Life, 1913-05-01 · page 14 of 48
Life — May 1, 1913 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct sections: **"Stupidity and Cupidity"** (top): A satirical commentary arguing that truly clever people pursue lucrative work rather than unstable careers like playwriting or theater. The accompanying cartoons illustrate various professions—businessmen, performers, and athletes—suggesting the contrast between financial success and artistic ambition. **"State Pride"** (bottom): A critique of state pride generally. The writer challenges an Alabama correspondent's state patriotism, questioning what actually warrants pride: climate? politicians? resources? The piece sarcastically suggests pride in one's state is misplaced when based on geography rather than genuine accomplishment, while those who *build* something rarely waste energy on civic boasting. The photograph captioned "Every Mouse Has His Day" (right) appears illustrative but its specific reference is unclear from context alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
874 “LASBYE = Stupidity and Cupidity The really clever work is rare, whether in salesmanship or The really clever people who are able to produce good medicine or playwriting. Stupidity is the cause of a large work never have to bother much about money, which is share of the undesirable aspects of modern civilization purely incidental to their work. They are not dependent Remsen City Sir, upon the superfluous things that money buys, because their OT stupidity, but cupidity. The great trouble is that work is much more interesting to them than the enjoy- so many stupid people are compelled to carn a living ment of wealth. The sole concern of stupid people who —or think they are—and go about it by writing plays or try to do work for which they are not fitted is to get performing operations, when they ought to be shifting money out of it; otherwise there would be no excuse for scenes and stabbing porkers on a slaughter-house trolley. their attempting it. It is their one justification. Waren Yeuns, King, ARTHUR mn ree THE ANSWER TO THIS REBUS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN NEXT WEEK'S LIFE Answer to last week's rebus: “The Cubist Movement Creates Much Wonder and Satire” State Pride FRIENDLY correspondent from Alabama writes'that he ; is proud of his State. Of course he is, Everybody that we ever met from Alabama, and most people from elsewhere, put themselves out to tell us how proud they were of their respective States. Now we have already made it erystal-clear that if you are going to be proud of a State, no better choice could be made than Alabama, but why should any one ever be proud of a State? Why should any one ever be proud of a little, irregular blot on the map that got there without his assistance and will remain there long after he is gathered to his fathe What is it that makes them proud? Is it the climate? No climate is dependable enough to be prideworthy. Is particular set of office-holders that inhabit a particular State capital? Is it the grafting legislators or the representatives in Washington? Or is it the particularly excellent butchers and grocers and financiers? Or is it the particularly excellent slums, dives and riff-raff? Who started this State pride business anyway? Now that we come to think it over, we seldom hear of it from men who have anything else to be proud of. People who have bustled about and made something of themselves have no pride to waste on apolitical organization whose main excuse for existence seems to be to collect taxes from hard-working people and hand the money over to casy-living office-holders, who in turn spend their time hunting up valuable public rights to hand over to private individuals, who thereupon be- come respectable. ' Peace be with you, good friend. You have as good a right to be proud of Alabama as any man has of any other State, which, alas, is not saying much. EVERY MOUSE HAS HIS DAY comicbooks.com