Life, 1902-03-27 · page 21 of 36
Life — March 27, 1902 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"The Inundation of Europe"** (top illustration): This cartoon depicts European flooding or crisis, with the caption suggesting resigned acceptance ("Dammit if they can't"). The exact historical event is unclear without a date, but the imagery suggests a natural disaster or political upheaval in Europe. **"The Philosophy of It"**: This section mocks American admiration for King Edward's coronation. Life satirizes the pretension of studying British coronation ceremonies to make American presidential inaugurations more expensive and elaborate. The joke: Americans have long accepted simple inaugurations due to "limitations," not choice, and now want to copy British extravagance—spending a dollar per capita rather than one cent. **Other pieces**: Brief satirical vignettes about a magazine editor's backwards logic, and a doctor's unpopularity in a village with few sick people—the implication being no one trusts him. The overall tone mocks American social climbing and desire to imitate British formality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE INUNOATION OF EUROPE, DAMON) IT THEY CAN'T.” The Philosophy of It. [7 seems that certain dense persons can't under- stand the philosophy of our being officially represented at the coronation of King Edward. Of course everybody who is anybody has felt humiliated by the extreme simplicity of the ceremonies attending the inauguration of our Presidents. For this simplicity has confessed not our choice but our limitations, ‘To be perfectly candid, we have not known how to make them less simple. The English can teachus. They have been crown- ing kings now for a matter of ten centuries. | ‘The most expensive inaugurations have hitherto cost the people Jess than one cent per capita. It is thought that a close and intel- | ligent study of the coming coronation will enable us to increase this to a dollar per capita, at least. UTHOR'S LITTLE BOY: Papa, what is a magazine editor? Avrnon (of some repute): Why, he is the man in the maga. zine office who prints the articles he ought to send back, and sends back the articles he ought to print, Sickness. ¢€ THERE seems to be very little sickness in your village.” “Yes, we've only one doctor, you know, and he is extremely unpopular, personally,” 1N MICROBEHOLLOW- Mrs. Microbe? GO TO SLEEP, MY LITTLE MICKONING. THE BOOT MAN WILL CATCH YOU IP YOU DON'T. comicbooks.com