Life, 1923-08-02 · page 31 of 40
Life — August 2, 1923 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical fable cautioning poets and creative types about lost opportunities. The Wolf represents danger or misfortune; Opportunity personifies chance itself. The narrative's moral: when Opportunity knocks, answer immediately. The Poet ignores Opportunity's first knock, so she returns only when persuaded by the Wolf—who then devours the Poet after he's had his brief success (selling a poem). The satire targets struggling artists who procrastinate or ignore their chances, then wonder why fortune abandons them. The "Christian wolf" is ironic—the Wolf behaves more honorably than Opportunity, who has rigid rules about knocking only once. The joke suggests that in real life, misfortune (the Wolf) may be more reliable than actual opportunity. The page also contains a Tiffany & Co. advertisement and an unrelated cartoon titled "The Tank" (bottom right).
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Opportunity and the Wolf Opportunity and the Wolf met at the door of a Poet. “How do you do, Opportunity?” said the Wolf, pleasantly showing his teeth. “How d'do, Wolf,” responded Op- portunity with cold disdain. “Have you knocked?” said the Wolf politely. “Yes,” id Opportunity, “but I y have received no answer.” IFFANY & ) “Why don’t you knock again?” | e asked the Wolf, his tongue lolling leisurely in his mouth. JEWELERS AND SILVERSMITHS “I don't know that I shall,” said | Opportunity surlily, “’Tis my cus- tom to knock but once, you know!” “Oh, knock again,” pleaded the Wolf; “the poor fellow mayn’t have heard you.” Opportunity looked in amazement ‘ r atte Wolf KNOWN FOR “I must say,” said he, “you are oR —_ the quaintest, unhowlingest, most | D +DF A yy Vi IF Christian wolf I have known since | EPENDABLE VALUE the Assian of Gubbio—Very well, fellow, I shall knock. Only—”’ and Opportunity eyed the monster cau- tiously—“you must promise, when loor opens, not to make any un- y advances upon yon miserable ‘ MAIL INQUIRIES GIVEN PROMPT ATTENTION “I promise,” solemnly said the Wolf knuckles of Opportunity on the . ¥: slender panels of the Poet's portal. New YORK Presently the Poet came to the door, while the Wolf retreated dis- crectly out of view. “Well, if it isn’t old Opportunity,” cried the Poet. “Why didn’t you knock befor 4 “I did knock before,” said Oppor- tunity; “but you failed to heed me. I knocked a second time only at the earnest solicitation of a most Chris- tian wolf I found slinking around your door.” “How interesting,” said the Poet. “Come in,—rest yourself while I write a poem about this bizarrely amiable One week later, his incisors un- ntly exposed, the Wolf came back to the door of the Poet. Now the Bard had been fed, for he had sold his poem; but bored Opportunity Continuous music, Bube had flown—to seek the more congenial aasoioripe/aern em | portal ofa bootlegger. - the rgth floor ot & ‘As a rule,” said the Wolf con- ‘ temptuously, “poets are such miser- The BILTMORE able pickings—especially the Utter > Failures. There is more relish in the discussion of a Near Success. Heigh- ho,—Patience is a Virtue!” | THE TANK Then, shattering the air with three | MY LITTLE ONE, YoU MAY deep-throated howls, he lunged de- 4 A LIEUTENANT OF structively through the fragile pan AUST AND ADE aT i BUT I'M NOT AFRAID OF you.” of the door. GaBPE: —Le Rire (Paris). comicbooks.com