Life, 1903-08-13 · page 7 of 24
Life — August 13, 1903 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces from Life magazine: 1. **"A Heavy Contract"** (top left cartoon): Shows a messy, chaotic scene with the caption about "Colly, Boss! I can't do this job at the regular rates—you'll have to go wholesale." This appears to satirize labor disputes or contract negotiations, likely referencing Teddy Roosevelt-era labor conflicts. 2. **"New York's Symphony"** (right panel): A mock manifesto sarcastically describing corrupt behavior—being greedy, vulgar, selfish, and dishonest. This satirizes New York City's perceived moral decline and civic corruption during the Progressive Era. 3. **"Coody Taw"** and **"Wealth"** sections: These discuss morality and financial success, with accompanying sketch humor about social hypocrisy and class distinctions. The overall theme critiques American greed, corruption, and moral compromise of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE- 153 A HEAVY CONTRACT { LcAN'T DO Tits JoB AT THE REGULAR RATES, WHOLESALE yousr, Coody Taw. THE distinction between an assassi- nation and a Coody Taw is, next to the distinction between tweedledam. and tweedledee, perhaps the broadest and most marked known to statecraft. Where persons kill a king for the good of humanity, that is assassi- nation, whether the killing is aught to the purpose or not. But where persons kill a king to get his job, and get it, thatis a Coody Taw. The Coody Taw was invented in Itis proper to observe, en passant, that we are indebted to the Anglo-Saxon mind for the Coody Taw, World Polit: and the Overhead Trolley. When you hear a man talking about doing without the English, set him down as a fool or a knave. ‘The Coody Taw has never been tried in municipal poli- tics. However, it is more than hinted that the St. Lonis people have something up their sleeve in connection with their Exposition (corstellung) next year. Wealth. H I N the baud of many, wealth is Itke a harp in the hoofs of an ass. —Martin Luther. Wealth has gained something in four hundred years. Thus, in our day, it is more like a calliope than a harp. New York's Symphony. (With Apologies to Channing.) O be avaricious and grasping and eternally restless : “$o cultivate vulgarity rather than refinement, and ostentation bility : Fo be the whole hog or none. “$o study hard (to get ahead of your neigh- rather than respecta- bor), talk loudly and freely, act selfishly. “$o do every one cheerfully and unblushingly. “$aking advantage, hurrying ever. In a word, So be dirty, not decent ; to get all and keep all; to seek popularity (at whatever cost); to be tenacious and pugnacious ; to let grime, crime and dishonor prevail. Shis is to be my Symphony. Some actors are so atrocious that they win applause by ‘their courage in facing the footlights. Gas Man: 1 came (Ale) To SEE ¥'R GAS METER. Lady of the House: wer You've BEEN DRINK “ORDERS OF COMPANY. NOW I SEE DOUBLE.” comicbooks.com