Life, 1902-02-20 · page 7 of 20
Life — February 20, 1902 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Cartoon Analysis: Life Magazine, Page 147 This page contains three distinct pieces: 1. **"The American"** — An essay on American identity and racial composition during the era of evolutionary theory. 2. **"To One About to Step Off"** — A dialogue between a father and daughter about a woman being "like an oil country," likely satirizing women as economic/romantic conquests rather than persons. 3. **"Washington's Birthday in the Philippines"** — A poem depicting American soldiers celebrating Washington's birthday while occupying the Philippines (likely post-1898). The text shows soldiers forcing Filipino people to celebrate American ideals and "freedom," revealing the satirical point: the contradiction between celebrating liberty while imposing colonial rule on non-consenting populations. The accompanying illustration shows a chaotic colonial scene.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE« The American. HE American of history is yet to be born, of course. As the case stands, the materials for his composition are just being gathered into the alembic of evolution. There is much stewing and boiling over to follow, but in the end the fit and destined elements will unite, and we shall have the real American, holding in himself the best of all the races. It is barely possible that he will not be as white as was the dapper cavalier who landed at Jamestown three hundred years ago. Miscegenation, so-called, is one of evolution’s favorite To One About to Step Off. HE DADDY: Let me give you a bit of advice, my dear. To a man, the heart of the woman he loves is like an oil coun- try. Tue DavcuTeR : How can that be, Pa? “The interest is intense only so long as there is a prospect of new discov- eries.”” “JouN, YoU must GET OVER TUE HABIT OP THROWING YOUN CLOTUES AROUND TRE NOOM WHEN Washington’s Birthday in the “ A PUZZLE FOR THE KICKER'S CLUB. DESCRIBE THE EXPRESSION ON THE MAN'S PACE. Philippines. OME here, yer brown-faced dago, yer! Come here an’ stop yer prate! Just let us see yer drink a toast— ‘The day we celebrate.’ Milwaukee beer is plenty here, Fill high an’ drink away, To Washington, our Washington, Whose birthday is to-day ! “ Here, sergeant, take yer bay’net there, An’ make him step up quick, Just jab him once or twice, ‘That's right. You bet you know the trick. Now blast yer eyes, yer nigger yer! Yer see that loaded gun? Well, take that glass and drink a toast ‘Ter General Washington. (The cheek 0’ these air Kakiaks Beats all I ever saw, They don't appear to 'preciate The drift o’ white man’s law, No matter what you do for them ‘They're stubborn as a mule, Else why don't they be grateful for The blessin’s of our rule?) YOU COME HOME IN THE CONDITION YOU WERE IN Last NIGHT.” “Come here now, my dear dusky friend— Just get around him, mates, We'll make him taste the freedom of The great United States. We've killed off every friend he had, No matter where or how, We're bound to make him loyal to ‘The flag 0’ freedom now, “Yer know what day we're havin’? Well, We celebrate the birth Of one who was the father of The greatest land on earth. He loved the people's liberty, He fought for it an’ won— We fellows are his countrymen, The great George Washington! “Well, whatcha tryin’ to give us In your broken lingo there? Yer ‘love the great George Washington, ’ His ‘namea you revere’! Get out, yer foreign beggar yer! Hike, hustle, fly, begone What do you know of freedom— Of our George Washington?” Denis A. McCarthy. comicbooks.com