Life, 1920-03-04 · page 53 of 78
Life — March 4, 1920 — page 53: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces of satirical content: **"A March Song"** (left): A romantic poem mocking sentimental Victorian poetry. The speaker contrasts exotic locales—coral caves, tropical islands, Bohemia—with his simple contentment walking a "gusty street" with a girl named Stella. The satire targets overwrought Romantic-era verse and the pretentious poets who wrote it, suggesting their flowery descriptions of distant places are ridiculous compared to genuine affection found locally. **"A Blow at Kansas"** (right): A satirical editorial criticizing a Kansas poet named Willard Wattles for offering prize money for Kansas poetry. Life's editors humorously argue that Kansas has avoided "commercializing influences" and shouldn't corrupt its poets with financial incentives. The satire mocks both Wattles's well-intentioned literary promotion and (implicitly) Kansas's cultural pretensions. Both pieces use humor to deflate artistic and literary self-importance of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THERE Is NO coo! AA March Song 5, Na quite Byronio rage, Sz Gentle gales his breezy topic, Silvan sends a crowded page From an tropic. 2 “Written in a coral cave ‘Neath a snowy oleander, Where the iridescent wave Limns each hour a picture grander!” Bless me! He is welcome there With his insular Marcella, Ii I may be free to fare Up this gusty street with Stella! island semi- Felix flings a merry jest Bound with Bertha matineeward Thés dansants suit Rasil best Where the ward. steps are wild and way- Paul, the pal [ lately scratched, Turns sad eyes upon Parnassus ; Other swains still unattached Shrug their shoulders as they pass us. I don’t seem to want to talk, I should if it were Bella; I'm content to simply walk Up this gusty strect with Stella! What to us are opaled seas, Or their sunny, singing beaches? What to us the austral breeze In a grove’s umbrageous reaches? What the beauties of Boheme. Though the cast include Caruso ?>— Listen, friendly what's-your-name, She is shopping for her trousseau! This time next year we may be Somewhere ‘neath a white umbrells Rut to-day bliss follows me Up this gusty street with Stella! Eduard W. Barnard. A Blow at Kansas ‘STLEMAN poet named Wil- lard Wattles has offered a prize of fifty dollars for the best poem by a native of Kansas. But (we ask it with all respect) is it right to encour- age Kansas people to write any more poetry than they are doing at present? Is it right to lure them with good money? Up to the present time Kan- sas has kept itself more or less pure from the commercializing influences of the present generation. Surely the nine or ten muses of Kansas ought to go on strike against this suggestion of brother Wattles that they duced to write for money can be ine JF 304 wish to be young, mix. with the young people. feel young, mix with your elders Tf you wish to comicbooks.com