Life, 1915-05-20 · page 29 of 44
Life — May 20, 1915 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes government incompetence and moral hypocrisy through a fake "advice column" format. The main cartoon, "The College of Hard Knocks," depicts a dungeon-like institution where various failures and misfortunes (labeled "Failure," "Discouragement," "Burning the Midnight Oil," etc.) are taught, with "Success" visible only distantly through a window—suggesting that struggle and hardship are inevitable paths to success. The advice column mocks three figures: a Navy Secretary aware he's made "an ass of himself" but unqualified; a State Department official who admits his subordinates do the work better, yet proposes replacing them with incompetent people to justify higher salaries; and a revivalist preacher who devises schemes to profit from "innocent and confiding people." The satire targets government bloat, bureaucratic incompetence, and the moral bankruptcy of those exploiting public trust. The cynical "advice" encouraging them to stay in positions they're unfit for amplifies the mockery.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE GREATEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD Our Help Column (Those who are in trouble and distress should apply to us.) Q I am a Secretary of the Navy “and am in great trouble, There is a widespread impression that I have made an ass of myself and that I am not up to my job. Yet, strange to say, I am not conscious of having done anything wrong. Ought I to resign? Or would it be more manly for me to stay? A, Above all things, don’t resign. Remember that the theatres are de- clining, that the “movies” are mo- notonous, and that our opportunities for amusing ourselves are limited. It is your duty to stay on and keep us cheerful by what you are. God has given you this gift, Do not abandon it at a critical moment, Q. I have been connected for some time with a certain Department of State, but the work is not con- genial and the pay is too small to interest me. Besides, it is done so well by subordinates that I really hate to interfere with it. What I want to know is, am I right in keeping these subordinates? Should I not replace them with those who know nothing, AN EARLY OPTIMIST so that, in the course of time, by setting this fearful example now, the department salaries will be raised to the point where really competent help can be hired? A, We cannot undertake to relieve your mind on this point, as it is too personal. It is a question of God and your own conscience. Q. I am a popular revivalist and am in a quandary. By use of a loud voice and a course of reading in the Fables of George Ade, I have sud- denly discovered a brand-new way of making money out of an innocent and confiding people. Now, out of every hundred thousand dollars I take in, I only get about one-half, What troubles me is how to get the other half. If it weren't for me, you know, it wouldn't exist. Ought I do something about it? A, This is easy. No, friend. Don't do anything about it, Read the words of David Harum, who said: “ Always let the other fellow make a profit.” RAWFORD: How can he make money out of short stories if he never sold one? Cransaw: Why, man, he's teach- ing others how to write them. comicbooks.com