Life, 1899-08-03 · page 12 of 20
Life — August 3, 1899 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 92 This page contains two satirical cartoons about class conflict and labor disputes. The top cartoon shows two working-class men carrying large bundles, captioned "The Vocation of E. Two Gentlemen Being Along the Same Lines" — likely referencing a Shakespeare play to mock their situation ironically. The bottom cartoon depicts two working-class figures in what appears to be a confrontation, titled "They Became Strongly Attached to Each Other, and by Reason of the Bond Between Them Are Now Inseparable." The accompanying text ridicules wealthy capitalists and their arguments defending low wages, excessive work hours, and poor treatment of laborers. The satire mocks capitalists who claim workers are "foolish" for demanding better conditions, and argues that employers deliberately keep workers impoverished and exhausted to maintain control. The page overall criticizes economic inequality and worker exploitation common 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.
TUEY BECAME SUSONGLY ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER, AND BY KEASON OF THE BOND BETWEEN THEM ARE NOW INSEPAUABLE, HE nsumber of husbands who, | BD janie you see that girl throwing though they think they rule, yet kisses at you?” are in reality ruled, would astonish, not “Yes, but I don't approve of kissless their wives, but themselves. osculation.”” “ USTAPHA,” said the Cadi, press- ing both bands to his forehead. “Sublime bixbuess!” said Mustapha, holding his simitar at “attention.” “Doth not the Koran contain a saying to the effect that the bair of the dog is good for the bite of the same?” “ Even so, ob, fountain of wisdom!” _ “Holy Prophet! Then rush the growler quickly, and let me see if I can drown the fires of Eblis that are consuming me.” After several copious libations from the pitcher that Mastapba brought, the Cadi intimated that be was ready to open court. Mustapha dragged to the carpet of jus- tice a well-fed citizen who looked as if wealth would 00ze from every pore of his body were he subjected to even the slight- est pressure, “What's the charge?” demanded the Cadi. “This man, sublime highnes pressor of rich aod poor alike; he isthe owner and manager of trolley and cable lines.” “Hham d’illah! Praise be to God!” ex- vlaimed the Cadi, “Lovg have I waited for this day, How much money hath the baj baj—the fat man, Mustapha?” “ Many millions of sequins, oh, bighness, besides city and country houses, and yachts, and horses.” “Let them ull be confiscate, to begin with, Mustapha; half to go into our treas- ury, and the other half to lay out a ceme- tery and build a hospital for the true be- Nevers the kafir hath killed and maimed. Now then, slave, is it not true that in thy greed thou dost crowd thy cars with fol- lowers of the Prophet, even as swine and cattle are crowded together?” A wheeze of protest was the only answer from the capitalist. “With this difference, that swine and cattle are not such fools as to pay for being so crowded. And dost thou not build tby cars so high from the ground that only chimpanzees can climb into them with safety?” Another wheeze. “And that thou hirest none but thugs, sluggers and escaped murderers for con- ductors and gripmen?” A sigh from the fut man, “And that thou instructest them to damn the public and never to stop the cars long enough to let anyone but an athleto get safely on or off?" comicbooks.com