Life, 1918-01-10 · page 22 of 40
Life — January 10, 1918 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"A Charmed Life" (top cartoon):** A figure labeled "LIFE" is being attacked by two assailants with clubs. The accompanying "Greeting from China" is a scathing critique from George H. Danton at Tsing Hua College, condemning *Life* magazine itself as mean-spirited, unscientific, racially prejudiced, and vulgar—essentially a self-aware roasting of the magazine's own editorial approach and sensibilities. **"Anti Blurbing":** Criticizes the publishing industry practice of "blurbs"—promotional praise written by editors to boost book sales. The article mocks inflated comparisons (calling Booth Tarkington comparable to Dickens) and questions whether such obvious salesmanship actually persuades readers or instead alienates them. **"When Gasoline Gives Out" (large illustration):** Shows a street scene where a car has apparently run out of fuel, creating chaos as pedestrians, cyclists, and children scatter. The satire likely comments on automobile dependency or fuel shortages—possibly relevant to WWI rationing concerns in 1917. All three pieces employ *Life*'s trademark satirical style attacking contemporary foibles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A CHARMED “LIFE” “Pa. Greeting from China LIFE is a magazine which is mean without caustic wit, tionary without a firm basis of conservatism or of aristocratic idealism, moderately indecent without a trace of the esprit gaulois, a demagogic truckler to mob spirit without dynamic personality. Its crude theological concep- tions, its still cruder scientific opinions, its crass notions of married life, its race prejudis, its obvius padding ar not iunny—they ar pitiable in the twentieth century. Wer it not for this pitiable exhibition of editorial paucity cach week, it woud be a magazine for the United States to be ashamed of. Not even its charities and its dramatic criti- cisms can ever redeem it from being low, vulgar, and dull Grorce H. Danxtox. Tsing Hua College. Peking, China, December, 1917 Anti Blurbing HE modest editor of the Metro- politan Magazine thus prefaces new novel begun in a recent issue of that—in many respects—admirable peri- odical : We take particular pride in pub- lishing this splendid dramatic novel of real life. Booth Tarkington is our greatest livi *_S We have a story of intimate family life done with the power of a Balzac or a Dickens. writer, This is the kind of thing known in publishing and professional literary circles as a “blurb.” It is supposed to stimulate the readers’ interest in the author and the story. There must he some reason for this belief, as the prac- tice appears to be spreading. But does it do any good? Doesn't it disgust a good many readers? Doesn't it distinctly weaken the prenatal im- pression of any magazine story to be told by the people whose obvious aim is to sell as many copies as possible that the author is “the greatest living writer"? In the present instance Booth Tark- ington is an able writer, and we have no doubt that his story is a good one. We do not believe that Mr. Tarkington himself would think of comparing it with Dickens's * Tale of Two Cities.” Why doesn’t he get after them with a shotgun? *VY/HAT work of fiction do you like the best?” I never can de vening Journal av de between the gram.” WHEN GASOLINE GIVES OUT