Life, 1902-01-30 · page 3 of 20
Life — January 30, 1902 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 83 The main cartoon depicts a classical mythological scene titled "What Might Happen—If the Old Gods Should Decide to Return." It shows what appears to be Mars (god of war, identifiable by his military helmet and warrior appearance) reclining with a woman, while another figure watches from a doorway. The accompanying poem "Half-Seas-Over" satirizes the return of classical gods to modern life, suggesting they'd struggle to adapt. References to "kodaks," "Gibraltar," and modern maritime travel ground the fantasy in contemporary (early 20th-century) reality. The small illustration below depicts astronomical or planetary imagery, likely supporting the mythological theme. The satire appears to mock both classical pretensions and modern life's incompatibility with romantic idealism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Half-Seas-Over. ITHIN the round of that hypnotic eye, The port-hole, elemental things uprear, Glide slantwise, jerk, expand, and disappear. I sce the jocund ocean chase the sky Out of a zenith ten degrees awry. ‘Then hark! a trampet—flippant, cavalier— But not the last ; no hope of that—nor fear ; *Tis but another meal must pass me by. Five days from shore, five days or east or west ; For what's Gibraltar? Dry mirage at best, Fit food for kodaks, Who thereon may rest Without a permit? Yet, if I might see Rome five days hence, or Boston, still for me ‘Twould be a toss-up 'twixt them—seemingly. Birthplace of Prof. William Hohenzoltern, emperor, king, soldier, sailor, ecclestast, justice, commercial traveler, diplomat, bureaucrat, savant, litterateur, poet, composer, dramatist, painter, sculptor, architect, naval designer, anti-cartoonist, orator, pilgrim, yachtsman, bunter, Photographer's model, ¢t al. comicbooks.com