BRADLEY AS A CARTOONIST
my part to assume the role of devil's advocate, suggesting possible weaknesses in ideas that were up for consideration, flaws in deductions from given facts, points of seeming injustice to men or measures and such other features of the cartoon in embryo as might be entitled to consideration before the picture began to develop under his careful pen. As a conscientious man he entered heartily into this trying-out process, engaging with animation in the task of weighing ideas and possible methods of treatment. The caption for the chosen cartoon was given equally careful thought in order that in few words it might clarify the meaning of the picture. Often, however, there was nothing for me to do at these conferences except approve some admirably clear and vigorous sketch which presented a timely subject with the vividness of a lightning flash. It was not uncommon for this man who seemed to think in pictures to present a veritable sheaf of sketches, each relating to a different subject and all so good that he was speedily invited to choose from among them the one which made the strongest appeal to himself.
THE questions most commonly debated in these daily meetings were, first, "Is this a true and just presentation of the case?" and secondly, "Will the average newspaper reader readily catch the point in the picture?" Unless these questions were affirmatively answered there was no chance of the artist's choosing to develop the idea. He was incapable of compromising with his convictions, but he was always ready to consider evidence tending to show that his convictions were wrong. Always looking for good causes to help, he frequently expressed the desire to "strike a blow" for this or that. In a world with so many wrongs to be combated he had no patience with frivolous subjects for cartoons. He took his talent too seriously, he took life too seriously, to waste his time on littlenesses. He was eager to attack any piece of injurious folly or any social tendency indicating deterioration of the mental, moral, or physical fiber of Americans. Cartoons of the type of the one in which he contrasted the sturdy boy of
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