Life, 1908-10-29 · page 6 of 20
Life — October 29, 1908 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration depicts a gladiatorial combat between two armored warriors, captioned "Plain Citizen: and it's all for me!" This appears to satirize ordinary citizens caught between competing powerful interests—the two warriors likely represent rival factions or powers fighting while the common person bears the consequences. The bottom right cartoon, titled "The 'Leading Heavy,'" shows an adult explaining theatrical terminology to a child, who excitedly lists circus acts. This is likely satirizing either overwrought dramatic literature of the era or theatrical pretension being confused with actual entertainment. The left column discusses "Sweetness and Light Literature," critiquing contemporary literary output as voluminous but shallow—eighteen miles of manuscript producing minimal meaningful content. The satire targets publishing industry excess and literary mediocrity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
. Eighteen miles tter, it appears, have fo teay to Mr. Fisher-Unvein’s office in re to his announcement that he would gi Iundred-guinea prize for the best first he received. From among these eighteen typewritten miles the judges have chosen a ntitled “The Woman and the hich they have awarded the will be published immedi- z ¢s of manuscript! Ninety thou Fifty million winge: Typed so very neat! lot of literature, 's a fiction fest; Go: help those who had to wade Through to pick the best! Culture’s looking up a bit In the British Isles, Everybody's writing books In a hundred styles. Mother's in the parlor Imitating France; Daughter's in her chamber Weeping a romance. Plain Citizen: asp 11's ALL ror we} Father's in his counting house Counting up his words ; Son has filled his fountain pen For Little White Birds ie’s in the kitchen rather lardy Mixing up the dinner and The prose of Thomas Hardy. Hail to Matthew Arnold, To sweetness and to light! For all the British Philistines At last have learned to write! But how are we as well to get ¢ culture on the run? The men who called these novels forth Will publish only one. HE PROFESSOR: Heavens! This was the day I was to have been married. What will she think of me? Assistant: You were married. Don’t you remember? The ceremony took place at noon. “ Ah, yes, to be sure, I recall now my at losing an hour.”* THE “LEADING HEAVY” “WHAT'S THE MATTER Now?" “WE'RE PLAYIN’ CIRCUS PARADE— WILLIE’S A-BEIN’ THE ELEPHANT AN’ THE ON AN’ THE AIPR'OTAMUS AN’ THE CALLY-OPE, AN" IT ALN'T FAIR! icbooks.com