Life — June 23, 1904 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The Auto Owl Cartoon This small cartoon depicts an owl perched on a book, wearing spectacles. The owl's caption reads: "I'm a wise bird, say its critics say, / But when I'm off on a foot / with crooked eyes, / I'm not so wise. / To wit: I'm a bit of a brute." The cartoon satirizes intellectual pretension—specifically, someone (likely a public figure or type of person) who presents themselves as wise and learned but behaves foolishly or brutally in practice. The owl, traditionally a symbol of wisdom, undercuts this by admitting hypocrisy: appearing scholarly while acting poorly. This appears to mock a contemporary public figure or the gap between intellectual reputation and actual behavior, though the specific target isn't identified in the visible text.