Life, 1903-12-17 · page 5 of 22
Life — December 17, 1903 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 623 This page contains a satirical Q&A section titled "Our Country" alongside a cartoon illustration. The main cartoon depicts "The Road's Elder" — an older man with an eyeglass and military hat examining something through a telescope — addressing "other boys" about what he sees. The Q&A section parodies educational civics quizzes, but answers mock American institutions and social problems: babies used in factories, the "Trust Crop" as a metaphor for monopolistic control, and cynical observations about wealth and corruption. The cartoon likely satirizes older authority figures who claim superior wisdom while the nation faces serious industrial and economic abuses. The satire targets both generational pretension and actual systemic failures during the Progressive Era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
«LIFE « Our Country. W HAT are the principal products of the United States? Historical Novels and Health Foods. What other necessities of life are raised? Kentucky Rye and Scotch High Balls. Where is the Corn Belt located? It extends from the Chicago Exchange to Trinity Church in Wall Street. Does the climate vary much in different parts of the Union? Yes. What is the mean temperatur Where Uncle Russell Sage happens to be. What is considered to be the hottest region in the country ? Zion City. And the coldest? John D. Rockefeller’s safe deposit vault. What common product is raised in the same proportions all over the country? Babies Are there any exceptions to this? Yes. Newport and South Dakota. What are these babies used for ? In the South, to run the factori North, to furnish new Education: 8 What are the principal industries of the inhabitants of the United St They grow trusts, buy stocks on margin, and manufacture South American revolutions. How is the Trust Crop grown? By magnates and the common people. What is a magnate ? Almost any dishonest man who has money enough to keep out of jail. Does the Trust Crop depend upon the season? Yes. It grows best under cover of the darkness. And when the common people have gath- ered the Trust Crop, how are they paid In common stock. Does this yield anything? Oh, yes. When squeezed, it yields water enough to make good circus lemonade. What are the principal trades of the United States? Operating for appen- dicitis, writing adver- tisement poetry and going out on strike, According to the last census, what was the total population ? About seventy mil- lions, and how are these divided ? Into thirty-four mil- lion females and the rest Presidential can- didates. What is the color line? It is an imaginary line drawn from the Tuscaloosa Institute to the White House din ing-room. What necessities of life does the United States import? English Dukes and Jersey lightning. What are the most well-known — natural features of the United States? The Rocky Moun- tains, Niag: Falls and Grover Cleveland's The Rough Rider: 1 SEE A STRENTOUS LOOKING CHAP IN THE CHAIR, WITH FY! All the Other Boys: THAT tsN'T WHAT tre srE! RGLASSES AND A MILITARY IAT. spine. comicbooks.com