Life, 1913-07-24 · page 14 of 40
Life — July 24, 1913 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques the declining state of American poetry through text and paired illustrations. The article argues that poetry has become commercially degraded—poets now write advertisements rather than genuine verse to survive financially. The two photographs show contrasting scenes: the left depicts figures in what appears to be an industrial or urban setting (possibly referencing "working-class" poetry), while the right shows a more refined social gathering, suggesting poetry's traditional association with educated elites. The satire's point: poetry has lost its economic viability and cultural prestige. Modern readers would recognize this as an early commentary on how commercial pressures force artists to compromise their craft—a concern that remains relevant today regarding artistic integrity versus financial necessity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHY All About Poetry OETRY is that which inebriates but does not neces- sarily cheer. At one time poetry was used almost exclusively to advertise poets; now it is used for the pur- pose of showing that the man who writes it has other ways in which to support himself. Every year poetry declines. It has been steadily declin- ing now for several centuries. Nobody minds this about poetry—except the critics; and a critic is a great deal like a Wall Street broker: the moment he begins to speculate on a margin on his own account he goes broke. Poetry is either cpic, or pastoral, or otherwise. An epic poem is always related by a real humorist who tries his best to conceal the fact that he is one, and succeeds. A pastoral poet always lives on a hillside and tends a flock, which may be goats or children, according to how poor he is. If he is too poor to support anything, then it is usually children, Poetry is not always written by poets. Sometimes it is written by men who, if they did but know it, might make an indecent living by writing advertisements. comicbooks.com