Life, 1902-11-20 · page 9 of 22
Life — November 20, 1902 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Proper Spirit" Cartoon Analysis This political cartoon satirizes literary pretension and productivity. The image depicts a figure being thrown forcefully downward with books flying around him—illustrating the phrase "ARM! GET OFF THE EARTH!" The accompanying text describes an "Unheard-of Literary Feat" where Mr. Cyrus Townsend Brady wrote eight articles simultaneously, while Mr. Marion Crawford completed a pot-boiler in under three minutes. The satire targets prolific but low-quality writers who churned out commercial fiction rapidly. The violent imagery mocks their aggressive approach to publishing, suggesting such productive "hacks" should literally be ejected. This reflects early 20th-century literary snobbery distinguishing serious authors from commercial manufacturers of popular fiction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE: 439 child’s story; and Mr. F. Marion Crawford (by permission of \: his publishers), a pot-boiler. In eight sound-proof booths in the hall were eight phono- graphs for Mr. Grady's use; and in eight others were similar instruments for his opponents. When the word was given, Mr. Brady darted into the booth marked ‘*Serial,” and was at work before most of his rivals had reached their places. After less than three minutes, he entered the ** Poem" booth, where booth, where he stayed six minutes. In the second he spent the same time, and did not enter these booths again. Within twenty minutes, it was evident that Mr. Brady reduced the matter of literary production to a business, f proceeded up and down the row of booths methodically, stay- ing in, each just five minutes, no matter what the subject on which he was working. The judges, Prof. Charles Eliot Norton, Mr. Richard Watson Gilder and Prof, Brander Matthews, decided that Mr. Brady had won six of the eight events, had tied with Dr. Parkhurst E on a sermon, and had lost to Mr. Marion Crawford on the pot- w~ \ boiler. In the auction which followed, the Herald outbid the | Journat for the sermons, and the other articles, except Mr. Crawford's pot-boiler, were secured by the McClure S} there was considerable excitement over the two serials, the Cen- tury running the Syndicate hard. Mr. Crawford's pot-boiler was claimed by his publishers, in accordance with notice given ! beforehand. Of Knighthood’s Faded Flower. NEED no book of ancient days To lure me to the whirling ways — Where to and fro the courtiers dance And bend before their queen, Romance. \ Truce to their ill-feigned plays! i No laurel wreath nor crown of bays Slips from their dusty steeds that prance To dim fanfares. Of ancient France I need no book. Let those who will dead knighthood praise, Or on Beaucaire’s red roses gaze In some new-bound, ink-scented book— To me Myrtilla’s merest look Is more than all their bauble plays. T need no book. George James. THE PROPER SPIRIT. “arru! GET orr TH Ranta!” _ “TAM, SIR. MAY 1 COME DOWN AFTER TOU HAVE rasszD?” ‘An Unheard-of Literary Feat! MR. CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY WRITES EIONT ARTICLES AT ONS TIME. MR, MARION CRAWFORD ALONE BEATS HIM WITH A POT BOILER. ) R, CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY, the dis- o tinguished Protean literator, performed a Flatbush Atheneum, by composing two sermons, two chapters of a serial, two short stories, a poem, a regular pot- boiler, anda child's story, in two hours, against eight other famous writers severally occupied on similar subjects. The Rev. Dr. Parkhurst and the Rev. Newton D. Hillis each com- posed a sermon; Mr. Hamlin Garland wrote two chapters of ap : ; ; serial; Miss Molly Elliot Seawell and Mr. T. Jenkins Hains cach gps ce sense On: Ou Teel THERE, ta xo pouny spect ruts wrote a short story; Mr. Henry Van Dyke, a poem; Miss Daskam,a tation. ; comicbooks.com