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Life, 1903-05-14 · page 14 of 20

Life — May 14, 1903 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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Life — May 14, 1903 — page 14: Life, 1903-05-14

What you’re looking at

This satirical dialogue depicts **Andrew Carnegie**, the Scottish-American steel magnate and philanthropist, confessing his insecurities to the editor of *Life* magazine in his office ("sanctum"). The satire targets Carnegie's famous public philanthropy—his libraries and charitable giving—as performative rather than genuinely altruistic. Carnegie admits he's "a good deal of a fake" who strategically gave away money he didn't need to manufacture a positive public image. The repeated anxious question "Are we alone?" underscores his hypocrisy: his generous deeds were deliberately publicized, contradicting the Biblical principle about charity done in secret. The cartoon mocks the wealthy industrialist's attempt to buy respectability and moral authority through calculated generosity. The accompanying illustrations show Carnegie as physically unprepossessing—emphasizing that his wealth, not character, earned him prominence. The final caption references Lincoln's aphorism: "You can fool all the people some of the time"—suggesting Carnegie succeeded in fooling the public, if not himself.

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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

450 A Sanctum Talk. af I ELLO, Lire !"" - “How are you, sir? declare, if this isn't——" “Andrew Carnegie. Well, I At your serv- ice. “Good Heavens, Andrew, haven't come in to—"? “Oh, no! Nota wee bit. Texpect you to give me my advertising free.”” “Tshall only be too glad to, Andrew. What can I do for you?” “Sh! Are we alone? o” you No one can hear us “Noone. Your secret is safe. What's the matter?” “To be candid, Lire, I am not satis- fied—with myself.” “Not satistied ! What, a Scotchiman, and a millionaire, and not satisfied ! Impossible! Why, your name is—" “ Are we alone?” “Oh, I know that. I've seen tothat, of course, I see that the name of is double-riveted on to every But somehow——" “Somehow it isn’t the right kind of advertising. I know, Andrew. You want it blown in the glass. You not only want a preferred space, finest position, right next to reading matter, but you want the reading matter itself.” 4 “That's it. I'm not the real thing.” “But you certainly have reading matter, Andrew."” “TI certainly do. But it isn’t the »LIFE « right kind, nor by the right kind of people. The fact i -" “Well, go on.” “Sure no one is listening ?’’ “Noone. Mum is the word.”” “ Well, [have an idea that the right kind of people—that is, the ones capable of sizing up the true article— ure all on to me.” “Tut, tut, Andrew. You're morbid.” “But ee “Nonsense! Aren't you a real, genuine, Simon Pare, Twentieth Cen- tury Philanthropist—one that not only lets your right hand know what your left hand does, but also everybody who can be reached by cable, tele- graph, telephone or rural delivery **Yes, of course, Lam only follow- ing Scripture, you know, that tells me to let my light so shine before men that they may see my good works. But still I'm shaky about posterity.” ** Well, never mind, Andrew. What's posterity done for you that you should care? “ButIdocare, My pastisn’t the most glorious thing in the world, you know.” “What ! you confess it?” “Sh! Yes. Since I've had a taste of giving—even if I have done it all for a purpose—I can’t help but see that there is something in the world besides mere money. Say, Lirr!"’ “Yes, Andrew.” “ Sure we are alone?"’ “ Absolutely “The fact is, I'm a “You astonish me.” “Te’s true, nevertheless. I know it. I half suspect that others know it. ‘That's what makes me weary.”’ “ Nons My dear fellow, you don’t appreciate yourself. Look at the open - hearted, generous manner in which you have dealt out libraries—I beg pardon—Carnegie libraries, Look at the books you have written. Why, man, you are head of the Good Deeds Trust.” ** But I'm—No one around?” Noone, You're safe.’’ “Tm, nevertheless, a good deal of a fake, Istarted out with a hard, keen, tricky, canny Scotch head on my shoul- ders. Now the head is the same, but the circumstances different.” “Well, I suppose that is Circumstances alter cases, but character. And then “Then I said to myself, ‘Andy, you're heart a snob.”” nse | true. not A COMPORTARLE ENOUGH BEAST To MIDE, BUT ManD To CURD. not the real thing, but a lot of people will think you are, if you give away enough money that you don’t need.’ ”” “And you did it, and they're ——"” “ Well, [have my doubts about them,” « Andrew, let me whisper a word in your ear, It may comfort you, and it may not. Butit’s the best Ican do.” “Itis——” “Wait a minute. I want to be sure no one is listening, for I wouldn't give you away, Andrew, for the world. It is——" “Well, what?” “This. ‘You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but" * Good afternoon, Lirr.”’ “ Good-by, Andrew.” Mr. Dragon-fly: ww, Mn. CATERPILLAR, WHAT 13 THE MATTER? “1 WAS UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE FIFTEEN LEOS BROKEN IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT."* comicbooks.com