Life — October 14, 1920 — page 30: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

-LIFE. ’ A are away from it, try to visualize it and remember all of its LIFE’S Title Contest details. Forget it if you wish to. Maybe when you suddenly To Contestants: The picture for which a title is sought (for pick it up the next day, the title will pop into your head. es aggregating $1,000.00 are offered), together with But above all, don’t hurry. Sometimes a title will governing the’ contest, were published in last week once, and you will be enthusiastic about it. Then is the time Lire, and will be repeated in the next issue, dated October 21. tu look out. Your examination may have been superficial. You may have missed some important detail. Wait and look at your title again the next day And in doing all this, strive for two things—humor and senti- ment. If you can get a combination of these fundamental things, and get it in one word, you may have made a master- piece. ToL. M. King Fool in His Castle KING sat in his castie s:ecure— King Fool in his Castle of Doubt. “ Beggars believe, but kings must know Said he. And the beggar without Cried, “ Naught can you know in there, O king! For to know is but to believe That the things we hold as certain and true Are never the things that deceive.” “NEVER TOO OLD TO YEARN” (Note: The contest picture reproduced above appeared in Lire in January and February, 1905, and the prizes for the title under neath were awarded to Miss Marie Russell, Winchester, Mas: Mrs. T.M. McCarthy, New York C F. A, Chadbourn, Columbus, Wis. ; C. Rowland, Toledo. Ohio; Miss Kate Lewis, West Med ford, Mass., and Dr. Ella K. Dearborn, Portland, Ore.) Former Contests IFE’S pictorial contests have for many years excited the interest and absorbed the attention of its readers. There have been several variations of the title contest, but experience has demonstrated that this is the most popular. The Search for a Title How many times have you looked at the title under a draw- ing in Lire and thought that you could get a better one? In some cases, where the title has failed to give you the exact meaning of the drawing, you have quite possibly written in to the editor and asked him to explain it. In such a case, when you Lave shown the drawing to friends, each one of them has placed upon it a different interpretation. And in some cases the title so instantly explains the situation, that you give it no thought, because the two—the title and the picture—are so per- fectly blended together. It looks easy to get a good title to a picture. But it isn’t so easy as it looks. A certain method must be pursued. What is this method ? ‘st, then, no attempt should be made for a title. It is suf ficient to look at the picture steadily for some time, studying its details carefully, Put it aside and go back to it—still withe any effort ata title. Even while you are engaged at this, ofte:- times a title will spring up, quite beyond your volition, that will fit the picture perfectly But if it doesn't, your next step is to begin to describe the situation in the picture, and the best practice is to talk it right out. Try this on others. Hold up the picture to the first one at hand, and give a description of it. Hit it off as well as you can, just as if you were catching a train and didn’t have time to choose your words. Don't be oratorical. Be colloquial. This process will serve to make you familiar with the situation 7 ‘ ! THanTitiosuldeat/eeirine idles pit thes plerare asldemeome: gj Nerieus\ Golfer; (in background coho: Kas, Nealeet@d 10° 967 ) ore!) WHAT 1) 1 VO NOW, BOY—PLAY ANOTHER BALL where where you can look at it at odd moments. When you OR RUN? comicbooks ain |