Life — January 26, 1905 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

*LVRE = 101 FROM UNDER THE BAN. regrets to note that the theatre in New L"™ racial and religious institution, York has been officially declared to be a It has been stated by the Theatrical Managers’ Association of New York City that, in effect, any one who criticizes their methods of dealing with the American public declares himself to be an enemy of the Jewish race. Whether the better c ss of Jews in New York City and in the country at large will support the Theatrical Trust in this curious contention remains to be seen. The announcement of this new relation of the theatre to the American public was made in a reso- lution adopted at a meeting of the Managers’ \ssociation and directed at the dramatic criticisms of Lire, which, in the resolution, are characterized as “bitter and unwarranted racial attacks.” It is also stated that Mr. Metcalfe, of Lire, is here- after to be excluded from the majority of the theatres in New York. Whenever a bad Jew gets into trouble he to make it a case of race or religious persecution. It's an easy trick to play and, unfortunately, usually succeeds. Jews of education and refinement are sensitive where their race is concerned, and natu- rally side with their co-religionists, irrespective of the merits of cach particular case. This trait, while in some ways an admirable one, is an unfortuna c It is un-American in one for the Jews in Americ the sense that it creates a nation within a nation. It is deeply to be desired, by Jew and Gentile alike, that this course shall not be persisted in, be- cause the inevitable result will be that there will grow up a national anti-Semitic feeling in America as there has in France and Germany. Lirk repeats that it is unfortunate for the decent Jews in America that the members of the Theatrical Trust ha raised nst Lire the ery of “Jew- baiter!” Readers of this journal know that this charge is unfounded. Lire has fun with the people of every creed, cult or race that has a funny side, even including New York’s exclusive 400 and the august United States Senate. That the members of the Theatrical Trust seek to make Live's criti- cism of their treatment of dramatic art and the American public a racial question, is raising a smoke to hide their own iniquities. It would be equally true to say that when Lire commends a play produced under Trust ma: igement, or by Mr. Belasco, or by the Shubert Brothers, it is pro-racial and pro-Semitic. The Theatrical Trust has so long dictated to American managers, American artists and Ameri- can newspapers that it has grown arrogant and despotic. In the case of Lire, it found that the proprietors of this journal still retained a belief in American independence, and that they could not be cajoled or intimidated. Then Messrs. Klaw and Erlanger thought they had found a vulnerable point in Lire’s armor and brought a libel suit for heavy damages. A judge and jury in an American court declined to aid and abet them in their attempt to silence us. Lire is to The last’ desperate resort against threaten physical violence, to attempt, by combina- tion, to drive Lire’s critic out of his position, and to arouse race hatred against this journal. It is not likely that even these methods will suc- ceed, Lir rights are involved, and we propose to maintain them. comicbooks.com