Life, 1923-12-06 · page 67 of 84
Life — December 6, 1923 — page 67: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks a specific social type of the early 20th century: successful men plagued by unfulfilled artistic ambitions. The fable presents four characters—a wealthy merchant, a lumber magnate, an accomplished surgeon, and a working writer—who all share one thing: **secret sorrow that they were "intended to be a writer."** The joke is the ironic inversion: the actual writer (Jim) is also miserable, realizing he *was* meant to be one but still unhappy doing it. The satire targets the era's romanticization of "the writer" as a higher calling—suggesting that many successful men felt their real careers were somehow beneath their true talents. It's a gentle mockery of both unfulfilled ambition and the cultural assumption that writing was inherently more noble than business or medicine. The page is otherwise advertisements (Bermudiana hotel, Tiffany & Co., Ackermann Galleries).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BERMUDIANA ening in January, is the most rodern and best equipped hotel in sermuda. oof, built of steel and stone, ‘embodies the newest features in el construction and service. facilities for golf, tennis, rid- ;, driving, bathing, fishing, sail- 3, etc. For reservations, or booklet, ad- ess John O. Evans, Manager, The Hotel Bermudiana, Hamilton, Ber- ua, or Furness ‘Bermuda Line, + Whitehall Street, New York: A Fable is such a successful merchant ends can not understand why the Imerican Magazine does not write him up. But he is not happy; he has a ct sorrow. He feels that he was intended to be a writer. xt door lives Frank. He is one of those lumber kings who are said to have got immensely rich before, during or just after the war; nobody seems to know which. Judging by Frank’s front, it might have been all three. But Frank is He has a secret sorrow. He feels that he was intended to be a writer oss thé street is George. He is the up-and-coming surgeon. It is a | ACKERMANN GALLERIES AST 46m STREET, NEW YORK NEW BIRD ETCHINGS by F. W. BENSON ROLAND CLARK W. AUSTEN SPORTING PRINTS AND PAINTINGS TIFFANY & GO. PEARLS JEWELRY SILVERWARE PurcHases May BE MADE BY MAIL FIFTH AVENUE & 37@ STREET New YorK social offense to be opened by any- body but George. He knows the insi le affairs of everybody of importance. If you die under George’s treatment it is your own fault. But George is often melancholy. He has a secret sorrow. yi He feels he was intended to be a writer. OF Then there is Jim. He writes pieces for papers and sometimes a story or a (ew book. He is getting along well. But i ay ‘atches he is gloomy a great deal. He has a secret sorrow. He realizes he was in- is Standard of tended to be a writer. W McC. H. the World A Perfect Deer Guage A i Huspanp (starting on deer hunt): I'll bring you back a handsome deer head for over the mantel in the library. Wire: Oh, do get one with intelli- gent eyes, comicbooks.com