Life, 1901-05-02 · page 7 of 22
Life — May 2, 1901 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire Analysis This page contains two cartoons satirizing wealthy industrialists of the Gilded Age, specifically targeting the "Money King" archetype—likely figures like Andrew Carnegie or similar robber barons. **Left cartoon** ("I'm a canny Scot"): Depicts a kilted Scottish character boasting of his success, self-made wealth, and plans to reorganize Heaven itself. The satire mocks the grandiose self-importance of wealthy industrialists. **Right cartoon** ("We find that it pays"): Shows two men discussing how dressing in Highland costume and appearing "self-made" is profitable. The text mocks the hypocrisy of presenting oneself as humble while accumulating vast wealth. Both cartoons ridicule the ego and moral pretensions of wealthy industrial magnates who claimed virtue through self-made mythology while wielding immense economic power.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Tm a canny Scot.” We're a glittering gaudy success, loves to confess, Ha! ea bulwark’ And whi of civilization we are stacking the cards, atching new fakes and canurds, Ha! Ha! We are dubbed “a good thing” by tion! (A whistle is now heard in the distance, gradu- ally growing nearer, until a huge chariot of gold and silver, made in the form of a rat!road engine, ds borne on the stage byan army of slaves. In the centre sits The Money Kirg. He waves a plgcon-blood ruby director's gavel solemnly to right and left, enjuining silence on all, and chants as follows : ) Cuast or Tie Moxey Kise. O ye minions deferential, I'm a plutocrat potential, In my presence you must hide unseemly mirth ! I'm a money king gigantic! From Pacific to Atlantic 1 am trying to reorganize the earth! ‘The bright steel rail Luse asa flail ‘To level the human trash, And my coffers untold Are filled full with gold. For I am the King of Cash ! When governments are needy, Fin general For tha never sleeps ; And when I get to Heaven, I shall introduce some leaven And reorganize the Kingdom come for keeps. most greedy, 's the time a cash king Each day a trust Tcan make from dust, A power that is all my ow And the While my puppets dance, And I smile from my golden throne. cuores. Oh, the warmth of his gold Is a power untold! We believe it is most essential To restrain our mirth (For he’s king of the earth) And be to him deferential. hares advance, (The music euddenty ceares, there is a murmur of subdued arce as the strain of bagpipes is heard in the distance, All stop short and listen, as the complacent fqure of Andrew Carnegie steps into “We find that it pays" Sull view, His whiskers have been dyed purple for the great occasion and he is dressed In full High- land costume, with short kilt and bare lege. He plays a prelude on his bagpipes and then advances to the front and begins Lis solo.) oxo or THe Setr-Mape Man, Cans ea Axprew A self-made man you behold in me, Of “Hoot Mon” strain is my an- cestry I made my pile in a way that you With deep green eyes have a mind to view; I dealt with others and made them squirm, And learned how the early bird caught the worm. I'ma canny Scot With a broad soul plot, But a most expressiv And I wade my pile In the broad-gauge style, For a canny Scot am 1! eye, cnorvs, A self-made man you behold in him, Of whisker sleek and of conscience trin As millionaire he has made ‘em squirn And learned how the early bird caught the worm. comicbooks.com