Life, 1894-04-19 · page 8 of 14
Life — April 19, 1894 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Those Lower Animals" Cartoon Analysis This cartoon depicts two apes examining a human figure, satirizing the then-controversial theory of human evolution. The caption reads: "YER OFTEN T' REJECT (HIC), MA. I'VE BEEN TRYIN' T' MAKE ER MAN ER MYZSELF, THASSAL." The joke mocks both Darwinian evolution and contemporary political incompetence. By suggesting apes could "make" a man, the cartoon implies certain politicians or public figures are so poorly evolved or ineffectual they're practically sub-human. This reflects early-20th-century Life magazine's satirical approach to American governance and social pretension, using Darwinian frameworks to ridicule those in power or attempting reform. The colloquial dialect emphasizes the mockery's class dimension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Who is it?” ‘ulptor.”” jad to see you—we mean to hear you— Mr. St. Gaudens, Lire is always glad to talk with a man of brains and origin- ality. What can we do for you?” “Nothing for me, since, fortunately, there are enough pure-minded and artistic people in America to keep me busy, but you might say a few words about our political censors of art. What do you think of the men who rejected my medal because it bore a nude figure ?” “We'd rather tell you in a personal interview. One of the young lady telephone operators might be listening to our talk and we don’t want our telephone taken out.” “Do you ever turn your thoughts to those persons?" “Not being fond of the sensation of nausea we don’t think of them any oftener than we can help.” “Do you think they're right?” “Why certainly. People of taste and refinement have so little to say in the govern- ment of this country that they have no rights that any politician is bound to respect. They haven't any ‘pull,’ and the jay vote is the one to consider in matters of an artistic nature.” “ What makes you think so?” “Look at the import duty on works of art. Look at the monstrosities in the way of public buildings turned out by the salaried deck-hands employed by the government to pro- mote bad architecture. Look at—but what's the use of going any further? As an artist, you know how much of a chance Art has with our corn-fed or saloon-bred politicians.” “ What are we going to do about it?” “ Nothing, except keep pegging away. Produce the best we can and rely upon the ‘saving remnant’ of educated people to keep us alive. Obstacles like Mr. Carlisle, we are happy to say, are only human and survive but a life-time. And gccasionally we can skip over to Europe, where the Arkansas standard does not prevail in matters artistic.” “But. Lire has always set its face against Americans spending their money in Europe.” “ Not against the people who go for an education they cannot get in America. Only against the people who go over there to loaf. Lire would very much like to send a few of our Western politicians over to learn that a govern- ment need not necessarily vulgarize the taste of its people.” “Why don’t you do it?” “ We can't afford it. We've been spending our money on that new building of ours. We THOSE LOWER ANIMALS. “VER ORTEN 1 BZHECT (Itc), MA. ‘THASSHAL.” I'VE BEEN TRYIN’ T' MAKE ER MTAN ER MYZZHELF, consider that a very fair object lesson in good architecture, and we are perfectly willing to let our polit- ical art-censors look at its exterior as much as they like. But, good- bye, Mr. St. Gaudens. Glad to have seen—we mean heard—you. Good-bye.” SJ. S.M. OMMY'S MOTHER: Did you hear about poor Mrs. Jones? She ran a needle into her hand. The doctors had to open every finger trying to find it. TomMy: What made ‘em do that, mamma? Why didn’t they get the lady another needle ? ISS RINKLES: 1 wonder if I'll live to see my thir- tieth birthday ? HE: No. It only‘comes once. comicbooks.com