Life, 1905-05-04 · page 31 of 48
Life — May 4, 1905 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces from early 1900s Life magazine: **"Going to School"** (illustration, top): Four women approach a seated man, likely referencing a political figure's flip-flopping on policy positions—the satire mocks someone who claimed consistency while changing views. **"The Lawson Lapse"**: Thomas W. Lawson, a financial writer known for his exposé "Frenzied Finance" about Wall Street corruption, is satirized for his volatile temper and questionable financial advice. The joke: he angrily dismisses public interest in his work, then contradicts himself by defending Standard Oil's safety—undermining his credibility as a reformer. **"Prosecuting the Beef Trust"**: Ogden Armour, a Chicago meatpacking magnate, is mocked during the Roosevelt administration's trust-busting era. His refusal to provide free milk symbolizes corporate greed; the satire suggests only presidential intervention (getting "a gun") could combat such monopolies. **"Stunted"**: A brief joke about Cuban cigars and modern sterilization science—likely referencing both American imperial interests in Cuba and contemporary anxieties about industrialization. All pieces mock wealthy industrialists and their evasiveness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GOING TO sciloot., 1908 if it were tendered to you?" we asked, as he mopped his majestic dome of thought after the exertion. “My dear boy,” he replied with affectionate earnestness, “didn't I sayi I would not? And did you ever ging his views in four years?” ing for the first time the immutability of the im- we thanked him profoundly for his efforts in put- ting us right, and politely retired. The Lawson Lapse. R. THOMAS W. LAWSON of his copper-bottomed brilliance as we entered his offic “Ah, good morning, Tom,"’ we cried in our well-known affable manner, ‘the public seems to have had all it wants of your Frenzied Finance stuff, doesn't it?"” “The public be d——d,"" he replied, with such volcanic violence that a copy of the magazine bounced clear off the desk and fell at our feet with a dull thud. Realizing that he was quoting an eminent authority, we accepted his statement and asked him if Standard Oil was asafe buy. as busily building one s of boodle-banging Prosecuting the Beef Trust. OGDEN ARMOUR, the Chicago Boss of the Beef Bunch, was milking his cow in the back yard, as lipped through a crack ia the fence where a board had been knocked off, and approached him, “ Hello, Og," we said in our neighborly fashion, “how's the Trust this morning ?"" “Busted,” he replied, playfully squirting a stream of the lacteal at our right eye, ‘tand if you get any more milk here, you'll have to pay cash forit. See?” Firmly believing that more drastic measures were neces- sary to suppress the evil, we hastened to telegraph President Roosevelt to get a gun, Stunted. " wrrs the matter with that little Cuban baby? He looks below par.” modern science did it.” “How's that?” “Oh, he was brought up on sterilized cigars.” comicbooks.com