Life — March 17, 1910 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“LIP E* More Congratulations “*Twas Ever Thus O! IT have waited weeks and weeks For Lire’s “Improper Number,’” Odd dreams of beauties and of freaks Intruding on my slumber; And now I hold it in my hand, Paid for with my last copper, In vain I have its pages scanned For something erat. improper! What was it that I look for? Well, What was it you expected? I guess we'd neither like to tell, And those things were rejected! The Devil's not, it's proven true, As black as he is painted, And disappointment cometh to Imagination tainted ! Henry Waldorf Francis. Minwavnce Eprtor or Lire: Dear Si May one who has been a fairly constant reader of Lire from its beginning venture to express the hope that the “Improper Number" of Feb- ruary 24 has exhausted the supply of the kind of material with which you have filled its pages, but which iizs been far too prevalent in recent years. You speak of the clamorous eagerness with which your readers awaited the number. Are we to understand that the clientele whict: Lire desires to propitiate is made of prurient youth and women of the street? I can conceive of the sort of circles in which the “Improper Number‘? has found gleeful welcome, but they are hardly the circles in which gentlemen are at home. No woman of my acquaint- ance would permit the number to lie on her library table, with the disgusting cover-picture to catch the eye of any chance visitor. I am not convinced by your editorial that old-fashioned modesty is out of date. Nor do I think that Lire has been successful in its attempt to be improper without being vulgar. Any member of Lire’s staff who would at- tempt to describe one of the pictures in this number, or relate one of its offensive stories in polite society, would be branded not only as vulgar but as a cad and a bounder. Self-respect, and that clean-mindedness and innate courtesy which show themselves in a reverence for whatever relates:to womanhood, are still, in circles with which I am familiar, the mark of a gentleman. It is the ver- dict of those whom T know and whose opinion I honor that the men who are responsible for Lirr seem to have yielded any claim to the title. There was a time when Lire used to profess that it had a serious mission, and one caught shy glimpses now and then of evidences of this conviction. Has it sur- rendered every serious purpose to lend its effort to purifying the moral atmos- phere of this town? Some of us who are fighting a hard battle to save the boys and girls from the things which tempt them to impure thoughts and un- chaste imaginations wish with all our hearts that Lire, with its clever and searching humor, might be counted on to help. Must we hold it, instead, a ma- lignant force to be reckoned with? Very truly yours, Henry E. Coss. West Exp Couteciate Cuurcnt, New York, February 28, 1910. Live Pusiiswixc Company, New York City, Gentlemen:—It gives me pleasure at this time to send you my compliments, congratulations and felicitations upon your successful achievement in the issu- ing of your “Improper Number.” It seems to me that it is improper only as a title to the issue, for in my opinion there is nothing at all improper in the excellent wit and artistic design of the pictures given; surely only a perverted and “ seeking-evil ’’ mind could find any- thing at all immoral in anything you have “given. It was no easy thing to keep up to the title and still keep within the bounds of delicacy and refinement. With renewed congratulations, I am, Yours very truly, Henry C. Brow: Puitavecruta, Pa., February 25, 1910. Lire, New York. Sirs:—Shake, please, on your “Im- proper Number.” The best thing in it was not the pictures, but the editorial, which ought to be copied by every church paper in the United States. And, say, Lire, won't you please cut out for all fu- ture time the stale joke about the preacher being cooked by cannibals? It's really threadbare, vacuous. If that “ original joke’ must be dragged in by the ears put it in modern setting; let the cannibal greet the minister mission- ary in the exaggerated habiliments of upper Fifth Avenue and present to the parson a de luxe edition of Thsen's plays or Maeterlinck; a forty horsepower auto in the background would add realism to the setting Truly yours, Wat. U, Hetresicnt. Curist Rerormen Cuurcit, Bati, Pa., February 25, 1910. To tHe Evrtor or Lire: Dear Sir:—Will you please define the word “ improper." In other words, “I'm from Missouri,"" even if 1 do live in “slow old Philly.’ Your “ improper" number was surely one of your “ jokes.’” Try again. Do not linger under the idea that you really fulfilled your promise. All of us were truly very much disap- pointed. You are still “it,"" and it's up to you to throw down a “color flush.’” Do your duty. Most sincerely yours, Disarrorntep.”” Purtapenputa, Pa, Feb. 24, 1910. Oh, Lire! Aren't you ashamed? I'm glad my subscription expired with that “Improper Number."’ I've just sent you money for renewal for a year. Don't tell my wife. Geraxtows, Pa. Live: Dear Sirs :—Of all your so-called spe- cial numbers the last one is the limit, and I am not a prude either. Your feeble excuses for publishing the number are amusing. Why not cut out these so- called special numbers and give us Lire? Very truly yours, Cutartes J. Sieparo. Co.umpus, O., Feb. 25, 1910. Miss Mouse: pox’t you Just aporr Tite“ BOSTON "? “YES, RUT I NOT TO HoP.”" FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT comicbooks.com