Life, 1902-07-31 · page 5 of 20
Life — July 31, 1902 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire Analysis **"Our Own Little Cyclops"** (top illustration): A large, grotesque one-eyed giant tramples tiny human figures. This appears to be satirizing monopolistic power or corporate dominance, with the "cyclops" representing an unstoppable, inhuman economic force crushing ordinary citizens. **"Touch"** (left section): Critiques Federal Government's reach into citizens' lives, arguing that despite theoretical constitutional limits, the government constantly "touches" people through taxation and regulation. Politicians compete for funding to spend in their districts—essentially bribing constituents. **"His Vindication"** (bottom): A weather forecaster's prediction proved partially correct (rain did fall), though he blamed coal dust in the air for preventing ground saturation—a humorous excuse for imprecise meteorology. The page satirizes government overreach, corporate power, and professional incompetence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OUR OWN LITTLE cYcLors, TPPHE courts-martial bring the blame for the water-cure business home to a sergeant who has deserted and can't be found. ‘This will confound the servile apologists who have been pretending that the water-cure was simply the effect of the Filipinos sleeping on their backs with their mouths open during the rainy season. J? seems Congress appropriated about a - billion dollars during the session just ended. Certain theorists, arguing a priori from the meagre delegation of au- , _ . r thority by the letter of the ]¥ Love’s grammar a kiss is an adverb: it can be put anywhere in a sentence. Constitution, have main- tained that the Federal Government does not really touch the people. But in practice, the Federal Government is being touched by some of the people all of the time, and tactile contact is of necessity reciprocal. The people send men of action to Congress these days. The member who can procure the most. public money to be spent in his district is fittest. His Vindication. “ I OOK here,” said the New Yorker to the weather + man, ‘you predicted rain, but there has been none,”’ “Oh, yes, it rained all right,” the weather man explained ; ** but the air was so fall of coal dust that sean yr; uow raovoxinel Now wY TRovAEnS ANE cnEaseD THE the rain was all soaked up before it reached the ground.”’ WRONG way!" comicbooks.com