‘No Sunday Shaves’ from The International Socialist Review. Vol. 14 No. 1. July, 1913.

“What is so rare as a shave on Sunday” in New York, asks the New York Call, and replies, “A haircut, of course.” About one million men in New York City and vicinity wanted shaves or hair-cuts on Sunday, but they found the new union of the barbers formed by the I.W.W. had succeeded in closing almost every shop. Union barbers surround some of the shops that keep open and they succeed in getting other barbers to quit at every attempt. Many barbershop windows now bear placards advising customers that “We Are Closed on Sunday.”

Most boss barbers have signed agreements with the I.W.W. to remain closed upon the Seventh Day. The New York Call, for June 2, reported: “Permanent headquarters were established yesterday for the new union of Manhattan barbers which has been organized by the I.W.W. at 52 East 4^th street. Large numbers of boss barbers who had not previously made settlements called there yesterday to sign agreements.” The new union has already succeeded in cutting off Sunday work for barbers in New York in a large majority of the shops. They intend to continue until every tonsorial artist in Manhattan shall have a chance to rest on Sunday like other folks.

The International Socialist Review (ISR) was published monthly in Chicago from 1900 until 1918 by Charles H. Kerr and critically loyal to the Socialist Party of America. It is one of the essential publications in U.S. left history. During the editorship of A.M. Simons it was largely theoretical and moderate. In 1908, Charles H. Kerr took over as editor with strong influence from Mary E Marcy. The magazine became the foremost proponent of the SP’s left wing growing to tens of thousands of subscribers. It remained revolutionary in outlook and anti-militarist during World War One. It liberally used photographs and images, with news, theory, arts and organizing in its pages. It articles, reports and essays are an invaluable record of the U.S. class struggle and the development of Marxism in the decades before the Soviet experience. It was closed down in government repression in 1918.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/isr/v14n01-jul-1913-ISR-riaz-ocr.pdf