Life, 1898-11-10 · page 7 of 20
Life — November 10, 1898 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire Analysis The top cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a man asks his wife about bicycle oil, typewriter oil, and "good-lids oil," suggesting he's confused about which product to use. The satire mocks American consumer culture and product proliferation. Below, "The American Way" poem (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling) satirizes American democracy and capitalism. It describes how politicians, bosses, and soldiers all participate in a corrupt system where everyone "gets the same as you"—suggesting widespread inequality and hypocrisy masked by democratic rhetoric. The "Big Undertaking" cartoon depicts what appears to be a large governmental or industrial project being managed by many small workers, likely criticizing ambitious American enterprises or wartime mobilization efforts. The satire suggests grand ambitions requiring massive coordination, with unclear success.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ WHERE 18 MY BICYCLE OIL, HARRIET? 1 WANT IT POR MY TYPEWRITER.” Auntie: WHY, JOUN, WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH IER? “BIG UNDERTAKING."” WOULDN'T THE COD-LIVER OIL BE BETTER? The American Way. (With Apologtes to Mr. Kipling.) HEN Alger planned this bloomin’ war, Ho'd heard of how fights ought to be, And how you made tho biggest scoro With first-class men—tho samo as me. Tho Politicians with a Pull, ‘Tho Bosses, and their Henchmen, too, They filled up all the places full. West Point got left—the same as you. He know they'd fail—yet still it paid To let them go from bad to wus. Tho Pull’s tho thing. Our Soldiers’ trado To die like flies—the same asus, Fur, UT for curiosity, who would go on living? comicbooks.com