Life, 1901-12-12 · page 13 of 20
Life — December 12, 1901 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces from Life magazine (likely early 1900s): **"Score 1000!"** celebrates Life's approaching 1000th issue (dated December 26th), comparing the magazine's soul-saving moral influence to *The Black Crook* theatrical production. The joke: Life claims to have saved over 1,000 souls from "the blue devils" (depression/despair) through its work. **"Willing Tribute"** mocks wealthy industrialists' charitable donations as calculated publicity. A rich man (the "Mammon of Unrighteousness") donates to a church fundraiser, explaining his generosity as good advertising—exposing how the wealthy frame self-interested acts as benevolence. **"Life's Board of Inquiry"** questions whether Mary Baker G. Eddy (founder of Christian Science) faces financial hardship, sarcastically suggesting the community is anxious about her welfare. This appears to mock both Eddy's prominence and public concern about her financial status. The bottom cartoon depicts a newly elected colonel's wife, with dialogue about "behaving under fire"—likely political satire about women's roles or competence in public positions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Score 1000! “ A single soul, a single year! A hundred souls, a hundred years! A thousand souls, a thousand years !** Pe The Deril's targain with “F / The Black Crook. T HIS arrangement, which The Black Crook made to keep out of the hot place for a certain amount of time, was never carried into effect, the souls which were to be the basis of the arrangement were never delivered, and in the last act we see The Black Crook descending into the sulphurous district where he properly belonged. If some twenty years ago Lire could have made a similar arrangement with the more benign authorities, he would now be enjoying a high seat in Elysium, for certainly his thousand numbers The Newly Elected Colonet : Mrs. Co “LIFE* have saved more than a thon- sand souls from the blue devils. This fact will be especially com- memorated in the 1000th num- ber of Lire, which will be dated December 26th. In it Lire will not be over-boastful about his accomplishment as a soul- saver, but he will recite in pic- ture and print a lot of things interesting to his readers and the world at large. Willing Tribute. lea Mammon of Unrighteousness i wrote them out a large check. “Pray do not rob yourself!’ pro- tested the Committee Who Were Soliciting Funds for a New Church. “Not at all!” replied the Mammon of Unrighteousness, cordially. “‘Adver- tising pays !”” 519 Life’s Board of Inquiry. IFE’S BOARD proposes, not only to 4 bring its search-light to bear upon matters which the public ought to be in- formed upon, but also to do some real good in the world. Governed by purely altruistic motives, its work during the last session has been to uncover what really seemed to bea case of actual need, and lay the evidence before the public, in the hope that some- thing might be done for a worthy object. ‘The question was this: Is Mary Baker G. Eddy in financial straits? The mere thought of such a calamity was enough to send a shudder through the heart of the community, and Mrs, Eddy’s well- known reserve and reticence in financial matters only made the suspense greater to bear. What if, actuated by motives of false BUT, MY DEAR, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING To Dot 1 JUST WANTED TO SEE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO BENAVE UNDER FIRE. comicbooks.com