Life — August 18, 1921 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "How Much Eye Power Have You?" This satirical piece mocks Dr. Charles Russ's invention—a machine measuring eye power (intensity of a person's gaze) in kilowatts. The article presents humorous anecdotes about the machine's practical failures: - **Mrs. Wombat** (a hostess): The machine refused to register her foreign eyes when measuring her diction clarity - **Mr. Bird**: His eye power was so intense it threatened to break chinaware; the machine only registered 1 kilowatt when he actually possessed much more - **Mr. Dummer**: His skepticism about the invention proved justified—the machine's unreliability suggests it's pseudoscience The satire ridicules both the invention itself and people's gullibility toward pseudo-scientific gadgetry popular in the early 20th century. The cartoon jokes that everyday situations prove the machine worthless.