Life, 1888-07-26 · page 11 of 14
Life — July 26, 1888 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of This Life Magazine Page The page contains two distinct items: **"Studying from Nature"** (top): A humorous caption about children playing doctor. Tommy tells his mother he and Maudie have been "playing doctor," and he gave the patient "medicine in a spoon, and she lies down and dies." The joke plays on innocent childhood role-play with darkly comedic results—the "patient" dies from the treatment. **"Reflections"** (main text): Commentary on poet Robert Browning's refusal of £250 from a Boston newspaper for a poem, citing that magazine publication feels like being "an uninvited guest." Life's editors respect his integrity but sarcastically offer their own pen-name "John Milton" to fill the gap, implying magazine poetry is often mediocre work unworthy of serious poets. The piece critiques both Browning's pretension and magazine poets' general lack of quality. A brief note on Colonel Higginson follows, noting his observation that English gentlemen are scarcer and less polite than American ones.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
STUDYING FROM NATURE, Tommy: MAMMA, ME AND MAUDIE HAVE BE AYING DOCTOR. I JUST GIVE HER SOME MEDIC zr AND DIES, REFLECTIONS. WM R. ROBERT BROWNING reports that a well-known Boston paper lately offered him £250 for a short poem, but that he had to decline. One thing that he says he can’t do is to write poetry for magazines, and he adds : “If I publish a book and people want to buy it, that proves they want to read my work. But to have them turn over the leaves of a magazine and find me, that is to be an uninvited guest!” We respect the honesty of Mr. Browning's distinctions, He may put what he likes into a book and turn it loose on the world, and if Chicago raves over it, and an important section of the civilized world chooses to accept it as a sort of puzzle-exercise for the mind, the author can shirk all responsibility and say, “The more fools they!” In the matter of a book offered for sale in open market, with opportunities for previous examination, caveat emptor certainly rules, and the seller need have no scruples, But to accept a check from a magazine and return its value in poetry is a different matter. Even a poet might scruple to accept $1,250 directly from a magazine editor for “poetry,” unless, at least, the “poetry” was poetry and made sense. We cannot often understand Mr. Browning's poetry, but we can fathom his feelings in this case. He has behaved like an honest man, and we wish that nineteen-twentieths of the magazine poets could be induced to follow his example. At the same time we are loath to have a Boston paper disappointed, and if the journal which applied to Mr. Browning is still in need of a little jag of verse, and will be satisfied with such quality as Mr. B. usually provides, it can be accommodated at the figure specified by addressing “ John Milton,” office of LiFe. N.B.—J. M. is our pen-name, and we sign it to magazine poetry without extra charge. . . . OLONEL HIGGINSON, who is a veteran (and colonel) in the use of the sword, as well as the pen, is convinced out of the abundance of his experience that gentlemen are scarcer in England than in the United States, and less polite when found. To be sure; and that is what might have been expected. The Declaration comicbooks.com