Life, 1904-04-21 · page 7 of 22
Life — April 21, 1904 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks sensationalist journalism and advice-giving. Billy Worst (likely a pseudonym) addresses "Dear Youngsters," cynically counseling them to become unethical editors like himself. **The satire:** Worst advises young people to become dishonest—issuing many editions daily, publishing mock-philosophical editorials, corrupting public taste, and spreading lies while appearing friendly. He boasts of his own moral decline ("I began at the top, you know, and I have been coming down ever since"). **The joke:** The advice is so transparently corrupt that it exposes actual journalistic practices Worst claims to practice. The character represents unscrupulous editors who prioritize sensationalism and self-promotion over truth. The three cartoon vignettes below depict absurd activities, likely mocking trivial or exaggerated content typical of yellow journalism of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“TL Es Heart to Heart Talks. By Bitty Worst. ear Youngsters: You have all heard of me, of course, and what a great editor I am, and how my paper, The Jnfernal, has spread all over like a big eruption Isn’t it nice to be a young man like me, and wouldn’t you like to be as Tam? Perhaps you may, some day. You can’t all expect to grow up and be just plain, ordinary, decent citizens. There is hope for each one of you. But Iam very much afraid that not a single one of you will start out with as much money as I had, and, of course, this is a great drawback. In that case, if you want to change your color, and be real yellow, you'll have to begin at the bottom, instead of the top. I began at the top, you know, and I have been coming down ever since, Has any little boy or girl ever heard of George Washington and how he couldn't tell a lie? I thought so. Well, you wouldn't like to be George Washington, would you? Be- cause he's dead. But you would like to be like me, wouldn't you? Because I'm very much alive, of course. ‘i Well, little children, it is very easy if you only know how. It’s so much easier to be bad than it is to be good—especially if you are a great editor like me. All you have to do is to issue as many editions a d as the presses permit, and talk about yourself as much as possible. You will also find it a good plan to publish as many mock-philosophical editorials by mock-philosophical editors as there is room for, and while you are advertising yourself, incidentally make it appear that you are a friend to everybody who reads your paper. You can corrupt the public taste so much better in this w. nd to corrupt the public taste, dear children, ought to be the chief end of all Harvard graduates. When I started out I was just like you, and now, look at me, Little remember one thing. Tell as many picturesque lies as possible, say as many sensational things as you can, be as vulgar and indecent as you want to be, but always be good to your parents. Remember, a parent will your running expenses when no one else will. And when you get to be a great man, as Iam, you will be doubly proud of yourself, even if there isn’t the slightest chance of your ever being President. IRST REPORTER: What's the matter? Have you been dis- charged? Srcoxp Rrroxtex: Yes, I was caught telling the truth NOTES PROM THE TREE Tors. THE ORIGINATOR OF THE NOP WALTZ FING THR TEMPERATURE DOWN, comicbooks.com