Life, 1895-02-07 · page 3 of 16
Life — February 7, 1895 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XXV, Number 632) **"The Modern Inquisition"** article condemns vivivisection—animal experimentation—naming specific scientists (Dr. Watson in Philadelphia, Dr. Phelps) who conducted cruel tests on dogs. The piece sarcastically calls these practitioners "pleasant neighbors" and "adult brutes," demanding they be prosecuted as criminals. The lower cartoon depicts street poverty: a woman asks a man to marry a girl "like that," and he refuses, saying it would take a Rockefeller's wealth to support her. The caption suggests economic desperation forces difficult choices. The theatrical dialogue discusses a woman's poor stage performance—critics praised her acting but criticized her "stage presence." Overall, the page critiques cruelty (animal and economic) and theatrical pretense in early-20th-century America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
——s VOLUME XXV. THE MODERN INQUISITION. T is difficult to overestimate the value of a knowl- edge gained by the cutting and tearing of living animals. One interesting experiment is to remove a dog's stomach and then ascertain how long he can live with- out it, We also learn from the Journal of Zoophily that in Philadelphia there is a Dr. Watson, who experimented upon a hundred and forty-one dogs by raising them to a height and dropping them upon ridges and bars of iron, in order to test the effect of the painful bruises and the breaking of the backs, which were the result. There is also a Dr. Phelps, who selected a number of dogs, and after twisting their legs over their backs, thus placing them in an excessively cramped and un- natural position, sealed them up in plaster of paris, which prevented their obtaining any relief. What pleasant neighbors this Watson and this Phelps must have been as boys! They could probably get as much “ fun” out of cats and dogs then as they do now. Lire is looking forward to the day when these adult brutes will be treated like other criminals. “BILL, WOULD YOU MARRY A GAL LIKE THAT?” “NOT FOR YER LIFE! IT'D TAKE A ROCKYFELLER OR A ASTER TO KEEP HER IN CHEWIN’ GUM.” He: THE CRITICS SAID MY ACTING WAS FAIRLY GOOD, BUT THAT MY STAGE PRESENCE WAS BAD. She (wishing to console): ON, REVERSED. 1 THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN S* DEEN to the theatre, ch! What did you see?” “T saw a large black hat, with five ostrich feathers, a rhine- stone buckle and two magenta roses. And once, (here the strong man's voice trembled) once, for one moment, I thought I saw half of a sofa at the extreme left of the stage; but I cannot be sure.” NUMBER 632. comicbooks.com