Life, 1902-06-05 · page 5 of 22
Life — June 5, 1902 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Next Step in Automobiles" This cartoon satirizes the collision of modern transportation with traditional travel methods. The central image depicts a steam locomotive encountering various vehicles—a horse-drawn carriage, an early automobile, and a motorcycle—all apparently in chaos or conflict. The joke appears to mock the rapid technological change of the early automobile era, suggesting that adding more vehicles and speed creates danger rather than progress. The wreckage and scattered debris in the foreground emphasize this critique. The accompanying stories—"Treatment," "The Merchant and the Hotel," and "Maxim (Guns) of the Philippines"—are unrelated, typical of Life's format mixing humor pieces and commentary. This page reflects contemporary anxiety about how new transportation technology was disrupting traditional society and creating hazardous conditions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Treatment. NCE on a time A. there: wa {man who lived to eat, until he was in a pitiable condition and sought medical advice. ‘The man was quite confident at first, but when the doctors had removed about all his viscera, and still he was no better, he lost heart. “Of course I'm doomed!” he exclaimed, dejectedly. “It’s a cinch! I've nothing else to cut out!” The doctors were nettled at this. “How silly you talk!” said they, se- verely. ‘Our treatment hitherto has been merely diagnostic, and in no sense thera- peutic. We are now in a position to decide that what is indicated for your case is the ‘THE NEXT STEP IN AUTOMOBILES, green searchlight with buff trimmings. But we cannot cure you unless you remain cheerful. A mental incubus will set at naught the best medical skill.” The man acknowledged the justice of the rebuke and took fresh courage. The Merchant and the Hotel. TPHERE was once a merchant living in & hot and dusty city, who received cool and fragrant circular from a summer hotel, setting forth its advantages in glow- ing terms, with beautiful pictures of all the buildings. The man, being of a confiding turn of mind, telegraphed for rooms, and followed immediately with his entire family. ‘The first thing he noticed upon his arrival was that the hotel corresponded exactly with the pictures on the circular, except that, if possible, it was even more beaut Upon being shown to his rooms, he di covered that they were cool and inviting, with superb beds, and without a trace of a fly or mosquito. Later on, when he took his family into the dining-room, he was eT Remar. amazed to find that the vegetables were not canned, the meats were fresh, the fruit was not wilted, and the milk and cream were real. And to cap the climax, when he had been atthe hotel a week, he made the remark- able discovery that noone expected a tip. MORAL. This shows us the great power of the im- agination. Maxim (Guns) of the Philip- pines. ENEVOLENT assimilation con- sists in shooting the father to educate the son. Better a living Funston than a dead Lawton. A tarnished honor is better than an overheated conscience, The Constitution follows the flag— it has to—-it can’t catch up. A good Samar (itan) is a dead one. War is Hell, Don't let the fire go out. comicbooks.com