Life, 1901-03-21 · page 3 of 22
Life — March 21, 1901 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Sanctum Talks This page features a satirical dialogue between the Empress of China and a character named "Life," who wants to become Christian. The cartoon mocks Christian missionary activity in China by having Life explain Christianity through contradictions: Christians preach the Bible but practice hypocrisy; they claim moral superiority while grabbing resources ("grabbing everything in sight"). The Empress seeks a "formula" for Christianity, and Life cynically suggests she needs "an active pulpit, full of men who preach the Bible at all times"—exposing the gap between Christian preaching and actual conduct. The satire critiques both Western imperialism disguised as religious conversion and the perceived hypocrisy of Christian nations and missionaries operating in China during this period of Western colonial expansion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a 7 mene Sanctum Talks. “ WELL well. So this is the Empress of China?” “It is.” “You look displeased.” “Tam. I'm not at all satisfied over the way things are going, and I want a change.” “ What kind of a change?” “Well, Lire, I want to be a Christian.” i} “What for?” : “Why, I've noticed lately that the Christian nations are the ones who are: on top, who are grabbing everything in sight, and I thought, before it was too late, I'd like to be one of them.” “Isee. And you have come—" “To you for a clue, What's the formula?” “Listen, my dear Empress, and I'll lay down the law.” “ Proceed."" “First, you must have an active pulpit, full of men who preach the Bible at all times." “What is the Bible?” “It's a convenient text-book to quote from when you are cutting your neighbor's throat.” “Yes. Well?” “Then you must have a body of enlightened states - men, who stand for the most advanced civilization, by hold- ing up their weaker brethren."” “But how do they justify this?” “ They ask the pulpit if it isn’t right, and the pulpit says yes." “Tsee, But I should think these statesmen would forget themselves at times.”” “Never. It's their business to be hypocrites, and the whole system fos- ters the idea.’" “You must begin young.” “We do. Our children are taught not to lie and cheat and rob and mur- der among themselves, but that it is all right among governments who have a good, workable Gospel.”” ‘What is a Gospel?’ “It’s a patent device for pulling the wool over people's eyes, and it takes about two thousand years to perfect a good one.”? “Alas, Lire! I'm only a plain Chinese woman, too old, I’m afraid. I have some tricks to my credit, it is true, but I'd have to begin all over again to learn as much knavery as that.” “Then, my dear Empress, there is no hope for you.”” “ Well, good by, I something, anyw “* Good by, Are. I've learned’ doomed friend.”