Life, 1920-03-25 · page 17 of 40
Life — March 25, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features two cartoons seeking reader-submitted titles. The main image shows a burglar interrupting a wealthy family's gathering—a man, woman, and two other figures examining documents. The cartoon's title, "The Burglar Who Had a Sense of the Fitness of Things," suggests ironic humor: the burglar demonstrates unexpected propriety or restraint in this criminal situation. A smaller cartoon below depicts a burglar at a window, captioned "The Burglar Who Had a Sense of the Fitness of Things." The page also includes a dialogue between characters Crabshaw and Penfield discussing how "arrived" (meaning successful) has become corrupted to simply mean visiting authors who lecture—a jab at literary pretension. Life offered $800 in prize money for the best alternative titles, reflecting the magazine's satirical approach to social commentary and reader engagement during the early 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life’s Title Contest For the best title to the picture on this page Lire will award prizes as follows: First Prize . . $500.00 Second Prize . $200.00 Third Prize . . $100.00 ¢ contest will be governed by the following CONDITIONS Contestants are advised to read these con- ditions carefully, and to conform to them exactly. Live cannot undertake to enter into correspondence or to reply to inquiries. hy “best” is understood that title which most cleverly and briefly de- scribes the situation shown in the pic- tur No title submitted shall consist of more than taventy-five words. Hyphen- ated words will be counted as one. Contestants may send in more than one answer, but each one must be on a separate sheet, with name and ad- dress plainly written. [he contest is open to everybody. In case of any dispute as to the status of a winning contestant under these conditions, the Editors of Lire will be the sole judges. But a liberal interpre- tation will be placed on the conditions, The contest is open now. It will close at noon on Monday, May 3, 1920, no manuscripts received on that date THE BURGLAR WHO HAD A SENSE OF THE FITNESS OF THINGS For the Best Title to this Picture $800 will be given in Prizes See conditions on this page after that hour being considered. All manuscripts should be ad- dressed to the Contest Editor of Lire, 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York. Envelopes addressed in any other way will not be con- sidered. Envelopes must contain nothing but the competing title and the name and address of the sender, plainly written, all on the same sheet. If you have anything else to say to Lire, send it in a separate letter. The Editors will not be responsible for the loss of manuscripts. Contestants are ad- vised to keep duplicate copies. No manuscripts will be returned. Titles may be original or may be a quotation from some well- known author, but in this case the source must be accurately given. It is not necessary to be a sub- scriber to Lire to be a contestant. In case of ties the full amount of the prize will be given to each tying contestant. The final award will be an- nounced as early as possible after the close of the contest. Of this due notice will be given. Checks will be sent simultaneously with the announcement of the award. The earlier you send your title the better. In previous contests many arrived too late, RABSHAW: I find you literary men have a habit of saying about certain authors that they’ve arrived. Penrtetp: That word has lost much of its original significance. Nowadays it generally means that they have come here to lecture. comicbooks.com