Life — January 18, 1917 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

(The Criticism Contest is now closed. apAINEAE™ Life’s Contest in Criticism Owing to the great number of manuscripts recei ed, the award of the $500 prize has been unavoidably postponed until the issue of January 25) No. 14 yes york. Y quarrel with you, Lire, is about your attempt to be universal in your appeal. In this you are mostly commer- cial—which is probably as it must be. Punch, with a circulation of, say, forty thousand, makes money which you could not do, because you pay more for your material (bless you!) and for everything else. But Punch is better than you are be- cause it makes no attempt at universal appeal (perhaps because it doesn’t have to)—it is strictly a “class paper” are the Police Gazette and the Christian Herald. The obvious makes little appeal to the person with a cultivated, subtle or so- phisticated sense of humor—and you are very, very obvious. The biggest audience for art, drama, poetry, music, humor, is below the top— and you want and have a big audience. But the appreciation is less keen, and nobody likes you as much as a few like Punch But TI wouldn't have you follow this advice for the world—partly because I like you personally and I like to see you Prosperous, but mostly because you have taken many of my drawings at higher prices than anyone else would pay, and if you followed my advice I can’t think of a single one that taken that you did take, [ can think ef some, though, that you might have taken that you didn’t—at least I like to think so. you would have No. 15 Adverse Ottawa, Canada. HE publication, as its name implies, is. presumably, intended to portray life” as we in America know it to-day. That being the case, why should it cater almost the upper and middle classes? It has little or nothing aday world of the masses or laboring class. exclusively to to say of the wor! The cartoons are not always in good taste, and not infrequently border on the vulgar, and for that reason are some- times repugnant to a refined mind. Ex- ception might be taken to not a few of the illustrations on these grounds. Favorable On the other hand, it is marked throughout with a keen sense of the ridiculous—a feature which is highly commendable. Its epigrams are, for the most part, original, very witty, and brief; “ Brevity is the soul of It holds up to ridicule the worst side of society life. It is very tolerant of the frailties of human nature. Lastly, it is non-partisan. Cincinnati, No. 16 Ohio. HE editorials of Mr. Martin please me more than anything else in Lire, but I wish he would not use “get” and “got” (an ugly little word), and “have got to” for “must” is dreadful. He writes clearly, thoughtfully, and with humor; and his subjects are vital. So should be all treating of real life; and your obstruction to the use of animals for the benefit of humans is objection- able, and should be waived. Object to the growing control by the medical pro- fession over all the doings of us humble subjects who try to be healthy without the drive of the doctors as much as you please. Continue to keep an eye, and to extend a helpful hand, to the babies! Drop all pictures of animals posing as humans; also drop the letters of a Jap- nese Schoolboy. Hoist the banner of O Asiatics need apply" and nail it to the mast. Put your advertisements by themselves. I never buy a paper with reading jum- bled up with ads. Let's have the soup on one plate, the flies on a separate one Do not again have a“ Christmas Num- ber.” They are only advertising dodges, and everybody knows it, No more Adam and Eve jokes. Your paper is best hu- morous one that I know, Keep it simple and pure. Most important, keep ham- mering on the idea of a national spirit to make us ready to meet Europe after the war, or in war No. 17 tie EAR LIFE Ohio, We rejoice to hold the mirror up your nature. Here are the reflections ‘ou are an optimist. We glean from “LOOK OUT, SAM! THEY ARE GETTING YOUR RANGE.” your pages and alleged jokes that the country isn’t going to the demnition bow- wows and we are reassured. You are entertaining—when you are funny and when you are not. In the latter numerous cases we opine that your solemn witticisms are meant for our much neglected education. You are fearle: You have the con- summate nerve to criticise the social, bus- iness and political upper sets when you know right well that they will stop their subscription—and continue to buy Lire at the newsstands You understand human nature. By mal ing everybody laugh at somebody you mike all forget that somebody is laugh- ing at everybody. You are agile. of a question with astounding celerity. But we tride the fence! You rail at faddists. but you are one yourself. It would be the delight of our existence to vaccinate Lire’s entire ed- itorial staff. But we pat our pet dog (Continued on page 113) You get on ail sides have caught you comicbooks.com