Life, 1904-09-22 · page 3 of 20
Life — September 22, 1904 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine satirizes a widespread labor strike affecting multiple industries and essential services. The cartoon "Where It Will End" depicts escalating strike demands through a dialogue between a man and a waiter at a restaurant. The joke: as various workers strike—butchers, bakers, waterworks employees, cigar makers, brewers, gardeners, and undertakers—the man realizes there's nothing left to eat or consume. The final punchline reveals even undertakers have struck, suggesting the ultimate absurdity: when death itself becomes unavailable due to labor action. This critiques how widespread strikes paralyze society and eliminate basic necessities, reducing the situation to darkly comic extremes. The accompanying editorial comments on the W.C.T.U. (Women's Christian Temperance Union) and Roosevelt, suggesting this addresses early 20th-century labor unrest and political responses to it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Providential. HE failure of the bot- tle of champagne to iy break at the christening of the gunboat Dubuque was no doubt providentially or- dered, All we need now is a rattling good war to determine whether a craft which has been christened with champagne is more or less effective than a craft which has not. Of course the W. C. T. desire to evade the issue. Logically, then, the W. C. T. U. will be for Roosevelt and the upholding of the national honor. U. will not THE LAST Day OF VACATION. Where It Will End. ““QOME meat,” orders the man. “There is none,” replies the serv- “ The butchers are on strike."” ant. «Some bread, then. “«The bakers are on strike."" “A glass of water.” “The waterworks men are on strike.”’ “A cigar.” ‘* The cigar makers are on strik ‘A bottle of beer."” “The brewers are striking.”” “Then bring me a vegetable din- ner.”" “The gardeners have struck.” “At least, I will forget my hunger. Hire a band to play.” “The musicians’ union walked out to-day."" “Get metickets for the theatre, then,”* “The actors have struck, too." “Ob, well, I'll go to church this evening.” “The preachers have walked out in sympathy with the striking choirs.” “Isn't there anything I can g “Nothing. Everybody that can feed you, or instruct you, or amuse you, has quit work. Then I see I's and starvation. with all—"’ “Pardon me, sir, but the under- takers have called a strike, too.”” 1 soon die of ennui that I am buried comicbooks.com