Life, 1925-12-10 · page 7 of 36
Life — December 10, 1925 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine's "Mrs. Pepsi's Diary" column satirizes literary celebrity and publishing economics. The top sketches mock pretension: a tall, awkwardly-posed woman (likely representing affected literary figures) and a bearded gnome-like character illustrate the column's sardonic tone. The diary entry discusses twelve-year-old **Nathalia Crane**, a child poet whose work generated controversy about authorship—whether she genuinely wrote her published poems. The satirist expresses skepticism about her claimed financial success ("ten dollars out of them"), implying the public was gullible about purchasing verse from a child prodigy. The bottom illustration shows a barber scene, likely satirizing working-class perspectives on literary pretension—the "Village Barber" commentary contrasts ordinary life with highbrow publishing debates.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Awake betimes, and flying Nocember for the papers to see whither 16th ittle orphan Annie did be- take herself upon her departure from the Warbucks’, my interest in’ that child never having waned since my servant Florence first drew my atten- tion to her, but the cartoonist, to my great disappointment, had seen fit to prolong our suspense by drawing an irrelevant scene. Then, after a fine breakiast of tea and Canadian bacon, to Mr. Hickman, the jeweler, to get the rings I did leave for him to clean, and he gave them to me bright and shining, nor would he take any money for his labor, which I did deem very Moreover, he does tell me that he can make my wrist watch go, for which I thank God. Thence to the shops for this and that, later meeting Ann Andrews at a play- generous of him. for a pre-view of a motion pic ture called “Stella Dallas,” which so moved me that I was at some pains not to sol aloud at moments, and when | did a-k Annie if she were being simi- larly affected, she quoth, Yes, and 1 have nought to wipe my eyes upon 1 ten-dollar bill, so I did tear one of my finest monogrammed hand- house save kerchicfs in two and give her half of it, confiding that I was for what the man sitting behind us’ must think to see the tears streaming down but Ann told me not to worry, forasmuch as the gentleman in n was Mr, Samuel Goldwyn, who owned the picture. And since Fanny Ward, sitting next him, reacted almost ently as we, he must have had ant afternoon. Then home, find- Sam a-mixing his new cocktayle ior Marge Boothby, and they both ex- claimed at our red noses and swollen eyes, but we paid them no heed, clam- oring for liquor to alleviate our di tress, and then we women fell a-talk- ing, aud when Marge and Annie had gone, Sam did ask me why I should bother to express myself so forcefully on matters that could mean but little in my life, and I, in answering him, did make note for the first time that I am extremely partisan, feeling strongly for whatever cause I espouse, and hav- ing no desire soever to see more than one side of some questions. shamed our faces, quest “ft DON’T SEE HOW I CAN FILL THEM ANY BETTER.” be All the talk now is whether twelve r-old Nathalia Crane did or did not write the poems which she has published over her signature, but Lord! even if she did, I do not consider the feat so re- markable as the fact that she is re- ported to have made one hundred thousand dollars out of them. When you think that Poe sold “The Raven” for ten dollars! quoth Sam, after teading the account of Mr. Crane's financial statement. But I did not reply, feeling secretly that ten dollars was overpay for that poem....To a (Continued on page 31) Village Barber: TOMMY, RUN OVER AND TELL THE EDITOR OF THE Bee THAT IP HE'S DONE EDITI THE PAPER I'D LIKE MY SCISSORS. comicbooks.com