Life — November 15, 1917 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

ears who von. ster ser- To “es- ser, ut. ind nd XUM “LIFE™ SOCIAL UPLIFT important news from here regularly enough, but our papers have to fill up with what comes to them by cable, and. with such domestic news as no enemy would bother to read. And they have to talk about what is permissible to discuss, to the preju- dice, very often, of what would be more interesting if it were available. Possibly it is partly because the pa- pers are duller than usual that zealous persons who are strong for the war have been getting up some domestic war excitements on their own hook. There was the case of the Rev. Her- bert Bislow of Lexington, Kentucky a pacifist who prayed for “the Kaiser and the proud men surrounding him,” and was taken out by night-riders in ‘automobiles and whipped and admon- shed. Yet, heaven knows, the Kaiser and those proud men need_ praying for the worst way, so why object? Especially as the Rev. Herbert said he wanted the Kaiser sent to join the Czar. This discipline of Mr. Biglow is pretty generally disapproved, though the victim's discretion cannot be rated very high. The row about Dr. Muck of Major Higginson's Boston Symphony Orches- tra, who wouldn't play the Star Spangled Banner at his symphony con- certs, has filled much space and in- spired many headlines. It started among some women in Providen Dr. Muck is a German and not ad- dicted to the Star Spangled Banner just now. He said it wasn’t a sym- phony and could not properly be lugged in to a symphony concert. Major Hig ginson, who is an illustrious, blown-in- the-glass, Massachusetts patriot, sup- ported him in this view, but they had to give in, and Dr. Muck now plays the Star Spangled Banner at all his concerts. From Pittsburg comes word of a storm that befell because Kreisler, the violinist, was coming there to play toa woman's club. He is an Austrian, and the more urgent patriots among the Pittsburg ladies wouldn't have him, so the concert is off. Kreisler is an adorable violinist. By 791 all means let him fiddle. It does no harm, but quite the contrary. If it is true, as was reported, that he lost a lot of money going short on Bethlehem Steel at the wrong time two years ago, and is now trying to pay it back, it can- not be true as the Pittsburg ladies sup- posed, that he is shipping vast sums of concert money home to Austria. Dr. Muck is an admirable conductor. Let him conduct in’ peace, if not for the sake of music, then for the sake of Major Higginson. Any German or Austrian who is pursuing a peaceable art ought to be encouraged in so doing. The war is with the Germans whose arts are not peaceable. We won't win the war a minute sooner by making trouble for Germans of the other kind, And if anybody wants to pray that the Kaiser and his proud friends may come to better and saner views, hire a hall for him! Fight the fighting Germans to the bitter end! Shoot or hang German bombers, firebugs and other conspira- tors when caught and convicted. That helps to win the war. But worrying symphony orchestras and baiting violin- ists doesn’t do any good, though there are special war-time propricties that even musicians must respect. IFE has not had much to say about the campaign for woman suffrage in this State. There has been plenty to do to beat the Germans and try to keep the city of New York in good hands. It seems to be expected at this writing that the suffragists will not win, but if election shows the contrary, so be it! Most of the newspapers hereabouts and almost all the politicians are for suf- frage. If most of the women are also for it, it is only a question of time when they will get it. This is a time of experiment. As one contemplates the trials that are ahead, woman suf- frage seems almost of negligible im- portance among them. So let's not worry if we get it. With votes or with- out them, women will support the war. They are doing so already. comicbooks.com