Life, 1883-06-14 · page 11 of 16
Life — June 14, 1883 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Fire Escape Satire This "Popular Science Catechism" mocks fire escapes as legally mandated but practically useless safety theater. Through Socratic dialogue, the author ridicules the contradiction: fire escapes are ornamental, difficult to use (harder than a triple backflip), and actually dangerous—people are more likely to break their necks than escape fires. The satire's target is building code compliance divorced from reality. Poor tenants in unsafe buildings ("fire traps") are forced to accept illusory safety measures, then stay in dangerous conditions anyway because they can't afford to move. The final punchline—they'll only leave after an actual fire—exposes the law's fundamental failure: it placates rather than protects. The accompanying illustration shows two men discussing marbles, satirizing Wall Street traders too busy making money to engage in simple leisure—a separate jab at American business culture's obsession with profit over life.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE: POPULAR SCIENCE CATECHISM. Lrsson II.—Fire Escapes. HAT does this gentleman see? An iron fire-escape, dar- ling. Of what use is it? It enables poor iron- mongers to make a living. How? They sell the iron and also charge for putting it up. : Oh! but I thought ttwas a benefit to the house. So it is. How? It is very ornamental. 1s it not also useful? Yes, for it may be sold to the junk men for there per cent. of its original cost. But how does it act in case of fire? It stays right where it is. Cannot people climb down tt? ‘They can try. Ts tt difficult to climb down a fire-escape ? Not more difficult than to turn a triple back somer- sault. Then most people would fail if they tried? Very probably. How, then, would it enable them to escape being burned to death? By enabling them to break their necks. But tf the persons do not want to have their necks broken? They can stay in the burning building. Can't they do anything else? Yes, they can jump from the window. Then fire-escapes are really quite dangerous things? Oh, no; no one is obliged to use them unless he chooses. Then why do the poor builders put them up? Because they are compelled to by law. Could the man who made the law climb down a fire- escape? I should like to see him try. Has he ever tried? No. How-do you know? Because he still lives, Then will you please tell me what earthly good is the Sfire-escape? 285 It is a comfort to the poor chuckleheads who live in the ninth story of a fire trap? How a comfort? They think they are safe. But are they safe? : About as safe as the nigger who smokes in a powder magazine. What should the poor chuckleheads do, then? They should move out of the fire trap. But will they move out? Not immediately. Why? They are waiting for a fire. Will they move out then? Oh, yes ! our Boys YOU MIGHT STOP LONG ENOUGH TO PLAY A GAME OF MARBLES, BILLy. Marstes! Do you suPPOSE A MAN WHO IS IN WALL St. HAS TIME TO PLAY MARBLES? Tue great American Dessert—Pie. A woman's beauty affords her less pleasure than the other woman's lack of it. Weshave received a small book entitled “ English As She Is Spoke” Did this emanate from the Hub! Query—How can there be so much mud in the streets when all the statesmen of the country are ac- tively engaged in throwing it at each other ? comicbooks.com