Life, 1898-11-17 · page 9 of 20
Life — November 17, 1898 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire Analysis This *Life* magazine page contains editorial commentary on Colonel Roosevelt's military record, particularly his service at Santiago during the Spanish-American War. The text argues that while Roosevelt earned admirers and became famous as a Rough Rider, his actual military accomplishments were less significant than his reputation suggested—there were better officers at Santiago whose contributions were disproportionately overlooked. The lower cartoon depicts a street scene with a poor boy and woman, apparently referencing urban poverty. The caption suggests dark humor about finding a dead turkey for Thanksgiving dinner—satirizing economic hardship and desperation among the working poor during this period. The page represents *Life*'s satirical examination of both military celebrity and social inequality 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.
TWAS WHISPERED IN TEAVEN— “WHAT 1 M188 18 ples.” Omxes (dance, as they sing): Oh, wo play on man’s emotion As the wind plays o'er the ocean, For theatrically weare all the rage; And our latest réles’ creation Always thrills the blessed nation— For our mission is to elevate the stage. (FRomMAN disappears down the star trap.) Owes (sing): Wo have missions histrionio, Says our Charles, Napoleonic, And upon us rosts tho viston of the age; We absorb true art in summers, “LIBIE= For we are superior mummers— And our duty is to clevate the stage. (They evaporate, and three common stage hands set fire to the American plays. Quick curtain.) INCE election is over, it ‘ would be interesting to have an assessment by competent and impartial authorities of the military value of Colonel Roose- velt’s exploits as Colonel of the Rough Riders. In spite of the preposterous clamor over his military record, he has many admirers who sin- cerely believe that bis services in the army were of no exceptionul value or importance; that he accomplished noth- ing at Santiago which would not have been equally well done if he had not been there, and that his fame asa mili- tary man has no more substantial basis than personal gallantry. There is no doubt that he was brave, and that he worked hard and did his best; but there is good reason to believe that there were shoals of better trained and more efficient officers than he at Santiago, and that the credit he got for his share in the tighting there was enormously disproportionate to the importance of bis services. 389 Where he seems to have done work that was really important was in the Navy Department, He is greatly praised for what he did there by men who ought to know whereof they speak. That a man who bas so many kinds of good work to his credit should be extrava- gantly lauded for the wrong thing, is neither good for him nor just to others. Might Exhaust the Supply. At ABBY: It says some of them Spanish nobles has eight or ten given names. Unore Anver: Well, that might do fer a small family, but where there's eleven children, like we had, b'gosh, I'd hate to be lookin’ fer names fer the last ones. OLONEL WARING died poor, and left no adequate provision for his widow. He had not had time to turn to practical account the great reputation he had earned as the head of the Street Cleaning Department in New York be- fore he was called by the President to the important public service which cost him his life. A proposal comes through Mayor Strong to raise a fund in honor of Waring, for bis wife'ssupport. It is the proposal we were all waiting for. Suc- cess to it! a Boy: JENNY, I'D LIKE TO BE FOUND DEAD WID DAT WHOLE TURKEY IN ME STUMMICK AN’ DAT BILL O° FARE POR A TOMBSTO: comicbooks.com