Life, 1919-04-03 · page 23 of 60
Life — April 3, 1919 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This piece mocks the contradictions of 1920s American democracy through Father Time reviewing current events for his historical record. The secretary catalogs recent U.S. achievements ironically: Prohibition (banning alcohol), government seizure of railroads, welcoming home war soldiers, wealth inequality amid "democracy," and the newly formed League of Nations—all presented as noble but undercut by their actual failures. The satire's bite: these are presented as embarrassing contradictions unworthy of recording as "progress." The joke culminates when the secretary dismisses them all as temporary—soon abolished by constitutional amendments anyway—leading Father Time to title the era "The Age of Pathos." The accompanying illustration and text about "The G.A." (great author) appears to be separate satirical content mocking literary pretension and the commercialization of authorship through advertising rather than genuine talent.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
able the nost will The G. A. GPE the great author! He has risen to his present rning to oud position while I vrite on the typewriter and min- nig with people. these days, to “mingle” with nybody and everybody is a neces- ity for every great author. There ithors re- vas a time when gre: tired into solitude and communed at was ith their own souls, Butt cfore the day of advertising. The great author has a number of characteristics. One of them is THE RETURN ENGAGEMENT war; and girls; Another is ried. A gue. his extreme modesty his capacity for getting ma third is his passion for dia Any man who can learn to write dialogue by the yard can become a great author, provided he can live until his reputation is established. This may happen in six weeks or sixty years. Some great authors are living on their reputations—and their wives’ relatives. It is easy to be a great author if you know how to advertise. But then, if you know how to ad- vertise, it is easy to be anything. ATHER TIME was busy writing the chap- ter-headings for his vast history, and had reached The Present. “Tell me some of the things they have done recently on Earth,” he asked of his secretary. The secretary smiled a whimsical smile, as he scanned a huge docket before him. The greatest democracy on Earth,” he said, “has just decreed that its free citizens may not drink ; “And its lawgivers have taken away from the owners their railroads them over to the politi “And the largest city of this great democracy has chosen the warmest friend of its most danger- ous enemy to welcome home its soldiers from the long “And in the most reli rich men extort huge profits from the labor of little “And over across the sea, th have overthrown a gr murder among themselves in a twelvemonth t autocracy dared commit in a deca "And also across the sea a League of Nations has been formed t ough!” cried Father Time Mucked from an angel's wing atly lettered over Present this heading Naming the Epoch aphs and turned ind teleg: Uns 5 fous scetion of this democracy apostles of freedom , and have done more 1 the autocracy de foster the Principles of Pollyanna.” nd, dipping a plume mless well of icling The a fal © pages chr The Age of thos Md try “What's the use? Soon all of them will be abolished by constitutional amendments.” Discoverer: 0-0! Vit, TELL YOUR MOTHER ON you!