Life, 1900-01-11 · page 6 of 20
Life — January 11, 1900 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Cartoon Analysis The top cartoon depicts **Uncle Sam** (identifiable by his characteristic top hat and goatee) as an emaciated, skeletal figure, nervously gesturing toward an island. His caption reads: "I wish that confounded thing would quit expanding. It makes me nervous." This satirizes American **imperial expansion**, likely referencing territorial acquisitions around the Spanish-American War era (1898). The "confounded thing" appears to be newly acquired territory, possibly the Philippines or Caribbean islands. The cartoon critiques Uncle Sam's anxiety about managing these expanded possessions—suggesting the expansion creates instability rather than strength. The lower section discusses William H. Lighton's novel "Sons of Strength," set during the Kansas slavery conflicts of the pre-Civil War era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LOOKS MORE AND MORE LIKE A BIG WHITE ELEPHANT. Uncle Sam ; 1 WISIL THAT CONPOUNDED THING WOULD QUIT EXPANDING, IT MAKES ME NERVOUS, historical novelists when thoy get tired of a Trust Company or Life Insurance Ad. ry, playing with tho Revolution. Big figures are the important thing at tho s 8 6 head of the column, Capital and Surplus, HE advertising of curront books has with plonty of zoros in big black type, A Novel of Kansas in Anti- taken on very much the appearance make thestrength of a Trust Company ; and Slavery Times. HERE {8 a certain restraint about William R. Lighton’s first novel, “Bons of Strength” (Doubleday), which argues well for the author's ability to do something better. Tho characters aro also original and play into the plot naturally. ‘Tho whole picture is in ono tone, and that gray. It is sombro, and unrelieved by bumor. Even tho love-making is as cold as moonlight, Against this pale background tho flerce passions engendered by tho anti-slavery fight in Kansas ought to stand out vividly— but thoy are not suMciently dramatized. The sub-title, “A Romance of the Kansas Border Wars,” {a misleading. Tho wars form only the culminating incident in a plot which is intensely personal. The strango career of the little foundling, Pokey Upjack, is tho real contre of interest. Thero is a touch of pootry and integrity about him which wins your respect. Asa charactor study tho story justifies itself, but as a romanco of tho border wars it is hardly a sketeb, Thero is a very “MARY, | WISH YOU WOULD PUT UP WILLIE'S CART WHEN UE GETS THROUGH PLAYING. big, dramatic subject right thero for tho MAKES THE ROOM LOOK 80 UNTIDY.”