Life, 1919-03-13 · page 7 of 42
Life — March 13, 1919 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a poem by Oscar Northway-Meyer addressed to a Japanese temple gong, treating it as a mysterious sacred object that has witnessed ages of Buddhist ritual and spiritual practice. The accompanying illustration titled "Signs of Mutiny" shows a domestic scene with two people in what appears to be modest circumstances, with Asian decorative items visible on a table and snowy landscape visible through windows. The juxtaposition suggests satire about Western fascination with Japanese exotica and spiritual traditions during the early 20th century. The contrast between the romanticized poem about sacred Eastern mysticism and the mundane domestic "mutiny" scene likely mocks the incongruity between idealized notions of Japan and actual lived experience—whether of Japanese people or Western consumers of "Oriental" goods and aesthetics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ecialized ively on nore can - Palma’s nger Car < design, he work Id today ds could 1g today. s devel- urly two to solve Packard ot even To a Japanese Temple Gong elt Sho-foo-den M* TERIOUS relic from a sacred land; Recipient of secrets—ages gone; You spoke before the Christian era’s dawn, Saw light when darkness reigned on ev Who knows what message goes with your command, To wake the echoes in some heart forlorn; Or stir a hope in some poor spirit, born To live in dread of Buddha’s reprimand. Your deep-voiced peal has echoed down the years, Mingling with hymns of happiness or tears, Gray priests have wooed the cadence of your tones, Drawing triumphant peals or mournful moans; Resolves itself into a dinner bell Oscar Northway-Meyer. SIGNS OF MUTINY And now your range—from heaven's height to hell— comicbooks.com