Life, 1920-04-08 · page 7 of 44
Life — April 8, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about ambition and celebrity in early 20th-century America. **"A Craftsman's Ambition"** (by Bliss Carman) satirizes how craftspeople abandon their trades for celebrity. The poem mocks artisans who, after achieving fame through advertising and self-promotion, become distracted by flattery and lose focus on quality work. **"Celebrity"** section discusses how visibility requires constant advertisement to maintain relevance. The accompanying illustration shows a social scene where Billy (addressing his future brother-in-law) makes a crude joke about his fiancée, saying she lacks "anything in there"—implying she's unintelligent but attractive. The satire targets both the superficiality of celebrity culture and the shallow social ambitions driving people to abandon craftsmanship for fame.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Craftsman’s Ambition ! craftsmen 1 would rather be \ silversmith, it seems to me, make those platters round and xreat butlers bear through halls of state pomp of buy ne on high sucking pigs and peacock pic | would fashion for my trad pieces as Cellini: made. r noble plates with hunting scenes alfreys and. slim-waisted queens. dly tankards fit for kings, and candlesticks and things irticles of vanity Por dainty young Hermione To use in powdering her nose atinées and other shows Ouite needful, too, when Mrs. Gay s forth accoutred for the fray I would have among my works amon things as knives and rare and classical design cive folk pleasure when they dine. Bliss Carman Celebrity HE spiritist good that sible intelligences butt in freely in people and a many others are of opini concerns of this world, putting hts into our heads and providing with impulses. Very likely; and if they do, they are luck and have a great advantage in ng invisible. Being so, they do not ve to advertise Visible people must advertise if they to accomplish much. They can do by putting pieces in the paper, by onarks on billboards, or by signs and aders. Signs and wonders are sim- ly a form of advertisement, done to people to believe the doer really some punch, But having advertised successfully and made oneself a celebrity, trouble begins. The celebrity is discussed in proportion to the importance of his work. One squad practices to turn his head with flatteries, the other to block his game by opposition. And sooner or later, usually, his head is turned and his game blocked Lucky not to be a celebrity, but either to he an invisible intelligence or work as though one were one. Billy (to his future brother-in-law): Look Were! sts ts CRYIN’ LIKE ANYTHING IN THERE MAVE A HEART AN’ LET HER OFF comicbooks.com