Life, 1905-11-09 · page 5 of 26
Life — November 9, 1905 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts a formal social gathering, likely a high-society event or reception. Below it, the "Diary of an Insurance President" satirizes corporate greed through a week's entries where the narrator obsesses over raising his salary despite already earning substantial income and paying employees meager wages ($25,000 annually for twin sons). The satire escalates absurdly—he raises salaries "in self-defense" and involves himself in political corruption (buying "two legislatures and a campaign committee"). The accompanying cartoon shows a cat reading, captioned about golf and a "poor brother" joining "frankfurter links," mocking upper-class leisure pursuits versus working-class struggles. Both pieces critique 1920s-era executive excess, income inequality, and corporate moral bankruptcy during an era of significant economic disparity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Diary of an Insurance President. ONDAY were dull to-day AWOT did raise my s was to Terspay : Got a letter from a policy holder to-day com that his dividends were steadil sing, al- though he was paying more money than ever fied Some people are never Raised my salary Wepwyespay : My youngest daugh- ter is engaged to a man out of a job. I told them they would have to begin in a small way, and that I couldn't start him on more than $10,000. This necessitates my own sal raised again—much to my being Tuerspay surplus this morning. It’s Shall simply have to raise my salary in self-de- fense. greater than [can bear. Fripay : Twins. Both boys started them on $25,000 a year. ought to k next mecting Have This them in clothes until Am. thinking having my own salary raised bout SatuRDAY: Directors’ mecting of them offered me some advice, and I fired him. He promised never to do it again, and I took him back. Noth- ing much done to-day except buying out two legislature: da campaign committee. Premiv ater than ever. Family salary raising—includ- ing myself. One ns gt Text Suxpay sermen ton “The Wages of Sin is Death.” EVER SINCE MY POOR JOINED THE | PRANKFURTER VE HAD A PERPECT HORROR OF THE, comicbooks.com