Life, 1904-12-03 · page 15 of 22
Life — December 3, 1904 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces targeting early 20th-century concerns: **"On the Inside"** mocks Christian Science practitioners and Mary Baker G. Eddy's teachings. A seasoned practitioner instructs a beginner to claim patients' recoveries result from understanding "Science" (Eddy's doctrine), and if patients die, to blame "Malicious Animal Magnetism" rather than admit treatment failure. The satire exposes how Christian Science rhetoric allows practitioners to claim credit for healing while deflecting blame for deaths—a common criticism of the movement at the time. **"Twas a Run, Anyway"** is a brief flirtation comic where a young man claims he'd "make a hit" with a woman, but she assumes he means a "home run" (sexual conquest). The joke relies on baseball metaphors as euphemisms for romantic/sexual progress, with her father's approach interrupting the encounter. **"A Load Lifted"** presents dark humor: a woman is relieved her husband's business failed because it means avoiding bill payments—suggesting financial desperation among the middle class.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
"TWAS A RUN, ANYWAY, Chappy: 1 FELT POSITIVE, IF 1 CALLED UPON YOU, THAT I'D MAKE A HIT, DON'T You KNow? Miss Weenie: verge of impudence, the output of pan- theism turned egotist, the little treatise is yet full of beautiful thought and to be welcomed for the ments! by- products of its contradictions, Louis Tracy's detective story, The Albert Gate Mystery, is the most read- able book of its class that has appeared lately, a statement, by the way, that does not convey extravagant praise. Mr. Tracy keeps under excellent control the deductive powers of Reginald Brett, his understudy for Sherlock Holmes, the quality of mystery is not strained and ihe tale runs to action YES, AND I THINK ‘TWILL BE A HOME RUN, 1 HEAR PAPA COMING DOWN THE STAIRS. and adventure with a frankness that smacks of novelty. 7, B. Kerfoot. An Irishman's Story. By Justin McCarthy. (The Macmillan Company. $2.50) Freckles, By Gene Stratton Porter, (Double- day, Page and Company. $1.50.) Love in Chief. By Rose K. Weekes. (Harper and Brothers. $1.50.) The Man on the Box. By Harold Macgrath, (The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis. $2.50.) * The Letter D, By Grace Denio Litchfield. (Dodd, Mead and Company. $1.50.) The Little Book of Lifeafter Death, By Gustav Fechner. (Little, Brown and Company. $1.00.) The Albert Gate Mystery. By Louis Tracy, R.F, Fennoand Company. $1.50.) 583 On the Inside. “ ND," said the beginner to the seasoned C. §, practitioner, “what am I to say when my patients recover? That their faith has made them whole?" . “Gracious, no!"’ replied the mentor, “Impress it on them that they were healed through your clear understand- ing of ‘Science,’ as revealed by our beloved teacher and leader, Mary Baker G. Eddy, in her text-book, ‘Science and Health, with Key to the Script- ures."* “And, if they die," queried the beginner, ‘‘must I confess to the world that the ailment for which I was treat. ing them caused their death?” “You are hopeless, I fear," sighed the old practitioner. “Certainly not. Tell their friends that the disease yield- ed to the repeated applications of In- finite Mind, as explained by our beloved leader and teacher, Mary Baker G. Eddy, in her text-book, ‘Science and Health, with Key to the Scripturcs,’ but that the patient ‘passed out * under a claim of Malicious Animal Magnet- ism.” A Load Lifted. RS. CHATTERSON: It was such a relief to have my husband fail. Mrs. Cuirway: How so? “Oh, I was so afraid we would have to pay all those bills."” ALL'S SWELL. THAT ENDS SWELL, comicbooks.com