Life, 1901-07-04 · page 7 of 20
Life — July 4, 1901 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Monarchs of Magazinedom" This page satirizes magazine editors and contributors circa early 1900s. The left side shows four cartoon panels of figures in an automobile, labeled "Watch me give this old bum a life" and "A life"—wordplay on *Life* magazine itself. The right side features a "Chorus of Contributors" poem where magazine writers boast of their intellectual credentials, promising "analytical, Colonial and sexual" stories and "humorous materials for a book." They claim capacity, versatility, and being "up to date / In our multifarious trade." Below is a photograph captioned with dialogue about writing a composition on "Hope"—apparently mocking pretentious literary aspirations. The satire targets the self-importance and grandiose claims of magazine editors and freelance writers competing for publication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*“LEPE« “Say, pop, I’ve got to write a composition on Hope. What is Hope, anyway?” “Hope, my boy, is the joyous expectation of being able to dodge our just deserts.” The Monarchs of Magazinedom. (The scene of the action is laid on an open heath on the outskirts of Philadelphia by special invitation of Mr. Bok. The stage is filled to the brim with poets, photographers, short story writers, artists and nondescripts, Above, on @ judges’ stand, is a group of well-known editors, who look down dixpassionately as the individuals in the crowd hold up their manuscripts for sale. As the curtain rises, all march Sorward.) Cuorvus oF ConTRIBUTORS. Come buy of us, O buy of us, we're purely intellectual. Inspect our wares! We beg of you to look ! ‘We've stories analytical, Colonial and sexual, And numerous and humorous materials for a book. Now is the time And the likeliest season ! We've reason with rhyme, And rhymes without reason. We've screeds scientific, The latest fad ; Short stories prolific, Both glad and sad. Do not delay, we say to you; we're writers of capacity. We've reputations to sustain or make ; We've tales of mediocrity and picturesque mendacity— Of every length and every strength, the reader's thirst to slake. We're men of great capacity, veracity, mendacity, or anything for which we're duly paid. And we beg to state We are up to date In our multifarious trade! “ WILT THOU BE MINE, SWEET MARJORY ?") SAID BAKER VANDERBILT. “IT CANNOT BE,” SAID MARJORY. “ BUT SEE THE FLOWERS, THEY WILT.” cComicbooks.com