Life, 1916-11-30 · page 10 of 42
Life — November 30, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two distinct pieces: **"Opera in the Middle West"** (top): Commentary on the Interstate Opera Company's emergence, mocking how American commerce treats opera like any industrial enterprise. The satirist suggests opera will soon be regulated like steel production—a humorous critique of American materialism overwhelming European cultural refinement. **"Just Like Teddy"** (bottom): A political cartoon depicting Li Yuan-hung, China's new president following the republic's establishment. The figure kneeling before him represents someone seeking approval. The satire compares Li's assumption of power to Theodore Roosevelt's leadership style—suggesting American political influence or that Li is imitating Roosevelt's decisive approach. The caption's exchange about trustworthiness implies skepticism about the new Chinese government's stability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
936 Opera in the Middle West NE of the serious facts of life in the Middle West this year is the Interstate Opera Company. This music business is going to make steel and oil and all the other little merely com- mercial enterprises look like successes “de steam"—as a press agent would say. Before long we shall have an interstate opera commission to regulate the exact volume and pressure of ap- plause a prima donna must wait for before she takes a curtain call. And the three-hour night—eight to eleven— is bound to come, even if they have to sing “Tristan” one evening and “Tsolde” the next. We see by the papers that Gatti- Casazza thinks American opera is in grave danger. And he ought to know, having just returned from Europe, where they manufacture the finest brand of American opera danger. Nevertheless, there are now in evi- dence some cight or ten flourishing or projected enterprises for supplying music-drama_ simultaneously all over the continent. And the season for discovering rivals of Caruso driving grocery wagons has hardly begun yet. The fact is America is just begin- ning to take opera seriou: You have to do that a good many years before you get any Nibelungen rings, but when there’s so much Valkyrie fire- spelling there must be some smoke- rings for us to blow some day. Mean- while we have the best opera in the world at the Metropolitan, and they can’t have any better than that even in Europe. “ SHALL YOU NEED MY HELP IN THE TORTUI “WE ARE SOMEWHAT SHORT-HANDE! THUMB-SCREWS, IF YOU WILL BI Just Like Teddy HINA Yuan-hung is again There is a true American ring about his inaugural remarks ;-¢. g.: is again a republic. Li her Pre: dent. Although I a man without talent or ability, nevertheless, as 1 have always been entrusted by the HOW HE FEELS WHEN SHE SAYS IT nation with the heavy duty of a CHAMBER TO-DAY, BROTHER?” YOU MIGHT TAKE CHARGE OF THE SO KIND.” President, [ will co-operate with you gentlemen with all my sincerity for the betterment of the republic of China. Just about what our Colonel would be saying if he had been always en- trusted. Frost: Davis is a New Yorker. Snow: Where from?