Life, 1920-08-05 · page 13 of 48
Life — August 5, 1920 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Illustration:** "A Believer in Signs" shows a rural scene with a "Honey for Sale" sign. The cartoon satirizes the gap between clever advertising and actual results—the text notes that while signage can be witty, it doesn't guarantee sales or success. This critiques empty rhetoric and false promises. **Bottom Cartoon:** "To the Victor Belong the Spoils" depicts mice celebrating over a trapped mousetrap, anthropomorphically enjoying their victory. This is a visual pun on the political phrase "to the victor belong the spoils," suggesting that winning brings undeserved rewards regardless of merit—here, ironically, the "victors" (mice) don't recognize the actual danger they face. Both pieces mock overconfidence and the disconnect between perception and reality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“That's sweet of you,” my wife an- “Tt is a pleasure to let Georgina do anything—she’s so willing!” (Note.—I can't refrain ing that she came home ing paper. But I get it.) swers. from mention- without the even- out to Tudor Jenks. sent my son Cleverness versus Wit C VERNI with wit; and people who are gen- often There is actually a S is frequently confused uinely witty are njustly accused of being clever. vast difference between the two qualities. It is a great than it is to be funny; it is a great deal easier to make your listeners say, “ How brilliant!” than it is to make them laugh. deal easier to be clever The process of manufacturing epigrams is as purely mechanical as is the process of manufacturing rat traps, except that there is a little more inspiration, considerably and infinitely profit in the latter industry. more _ satisfaction more Moreover, an epigram is of no particular benefit to mankind, whereas a rat trap frequently is. It is easy to say that, after all, tempta- tion is the only irresistible force that has never yet encountered an immovable ob- ject, or that there are a great number of French courses in the school of experi- A BELIEVER IN SIGNS. ence; but there is nothing much, to be gained by saying it. The speaker will be auditors what he as clever because his faintest branded have not the idea means. There is the acrobat in the circus who juggles eight multi-colored Indian clubs, causing them to click together in the air so that they beat a rhythmic tattoo in time to the band which is playing “ Yan- kee Doodle” or “ Dixie"—depending on where the circus is being presented that week, The acrobat is clever; but he is not half unquestionably as perfect an artistas the red-nosed, pink-whiskered clown who can trip over a guy rope and thereby reduce several thousand spectators to a state of uncontrollable merriment Anybody, with sufficient: practice, can become clever. Now and then they can become diabolically More ced in becoming unsuffer- clever. often they only suc ably dull R. E, Sherwood. TO THE VICTOK BELONG TNt SPOILS, comicbooks.com