Life, 1901-07-18 · page 9 of 20
Life — July 18, 1901 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The page contains a satirical article about personal freedom and government regulation, paired with an unrelated comic strip about dogs. The main text argues against excessive state control, warning that compulsory laws destroy personal liberty and art. It criticizes those who would regulate conduct—calling such regulation "equivalent to putting the American people into a straight-jacket." **"The Retort Marital"** is a separate four-panel comic strip showing dogs in increasingly absurd situations: first fighting, then one spinning, then chasing, finally seeking help. The dialogue captions ("Around, no!", "Donnerwetter! Where is that tail?", "Help! Help! Help!") suggest marital discord played for humor through animal antics—a common Victorian-era joke format. The two items appear unrelated, likely from different contributors to this satirical magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
brother's sake, foregoes indulgen: which are safe for himself, hou that man, Let grace abound, by all means, but don’t try to compel men by law to abstentions and sac- rifices which are sweet when grace inspires them, but become bitter and intolerable as soon as they are made compuls What would you do if you had your way? You would abolish rum, root and branch; you would destroy many admirable works of art which are not draped according to your ideas of prop ) would make so many laws for the regulation of conduct that—if you could enforce them—it would be equivalent to putting the American *LIPE- people into a straight-jacket. you had your way f there would be such a reaction in the direction of personal freedom as no country on carth has scen since 1793. The trouble with you is not that you are not good, ac lights, but that you fied to deal with the concerns that pt to regulate, ‘The sur- thing is the remarkable influence you mai to exert, bat that is due to org: a are strong, including in it many impulsive and half. educated women who, of course, are noisy and active in inverse pro portion to their sense. ARoUND. sot DONNERWETTER! WHERE 18 THAT TAIL? THE RETORT MARITAL. manninp.”? oR YOU IN ZAT, M’ DEAR.” ney! nenrl ner! “YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DARED APPEAR IN THAT STATE BEYORE WE comicbooks.com