Life, 1915-08-19 · page 23 of 48
Life — August 19, 1915 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes William Jennings Bryan's proposal that newspaper writers and editors sign their work to ensure accuracy and responsibility. **The Main Argument:** The editorial argues Bryan's assumption is naive. The text claims that signing one's name doesn't guarantee truthfulness—history shows otherwise. It cites George Washington as the rare exception who told truth without harm, while Colonel Roosevelt built his reputation through *inaccuracies*, and Napoleon distrusted truthful people. The piece concludes that "the world loves a courageous and skillful liar," so signed editorials won't reform newspapers. **The Cartoons:** The top illustration shows a camper being asked if his dog bites, responding "Oh, no—he doesn't bite much"—a joke about misleading but technically true statements. The bottom cartoon appears to show someone falling into water, captioned about "coming sailing back across the ocean," likely mocking someone (unclear who) in a related satirical context. **The Point:** The satire suggests that requiring signatures won't fix journalistic dishonesty because society rewards skilled deception, not truth-telling.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Campers: “OH, NO-O, d Guess Again R. BRYAN has come out for the signed editorial. He thinks the practice (including news reports) would contribute “both to accuracy and to the reputation of writers.” Mr. Bryan is assuming that a man will be more par- ticular about what he says if it is known by the public that he says it. But do history and experience bear this out? George Washington was apparently the only one who established a reputation for telling the truth without being harmed hy it. Colonel Roosevelt's reputation was built up as much by inaccuracies as anything else. The principles of Machiavelli are too well known (and respected) to need enlargement. Napoleon was suspicious of any one whom he caught in a truth. All the world loves a courageous and skillful liar. Some of the widest and most irresponsible statements are constantly heing issued over signatures. Mr. Bryan will have to go deeper than that if he expects to reform the newspapers. Ts Ee Mf, DOES YOUR DOG RITE? 'T BITE MUCH.” SHOULD YOU TAKE A NOTION TO COME SMILING BACK ACROSS THE OCEAN comicbooks.com