ual matters can only be apprehended in a spiritual way.” In his North American Kevirw article he declared that Christian Science could not be comprehended in an intellectual way. Now this might answer as an argument impossible to refute, if Christian Science were the only spiritual thing afloat. But there are others. J. M. Buckley, who has been ardent against the Christian Scientists, would probably be very indignant if it were asserted that his own religion, the Methodist, was the same kind of spirituality that McCrackan stands sponsor for. And so each religion has its own particular form of the spiritual. How, then, is a man going to diserimi- nate, among so many, unless he uses his reason? Is he going to use just enough of it to enable him to discriminate in favor of Christian Science, and throw it overboard afterwards? Yours, Spinoza, Lire Purtisnina Comraxy. Gentlemen: Lam very fond of your ex- cellent paper, but cannot take it home, where I have young daughters growing up, for the reason that nearly every number has some low, vulgar, commonplace kissing There is never even an nce that the couple delineated are ged to be married, and I should think it would be far from your intention to en- courage the sirst step towards immorality and disrespect for parents. Sincere! picture in it. Your Censor. THE OBLIGING FLAMINGO. I Played at Bridge. I PLAYED at "‘ bridge" at midnight, While the clock was striking the hour. A woman there played against me, And I secretly felt her power. A society leader was she, And I knew that I had no show; ‘And so fifty minutes later, Dead broke, I arose to go. Yet 1 cannot help but thinking Since that morning I was shorn, If she'd been a man, and honest, To-day no loss I'd mourn. Syndicate Criticism. pest DRAMATIC CRITIC: That was an awfully dull play last night. Seconp Dramatic Critic: Wasn't it? It was all I could do to keep from saying so in the paper. Q’NVY is not so much a sin as a punishment. comicbooks.com