Life, 1920-09-16 · page 12 of 44
Life — September 16, 1920 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a fable about ambition and self-improvement. A tadpole, born in "obscure mud," dreams of becoming a great frog. Despite ridicule from other tadpoles, he persists through determination and "will-power," eventually transforming into a distinguished frog. The bottom illustration depicts a domestic scene where a mother watches a nurse tend children, suggesting the story's moral applies to human society too—that proper care and development (like a tadpole's transformation) produces respectable adults. The satire gently mocks self-made success narratives while endorsing the era's belief in personal determination and proper upbringing. It's a motivational parable for Life magazine's readers, celebrating the idea that humble origins needn't limit one's future if you possess sufficient will and ambition.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE- How They Get That Way “YES, sir,” boasted the fat, pompous bull- frog, smirking with self-important pride, AN\ “I'ma magnificent example of the self-made frog, and I'm proud of it! No one would think, to look at me as I am to-day, that I was once an obscure and common little tadpole, lying in the oozy mud on the bot- tom of a dirty puddle. “Such, however, was my humble origin. But I had ambition and energy. I resolved that, in spite of my handicaps of nature and environment, I would rise to eminence. Yes, sir, to eminence! “One day, in my early tadpolehood, I saw a great, mottled green frog—almost as great as I am now—and was so impressed by his imperial dignity that I instantly resolved that I, too, would become a frog and be great. “From that moment I thought of nothing else but the realization of my lofty ideal. I vehemently and constantly denied that I was a tadpole, and stoutly maintained that I was a frog. The other tadpoles laughed at what they called my 76 6 sil aN : Z LS ww f= a3 PF HEDIS 5 NSF IS FMW AN TELL x 02 BS impudent and ridiculous assumption, but I ignored their cruel taunts and jeers, and persevered in my purpose, “At last my efforts were rewarded. Mind triumphed over matter and will over circumstance. Slowly but surely I threw off the characteristics of the hated tadpole and assumed those of the frog. Ah, it was a proud day for me when I first left the water, climbed to a high overhanging ledge and, with a joyous ‘Kerchug,’ leaped far out into the deep water and realized that I had reached the goal of my ambition! I was no longer a tadpole, but a glorious, mottled green frog. “To-day it is the greatest pride of my life that I have become what I am, solely through my own unaided efforts. Other tad- poles could do the same, if they only had the courage, the in- dustry, the determination to overcome all obstacles, and the firm belief in themselves that inspired me to great achievement. “Will-power has been the one great key to my remarkable success. It was will-power, I repeat with emphasis, that changed me from a tadpole into a frog. I give this statement to the press in the hope that it may inspire other young tad- poles to follow in my footsteps.” No, he wasn’t a hypocrite. He really believed it. Will Thomas Withrow. Es) AME 1 os osm 7 t 7 Rw up? “AS A MOTHER, ISN'T SHE EXTREMELY CONSCIENTIOUS?” “INDEED, YES. SHE SPENDS A LARGE PART OF HER TIME WATCHING THE NURSE TAKE CARE OF THE CHILDREN.” comicbooks.c@nmml