Life, 1902-09-25 · page 3 of 22
Life — September 25, 1902 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several brief satirical pieces rather than a single cartoon: **"Serious"** section discusses the Carnegie Institution's endowment for laboratory work on protoplasmic cells—treated humorously as an example of nature's built-in efficiency that makes doctors' offices less crowded. **"A Cemetery at Middlebury, VI"** anecdote mocks optimistic epitaphs ("Rest in peace—until we meet again"), contrasting religious platitudes with mortality. **"A Wrong Diagnosis"** jokes about education's definition, satirizing how it supposedly "begins at home" but extends through childhood institutions to Wall Street—suggesting education trains people for capitalist success rather than genuine learning. **"Ethel" dialogue** appears a domestic humor bit about marriage and acting careers. The page reflects *Life*'s signature style: short, punchy social commentary targeting pretension and conventional wisdom.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Serious. ake IT HE determination of a portion of the endowment of the Carnegie Institution at Washington to the erection and equipment of laboratories for the artificial production of the protoplasmic cell pro- vokes serious thought. Nature, left to herself, maintains a certain equilib- rium. Thus, it is a sucker who is born every minute, to the end that doctors’ offices are mostly thronged during the hours of consultation, and the earth does not get to be unduly congested with people. Of course, it would be very gratifying, in many ways, to have the laugh on ptomaines in ice cream, etc., but are we quite ready to dis- pense with death altogether? TN 8 cometery at Middlebury, Vt., is a stone, erected by a widow to her lov- ing husband, bearing this in- scription: “Rest in peace—until we meet again,.”’ i. HY, Harold, I'm sur- prised! You should wait until the blessing is asked.”” “I did ask mine.” “You did?” “Yes; and God said, ‘Go ahead!’ A Wrong Diag- nosis. “TM DUCATION,” f said the impas- sioned orator, “ begins at home.” “That’s where you're off,” said the calm spectator. “It begins in the kindergarten, is continued in the board- ing school, football field, Paris, London, and Wall Street, and ends in either Sing Sing or Newport.”” Ld E THEL, dear, how could you marry an actor?”” “GAT, STRANGER, IP YOU'VE COME TO TAKE CHARGE OF THAT NEW CHURCH, I'LL OIVE YOU 4 POINTER, You'vE Gor TER MOVE IT.” Tenderfoot: way, wuat's THE MATTER? “WELL, IN THIS QUARTER NO SELF-RESPECTING SALOON WILL ALLOW ANY CHURCH TO BE WITHIN TWO “But, mamma, it HUNDRED FEET or It." won't last long.” comicbooks.com