Life, 1923-05-17 · page 4 of 46
Life — May 17, 1923 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a poem titled "Envy" by Elizabeth Newport Hepburn, which satirizes the writer's jealousy of newspaper columnists. The poem expresses frustration that columnists enjoy wide readership and influence—they "print verse each day," know about "sea and air and earth," and face no critical attacks because readers fear their power. The speaker fantasizes about becoming a columnist to write books and essays without fear of criticism. The satire mocks both the envy itself and the perceived invulnerability of popular newspaper columnists of the era. The page's left side advertises European travel via U.S. Government ships; the right features a Heinz Cooked Macaroni advertisement. The poem's social commentary reflects early 20th-century anxieties about mass media influence and literary gatekeeping.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
|i) Oh sa Envy Some envy Croesus, some the hedon- | ist. Some yearn for lips no other lips have kissed, I envy most the canny Columnist! The kind, you know, who prints his iy Wi} | verse each day, And makes—or breaks—each novel an your and each play: 2 ° | Who knows all things in sea and air European Trip |i. st ex. 7° And twists all he disdains to ribald for Midsummer mirth The man who knows he knows when F you are going to Europe art is Art, this year plan now to go in And never, on his sleeve, betrays a late July, in August or Sep- heart! ° tember. The season is beauti- ful; the tourist rush is over; prices are lower; the days at sea are clear, temperate and twist delightful. Until each word some Earnest Au- Send the information blank thor writes below and let your Govern- Gives the Sophisticate profane de- ment help you with your lights ! plans. Learn about the swift, luxurious U. S$. Government ships, operated by the United States Lines. They offer a passage for every purse; accommodations for every taste; and they are among the finest ships afloat. Ah, how I wish I were a Columnist, To prod and gibe and trick and deitly And then, if I were Lord of Print and Pen, I'd write books, too, and fear not gods nor men, Because, you see, no critic would at- tack My novel, knowing I could strike The first class ships are: him back . Sai witty ftily, with inted 4 COOKED George Washington So swiftly, craftily, with pointed I President Harding _plirase . ; MACARON President Roosevelt That he’d remember all his damned a“ AND MUSHROOM SAUCE vst Inaddicion, one of the five famous days! “cabin ships’? sails from NewYork “ST each Wednesday. Some envy Croesus, some the hedon- a PURE FOR, BROOUCTS Wri ist, Gee Ht EINZ.CO- —— aad iad ‘ Some yearn for Youth and Beauty, . let of suggested tours cost= oe Be ing $495 and up, including steam- still unkissed, . ship fares a list of the chief events But I would be a canny Columnist t in Europe in Summers your Govern= seoboth Newport Hobbur ment’s handsomely illestrated booklet Elizabeth Newport Hepburn. showing photographs of interiors of Government ships; full information about the United States Lines service, There is no obligation, COOKED INFORMATION BLANK Looe $ 7 > MACA R N | To U, S. Shipping Board 9 4 Ml we telsoieation Seas, ae Pe ie Wil 8 with Cheese and Mushroom Sauce * oe " ‘ TT aoe . Eestbed above Tam cosidering atip OE yh \ Ae Hemz has developed a new deli- rope Cito the Orient(], to South America 0, * ¥ : cious, prepared tood-ready to heat Mr Nem , and serve. A durum-wheat maca fene's | | i roni made by Heinz, cooked with For aformation in regard t sailings addres: <P jan appetizing mushroom sauce— United States Lines gr) |a wonderful combination of food soPecedeey fi Noe oy; and flavor. You can serve it every Agencies in Principal Cities / : Managing Operators for 9 day and for your best occasions. U. S. SHIPPING BOARD THE LADY WHO ATTENDED THE | Try it; your grocer will refund pur’ BARGAIN SALE IN COMFORT Reach Pes —Humorist (London). chase price if it fails to please you. comicbooks.com