Life, 1907-10-31 · page 19 of 22
Life — October 31, 1907 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous parody where Sherlock Holmes deduces facts about "The Bohemian" (a rival magazine) and its editor purely from mud on his shoe. The satire mocks both Holmes's famous deductive method and magazine competition of the era. **The Setup:** Punch magazine (an established British satirical publication) is visited by The Bohemian's editor. Sherlock Holmes, present in Punch's office, identifies the visitor's magazine affiliation, ancestry, literary style, and even which specific mud proves his New York location—all from examining his footwear. **The Joke:** Holmes's absurdly over-the-top deductions—tracing mud to Deposit, N.Y., identifying Scottish ancestry from glove-wearing, determining humor from facial structure—parody the detective's legendary logical prowess while poking fun at The Bohemian as a competitor. The exaggeration suggests The Bohemian is somehow obvious or transparent. **Context:** This reflects competitive literary magazine culture in early 20th-century America, where publications like Punch, The Bohemian, and Harvard Lampoon vied for readers with humor, stories, and satire.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Sherlock Holmes Meets “The Bohemian” THE ADVENTURE OF THE EDITORIAL SHOE By A. NOTHER DOYLE BEING A GENUINELY UNAUTHORIZED SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY, DEMONSTRATING ANEW THE FAMOUS SLEUTH’S REMARKABLE POWERS OF DEDUCING FACTS FROM BLIND CLUES Characters: Puxcu, THE BOHEMIAN and SHERLOCK HOLMEs. Scene: Puncn’s Sanctum. (Enter THe BOHEMIAN, bowing cour- teously to Punch, sitting on his editorial stool, and extending his card.] THe BoueMian: This is Punch, I be- lieve ? Puncu: And this is The Bohemian? 1 am delighted to meet you, sir. I have heard of you often and have looked you over when you weren’t looking. I am glad you called, and that isn’t a “bromide,” either. Oh, I beg your pardon! Mr. Bohemian, this is Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Tue Bouemian: Punch and the famous detective in one morning! I am indeed fortunate. (Extending his hand to Holmes.) SHERLOCK HoiMes (smiling and sha- king hands): I have never happened to hear of you, Mr. Bohemian, but I have been in Kamchatka on a very interesting case’and I have been out of touch for the past sixteen months. (Glancing intently at the tip of The-Bohemian’s shoe.) I see you have jumped into this magazine game since I left; that you are published by the Outing Publishing Company at Deposit, N. Y., with offices in New York and Chicago; that you are a first-class story- teller, given also to good humor and bright verse; that your forefathers were Scotch; that your great-grandfather fought in the War of 1812, and that you have come to ask Punch how he likes THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CUPID and that series on HUMOROUS COLLEGE JOURNALISM which you began in your November number by describing “The Harvard Lampoon.” THE Bowemian and Puncu (in an astonished chorus): Why! How! Where did you learn all this? SHERLOCK HoLmes (nonchalantly): My dear sirs, it is all an open book. As I have often said, everything is logically deducible from anything else. Every man carries his career, its achievements and his own ancestry on his person. It is logic, logic— the same logic which makes me certain that Mr. Bohemian has reached land-wide popularity. How do I know? Let me illustrate. Look at that bit of mud on Mr. Bohemian’s shoe. The bootblack on Piccadilly has tried to shine it over. But he could not. Now, from my collection of mud from all quarters of the world, and from my thorough chemical tests, I know that there is just one mud that will not come off when the Piccadilly bootblack gets busy, and that mud is at Deposit, N.Y. Naturally The Bohemian is there- fore connected with The Outing Pub- lishing Company, located there. Easy, you see. Punc was coming here? SHERLOCK Ho.mes: Slowly, slowly. Logic is slow and the explanation long. I said he was given to telling snappy, bright, short stories. The his gloves proves that. My observation of all the best story-tellers of present-day literature makes this a matter of fact. His humor? Look at his face! Such a man as that would make all his associates see the silver lining of every dark cloud. Good verse? I listened to his step when : But how did you know why he he carries It was tunéd Proves it! he came in. iambic measure. Puncu: But! Swertock Homes: Yes, yes, good Punch, he wanted to see how you liked THE DOMINANCE OF AMERICAN BEAUTY, by Perriton Maxwell, finely illustrated by half-tones; and that little autobiographical review under the heading of MY YE RDAYS, by Robert Ede- son; and that college humor article on THE HARVARD LAMPOON. Why? Because a man of his good taste values your high opinion of features of excellence like these. Puncu: But the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CUPID? Suertock Hotes (s/yl: Because, gentlemen, Cupid is a live proposition with a long, busy past, spicy in many spots. His story was due to be published now. I found this out by observing two Kamchatka lovers last month. And who would publish such a pretty story but our clever, genial friend, The Bohemian? (Impatiently.) It is all plain enough to any one who can see. And he is going to succeed! I can see that by the way he wears his scarf-pin. All people who succeed have just that little knack in sticking the pin into the cravat. But, gentlemen, good-day. I must be going. (Exit.) Puncu: Wonderful, wonderful man! How he does divine the truth! A lock Holmes is infallible. W must be true. But, Mr. Bohemian, it is a hot morning. Would you—— Tue Bonemtan: Thanks. (Exit both.) Yes, yes. Delighted. NOTE-—Sherlock Holmes evidently took for granted that it was known that the home address of THE BOHEMIAN is Deposit, N.Y., that it retails at Ten Cents a copy at news stands, and that it is One Dollar a year by subscription. comicbooks.com