Life, 1919-04-03 · page 28 of 60
Life — April 3, 1919 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes *Life* magazine's editorial struggles during what appears to be the early 20th century. The main cartoon shows a chauffeur driving passengers past a stern-faced figure in a doorway, captioned "Home, James"—likely depicting an editor or publisher. The accompanying article mockingly proposes cost-cutting "solutions" to keep the magazine profitable: contributors must supply their own rejection slips and pay for printing their accepted manuscripts, which the magazine will then assemble and charge them for. The satire targets both the magazine's financial desperation and authors' perceived lack of commitment to their published work. The bottom cartoon about a hen and turtle debating longevity is unrelated humor. The joke is that *Life* is so financially desperate it's shifting all production burdens and costs onto unpaid contributors—presented as absurdist "self-defense" against insolvency.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Purely in Self-Defense becoming increasingly difheult to regular publication of a magazine at a fair profit. A multi- plicity of mechanical and other prob- lems demands that immediate steps he the detail Tn the future. insure taken to lessen work done in the editorial offices. therefore, in addition to a stamped envelope, contributors will please furnish their own rejec- tion slips. These slips need not be typewritten nor even in legible hand- This will release -boys for other editorial self-addressed writing. plan six off “HOME, JAMES" Other schemes to relieve the oltice will be adopted shortly. We are dering returning all accepted manuscripts to their authors, who will then have them printed at their own expense. The printed copies will be returned to this office to be assembled gazine. A fair charge for this assembling and binding will he the payment due for In case the charge labors. to make up the m deducted from the contribution. proves greater than the payment duc for the manuscript, the edito office will share it with the author. We have long felt that the latter was not doing his full share in contributing to the literature of the world. He writes his article, gets his check, perhaps, in a few months or years, and then allows him- self to forget the whole transaction His worry is over long before the pub- lic sees the child of his brain. He even neglects telling his grandchildren t watch for the article when it is pul) listed Now all this must change, and we are taking th: task Wateh for fur ther ter he is dead. upon ourselves announeements Hen: pox'T vou KNow THAT LIQ AND TOBACCO WILL KUIN YOUR HEALTH Turtle: V'Ve BEEN INDULGIN’ IN ‘PM FOR THE LAST HUNDRED AND SEVENTY YEARS, AND TL KIN LICK ALP A DOZEN KOOSTERS, Now ! comicbooks.com