Life — August 25, 1904 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page discusses the "Philistine" controversy over automobiles in Britain. The text criticizes a conservative gentleman named Massingham (writing in the *Spectator*) for calling automobiles "Philistine" and motoring a "Philistine pastime." The cartoons satirize this debate: **Top cartoon**: Shows a woman enjoying a scenic landscape from an automobile, captioned "It is wonderful how much more beautiful a landscape is when there is some one to enjoy it with you"—suggesting automobiles enhance appreciation of nature. **Bottom cartoon** (captioned "—And John did"): depicts two figures in an automobile, likely mocking the couple from the top image or illustrating the "enjoyment" automobiles provide. The satire targets British snobbery about motorcars as lower-class pursuits, while arguing Americans accept them more pragmatically as transportation and leisure.