Life, 1905-04-13 · page 8 of 22
Life — April 13, 1905 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts an absurdist scene labeled "Another Barrel-Smashing Story from Kansas"—showing a man riding what appears to be a giant octopus or sea creature with anthropomorphic features. This likely satirizes tall tales and exaggerations associated with Kansas frontier stories popular in American folklore. The lower left cartoon shows a small figure addressing an elephant, with dialogue "Monk: SHINE, SIR? / Elephant: GO 'WAY! PONE OF YOUR MONKEYSHINES FOR ME." This appears to be a racial caricature joke, though the exact satirical target is unclear. The right illustration titled "Food for Thought" depicts a figure with objects radiating from their head, likely satirizing how ideas or anxieties overwhelm the mind. The page mixes visual humor with poetry and editorial commentary typical of Life's satirical format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Contradictory. HE idea of the Big Navy, which the President and many other se men think so important, is to make our Government so strong that nobody will dare to risk fighting us. But if no one dares to fight us, we won't have any more wars, and if we don’t have wars, how are we going to get our national exercise and develop a robust national manhood? We leave it to the President whether pro- tracted peace isn’t worse for a country than pestilence, and yet he wants more navy ! Monk: sun Elephant: co SIR? ’way t NONE OF YOUR MONKEYSHINES FOR SE. NOTHER BARREL-SMASHING STORY FROM Kk, Sonnets of Schooldays. (OF THE REN! SNCIATION. ) AR is thee wring u alwus lett me ware. Hear is ure lettur ann thee lock uv hare u sent me wenn u promist too be troo, becuz ure fals i seand um back too u, Doant rite ann ast me wi becuz uno Wott u have dun too me thatt greves me so; u road too skool on billie peerson’s sledd. Hearafftur u wil be as iff ure dedd Ann i wil pass u bi with skorn ann awl mi frends will neaver speke too wu a tall. sum boize wood hate u fore a hartless flurt Butt no. tho u have throne me in thee durt i wil nott hate u, i wil lett u be a sower ole made, ann sumday wenn u sea Me goen bi u with a hansum wife ule nash ure teath in pane. ann awl ure life ule sitt ann si becuz you throo me down, Ann ile be rich ann own most awl thee town butt wenn ure dyen in sum loanly plais ile kum ann dropp a teer on ure dedd fais. uve broak mi hart butt thare are uther gurls With jusst uz luvly faises. thay are purls Reside uv u ann dyen fore a sho Too be mi aw! fore thay have tolled me so, butt u ann me are dun ann iff u kum on beanded neeze ann offered me ure gum too choo ide waiv u skornfully aside Ann wood nott eaven kare how much u kride, ‘Taik back ure lettur ann thee wring i woar fore u are dedd too me foareavermore, FJ. W. Foley, Food for Thought. ATCHES are in Heaven made! ‘Tis strange, if this be true, ‘That brimstone forms a part of All—except a few. e THE LITTLE FARTHEROFF, PATRON OF ORIENTAL ART. IS HAVING HIS ARMY AND NAVY INTRI- CATELY CARVED AND HANDSOMELY CHASED BY THE JAPANESE AT GREAT E THE NAVY 1S ABOUT FINISHED, comicbooks Ren