Life, 1914-04-23 · page 27 of 44
Life — April 23, 1914 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon, titled "IF TEACHER ONLY KNEW," depicts a classroom where students sit at desks holding signs reading "MAKE PALE RULES" (or similar phrases). The satire mocks the disconnect between idealized educational authority and actual classroom behavior—suggesting that if teachers truly understood what students think or do when unsupervised, the facade of classroom order would collapse. The page also includes "Majesty Wanted," a classified-ad style satirical piece criticizing the judicial system. It mock-advertises for "majesty"—dignity and grandeur—to restore public faith in courts. The satire attacks judges as tools of "political machines," court proceedings as inefficient ("interminable delays"), and the legal system as outdated ("antediluvian"), arguing that courts lack the genuine authority they project. The joke: majesty is being *sold* as a commodity to mask systemic corruption and incompetence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Confidential Book Guide The Confessions of an Inconstant Man, Anonymous. A thistle-down nar- rative—a seed of eternal masculinity floated by a plume of naughtiness. The China Collector, by H. W. Lewer. A handsome little handbook of the his- tery, output and characteristics of Eng- lish porcelain factories. Crowds Junior, by Gerald Stanley Lee. Sce preceding page. John Ward, M.D., by Charles Vale. A so-called “ cugenic novel"; but really an interesting story by a new writer of decided ability. Graphics, by Harris Merton Lyon. Flash-lamp glimpses into dark corners of contemporary life. Here Are Ladies, by James Stephens, Studies and storiettes of Irish life and— “The Three-Penny Bit”, a masterpiece sui generis. Irishmen All, by George A. Birming- ham. More glimpses of the Green Isle. In this case type portraits in informal essays. Japanese Flower Arrangement, by Mary Averill. The A. B. C. of an in- tricate art practically presented in a fascinating volume. Old Mole, by Gilbert Cagnan. Mr. Cannan’s novels are an acquired taste. IF TEACHER ONLY KNEW But there is caviar in them. This gives the history of a re-animated pedant. Our Mr. Wrenn, by Sinclair Lewis. This is Mr. Lewis's first and contains more “hot dog” than caviar. An amus- ing genre-story of a New York clerk's career. The Passionate Friends, by H. G. Wells. Last call for one of the most engrossing and disagrced about novels of the year. Sex-Origin Determination, by Thomas E. Reed, M.D. A picturesque hypothesis (with several interesting corollaries) of the tidal fluctuations in animal vitality. The Unexpurgated Case Against Woman's Suffrage, by Sir Almoth Wright. Which means that the author is so mad he gives himself away. The Valley of the Moon, by Jack Lon- don. A pleasantly graphic story of a working-class couple’s progress from Oakland to Arcady. What Men Live By, by Richard C. Cabot, M.D. See preceding page. When Ghost Meets Ghost, by William De Morgan. An over-long, characteris- tically discursive, unfailingly entertaining monologue-story of the 1850's in England. Youth's Encounter, Compton Mc- Kenzie. The intimate history of a boy's development. A tale for leisured look- ers-back. Majesty Wanted NTED—Majesty. By courts of all kinds in every part of the land, village, city, county, State and Federal courts. Highest cash prices paid for a good grade of majesty which will increase the glamour of the courts in the eyes of the populace and make them forget the interminable delays, the annoying tangle of techni- calities, the intense and all-consuming selfishness of the lawyers, the stolid stupidity of the judges, the ultra-antiq- uity and antediluvianism of court machinery and the irreconcilable in- consistencies of statutes, decisions, precedents and interpretations. No brand of majesty considered that doesn’t make judges look more honor- able than the political machines that constitute their source. Address, Justice, Institute for the Blind, Ermine Terrace. comicbooks.com