Life, 1910-09-01 · page 17 of 48
Life — September 1, 1910 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine satire mocks American celebrity culture and ego. The "Institute of Self-Praise" is a fictional organization awarding medals to famous figures for excessive self-promotion and vanity. Named recipients include Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, William James, and Ernest Thompson Seton—prominent early 1900s figures. The satire credits them with absurd achievements: Roosevelt for "obeying his natural instincts," Carnegie for "great modesty" (ironic, given his wealth), Seton for photographing himself "in great peril." The top illustration shows figures firing drums and horns—literally praising themselves. The bottom cartoon depicts a man saluting himself at dawn. The joke is that American society had become so obsessed with self-promotion and personal publicity that even respected intellectuals and industrialists deserved mockery for their vanity. The satirical "medal" inscription—"He Blew His Own Horn Successfully"—captures the core complaint: prominent men were essentially just advertising themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
reply is that there was no lin sefulness of the institute. dual of hk mis man boar! of on follow Unt “LIFE PRAISE YE YOURSELF “WARMONIOUS AND CONTINUOUS CHORUS OF PRATSE FOR OURSELVES Institute of Self-Praise Running Full Blast. have received an inquiry asking if there is any limit to the membership of the Sclf-Praisers’ Institute t when the institute was We shortly discovered, however, that every one erica was coming in. We were therefore reluctantly } to limit the membership to those who have distin- mselves in some -manner by self-praise. arted t be understood, however, that this does not limit It is really a school of self- ind everybody, even if not a member, will get the of its influence and course of instruction, which will be ted in the form of circulars and tracts to the plain means of this institute we expect in the end to make an jous and continuous chorus of praise for ourselves as ils, and as a nation continually rise to the clouds of y member is expected to fire a salute to himself at f day have issued a self-praise medal, which will be presented those who have distinguished themselves by some form se beyond the ordinary. This medal will be pre- to the elect. On one side is the appropriate in- “He Blew His Own Horn Successfully.” On the Presented in loving respect to , who sished himself in the field of publicity, has never 1 advertisement, and now thinks he is the greatest » the country."* ications for this medal are coming in by every mail. he understood that the committee, composed of a our representative magazine editors, decide absolutely claims of self-praisers, and their word is final. the bass drum, that is the main idea. date the medals have been presented to: Fame Everybody Delighted Exnest Tompson Seton Wintraat Jaates Hatt. Caine ‘ Tuteovors: Roosevent Tuostas Lawson Lyman Asrorr ANpkew CARNEGIE Other announcements of awards w to time. photographs of himself en in the depths of the woods in great peril of his life. For starting a new system of philosophy, in which he himself is the keynote. For obeying his stinets. For done. natural in- everything he has ever For his great modesty and his methods of conce For his magnan' toward the Deity For his great gifts. be made from time Yesterday every citizen of Boston was elected an honorary member, Last evening, to a crowded audience, Elbert Hubbard lec- “ pire MMéeétb- YA A SALUTE TO YOURSELF AT BREAK OP DAY’? comicbooks.com