Life — March 9, 1916 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘LYPE * NOW BE HONEST, LADIES WHAT WOULD YOU REALLY THINK IF WE DRESSED AS YOU DO? George Eliot MEMORIAL to George Eliot is to be erected at Nun- eaton, England, her birthplace. It is a private gift and will take the form of a museum and art gallery. It will be located in the midst of the scenes from clerical life made famous by this distinguished woman. Will it stimulate the reading of her books? We doubt it. The business of being a dead author is getting all the time to be more and more fraught with grave perils. When they had only themselves for competitors times were better for them, but now that the Sunday magazines and monthly magazines have been added to the list, not to mention the best-sellers, they are having a sorry time. They are also sadly handicapped by the very fact that they cannot come back and write their works over again to suit the modern taste. Dead authors are having a hard time of it in these days. Few of them survive. It is true that a few misguided people still read them— on some of the screens at the movies, when the plots are reused for that purpose. EACHER: Children, how can we distinguish right from wrong? Purit: If we enjoy doing a thing, it’s wrong. “A FRIEND OF A FRIEND OF A FRIEND OF MINE” The Fable of the Pacifist Porcupines A PARTY of Pacifist Porcupines Proposed to abolish all Quills and Spines; Because, (as they argued, on Modern Lines), The Panthers and Bears of the Wood's Confines Regarded Thorniferous Porcupines As Enemies harboring Base Designs. “So let us,” propounded these Porcupines, “Discard our Provocative Sheaves of Tines For Violets, Lilies and Columbines ; And all of the Panthers, the Soul divines, Will shortly be sending us Valentines!” But one of the Veteran Porcupines Arose and responded: “ My Ward declines To take any Stock in such Monkeyshines! We note that the Rabbits among the Vines Are Amiably Guiltless of Quills and Spines; And yet, when a Panther to sup inclines Full often a Rabbit his Life resigns. Our Peaceful Tradition this Heart enshrines; But, Quills for Defense! when a Panther dines! Aye, Quills !—till the Lynxes and Bears show Signs Of shedding their Talons and Sharp Canines!” That's all that I gathered beneath the Pines, Except that, regardless of Plaintive Whines, A Congress of Patriot Porcupines Refused to surrender their Quills and Spines! Arthur Guiterman. Justice IF one wants to get an idea of how indefinite a definition may be, let him look up the word justice in the dic- tionary. He will find a great deal of space devoted to it, but nothing that satisfies his yearning for definitive- ness. He will be apprised of a number of things that jus- tice is not, that it is not exactly equity nor honesty nor rectitude nor impartiality, etc., but nothing that justice ex- actly is. It is not, however, to blame the lexicographer so much for his failure to define justice as for his presumption in trying to define it. A lexicographer worthy of the name should know that some words are indefinable and know- ing this, should so state it at the outset. Then if he wishes to chat about it a little, nobody will be misled into believing he is getting exact information. Justice is such a word. It is indefinable, or, perhaps we might say that it is one of those words that we each like to define for ourselves as we go along. IX view of the immense amount of time and money we spend upon finishing-schools for our young ladies, it is really quite surprising how few finished products we come across in our daily peregrinations. comicbooks.com