Life, 1902-01-09 · page 9 of 20
Life — January 9, 1902 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 29 The main illustration depicts a figure in period dress (appears to be 18th or 19th century) looking at a moon or light source, labeled "The Burglar: 'THAT WAS A FINE MEAL I HAD DOWNSTAIRS. GOOD! AND YOU NEEDN'T FORGET TO MAKE YOUR DINNER CALL.'" This is a darkly humorous cartoon about a burglar complimenting his victims' meal after robbing them—a satirical jab at criminal audacity and entitled behavior. The adjacent text discusses the authorship of literary works (mentioning Mark Twain and Margaret Delaud regarding "Miss Wilkins"), and debates about publishing short stories as a commercial venture. A small separate cartoon shows someone at an office door, captioned about a "single out proclaiming him N.D." This appears commentary on the publishing industry's practices and author attribution disputes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
29 play. Consequently, anxious spec- ulators have to decide, not only The Burglar: THAT WAS A PINT MEAL 1 MAD DOWNETAIRS. “coop! AND YOU MUSTN'T PORGET To MAKE YOUR DINNER CALL.” our year of grace to make use of it as a bait to allure speculation. To publish a dozen short stories, un- signed, and offer a thousand dollars for the best guess at authorship, is a daring inno- vation in letters. It gives a new and dazzling interest to well-worn fiction; it supplies a splendid zest to the dull busi- ness of reading; and it makes an uncrring appeal to the passion for gambling which burns in every breast. If other publishers follow this admirable lead, bridge whist will soon be supplanted, and Wall Street have a rival in the field. A thousand dol- lars is a goodly sum, and makes the busi- ness of guessing authors more profitable than the business.of writing books, What complicates the matter is the fact that twenty-five story-tellers were invited to start the game, and thirteen refused to who wrote the tales, but who didn’t. While we are balancing the relative claims of Mark Twain and Margaret Deland, it may be they are both out- side the ring, and Miss Wilkins is the real of- fender. But these difficul- ties are added incentives to the intelligent mind, which George Eliot as- sures us always prefers the pleasure of conjecture toready-made knowledge upon any subject. Tho wonder is that a scheme so simple and so well devised should never before have dawned upon ‘the commercial mind. Think of the time when all England was quiver- ing with curiosity anent the well-kept secret of Waverley. Suppose two hundred pounds had been offered for the right guess—only purchasers to have a vote. There would have ensued such sales as had never been seen since Caxton set up his press. But publishers were stupid in those days,- and authors were proud. Nous drons changé tout cela. Agnes Repplier. YOUNG PISSICK’S GOT A SHINGLE oT PROCLAIMING MIM MD. BUT PROM A.M. TO LATE P, 3. MIS OFFICE 18 MT. comicbooks.com