Life, 1902-08-14 · page 9 of 20
Life — August 14, 1902 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains two cartoons and a biographical entry about poet Alfred Austin. **Top cartoons:** The left shows a crowded balloon basket ascending ("Finally causing no end of a sensation in the Balloon before the Basket is reached"). The right depicts an owl-like creature arriving at a seaside hotel, captioned "Next Morning," with the owl saying he'll abandon this summer hotel idea. **The biography section** introduces Alfred Austin, described as a "prickly" poet and rival to other writers. The text notes his work as a puzzle editor and emphasizes his sense of humor, claiming he's "the only genuine humorist in the British Empire" — clearly ironic praise. The satire suggests Austin was pretentious yet genuinely amusing despite himself. The "Kings" section appears unrelated commentary on monarchical dignity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PINALLY CAUSING NU END OF A SENSATION IN TUK BALLNOOM BEFORE THE BASEMENT 18 REACHED. Life’s Dictionary of International Biography. ALFRED AUSTIN. A® English trochaic, iambic, heroic and hot air poet, deadly rival of Ella == Wheeler Wilcox and Laura Jean Libby, and all around ode maker to the King, This gentleman was born at the rear entrance to Westmin- ster Abbey about fifty years ago. All the Muses were present, and when they heard the sad news, they sent for ambu- lances and were carried to a sanitarium, where they have been ever since. Asa boy, Mr. Austin early evinced the remarkable talent which later on began to receive favorable notices from The Ladies’ Home Journal and the puzzle editor of Punch, At twelve years of age, in common with all geniuses, he became convinced of his own future greatness, and com- posed for the world the following lines to show his own confidence in his destiny : ‘There was an old grandee of Spain Who constantly grinned while in pain. These lines, doncherknow, Are merely to show I can write in a humorous vein. Recognition came slowly, but surely, and when Tenny- son died, it became evident that Mr. Austin was the worst man for the place, Algernon Swinburne’s sense of humor being in total collapse. It can confidently be asserted that Mr. Austin is the only NST \ ( aAOr AIRE i 4 NEXT MORNING, Mr. Hipp (leaving the hotel): 1 GUESS I'LL DROP THIS IDEA OF LIVING IN sUMsEn HoTeLs. genuine humorist in the British Empire, Hall Caine being too far away and Joe Choate not being naturalized. He spends most of his time between the King’s chambers and the houses of Parliament and carries with him a case of instruments to be ready for any international emergency. It was Shakespeare’s privilege to make people weep. Mr. Austin does better. He makes the world smile—and sometimes swear. It is said that in another century no poetry will be writ- ten. It will be seen from this that Mr. Austin is a hun- dred years ahead of his time. As poet laureate, he has achieved a remarkable success in binding together the two great Anglo-Saxon branches of humanity. Whenever he has written an ode, we have all felt drawn together by a common sorrow. Mr. Austin’s favorite occupation is reading the works of J. Gordon Coogler, feeding his Pegasus on thistles, and making goo-goo eyes at Kipling. Principal works: ‘*Metres I Have Smiled With,” “ The Descent from Tennyson to Me,” etc. Tom Masson, Kings. i Drage the emotional masses will be more or less swelled by Mr. Morgan's cordial reception at the courts of European monarchs, is perhaps inevitable ; but the hope may reasonably be indulged that we shall not afford such exterior evidences of elation as to derogate from our national dignity. We are a great people; as such we have a right to expect our king to trot in the king class ; it is distinctly beneath us to act very tickled when other peoples’ kings treat him as an equal. comicbooks.com