Life, 1902-05-08 · page 5 of 32
Life — May 8, 1902 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 389 **"Sweet-and-Twenty"** is a romantic poem by Felix Carmen, addressed to a young woman, emphasizing her beauty and desirability. **"As to Oaths"** discusses whether soldiers can be bound by oaths to commit murder. It references General Chaffee's observation that "an oath is, in itself, a crime" if it compels someone to harm others. The text debates whether military obedience justifies killing, distinguishing between warfare and murder. **"The Yankee"** satirizes three stages of American spiritual/intellectual development: the Puritan (believing in predetermined salvation), the Utilitarian (rationalist), and the Agnostic (focused on material sustenance). It's social commentary on American philosophical evolution. The page mixes literary content with political/philosophical satire typical of Life's format during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
° LI F E ; Sweet-and-Twent Seen Deenty: would you think By the tulip tint that lies Such a dream of white and pink On the red two lips I prize, Could be caught by pen and ink By the stars that make your eyes So completely ? Soft and tender, Here you are, a bud in May, By the blushing roses in True to life in every way, Brow and cheek and throat and chin, Always glad and always gay, I have made a vow to win Smiling sweetly. Your surrender! Dainty young aristocrat, Haste then, Cupid, lest you miss ‘Tell me, won't you, under that So much beauty, so much bliss, Captivating picture hat, Take my message with a kiss: How to win you: Kisses plenty Tell me how shall Cupid make At that crimson tulip gate You a captive for my sake, For her happy lover wait,— What must be his word to wake Those are what I contemplate, Love within you? Sweet-and-Tienty ! Fetir Carmen. As to Oaths. TX discussing, in an official report, a certain secret society among the Filipinos, General Chaffee submits this general observation : “Only the most ignorant and blindly superstitious person could for a moment believe that an oath which ren- ders him liable to be called upon to murder his fellow-man at the request of another, can be binding on his conscience, or that it can find sanction in the laws of any civilized land.”” But are not all civilized soldiers bound by something such as an oath? Did not Major Waller plead in his justi- fication that General Smith told him to do what he did? It is impossible not to agree with General Chaffee in his further remark that ‘‘such an oath is, in itself,a crime against all laws, human and divine.”” Of course there is a difference between murder and war- fare, but after all, it is mostly in the point of view. Killing men is poor business, anyway. The Yankee. HE Yankee exhibits about three stages of spiritual development, viz.: 1.—Tue Puritan. He believes that all men and some angels are elected to destruction. Accordingly he has pie for breakfast, and invents the Parker House Roll. 2.—THe Unitarian. Rationalistic squalls throw him on his beam ends. He shifts his ballast and takes a skeptical list. He talks of eating to live. 8.—Tue AGNostic. The germ theory is his religion. The balanced ration is his Eucharist. Salvation is a matter of proteids and phosphates. Sin is FROM THE POLITICAL HERALD'S PERSONAL COLUMN, starch. There is no hell outside the liver. The principle Personal ; WIL ATTRACTIVE LADY WITH VIOLET BYES AN of evil is © paralogism of the intuition, proceeding from T#*T™ PLEASE Nor NoFicE NANDoME, FORTLY GENTLEMAN AXY MORE, ‘ , Cae Senator Hanna has teritten to some of his friends to discourage any the perversion of the gastric peristalsis. attempt to consider him a Presidential candidate. comicbooks.com