Life, 1906-06-28 · page 5 of 25
Life — June 28, 1906 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration shows two Edwardian-era women seated beneath a large tree, contemplating "castles in the air" (daydreams). The vignettes above depict their imaginings. **"Encouragement from Mars"** by Wallace Irwin satirizes contemporary debates about Mars exploration and engineering projects (the Panama Canal reference suggests early 1900s). The poem mocks grandiose American ambitions—whether congressmen worked on Mars, whether engineers built sea-walls—while suggesting such projects pale beside mundane earthly troubles. **"Pearls of Packingtown"** and **"Double"** are brief humorous aphorisms about daily life: Cupidity as the god of love, bread being worse than nothing, and a child's innocent bargaining over pie. The page reflects turn-of-the-century American optimism mixed with satirical skepticism about technological progress and romantic ideals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CASTLES IN THE AIR Encouragement from Mars MARS, astronomers declare, Thereare canals —a timely topic— And you or I can see them there By observation telescopic. Nobody knows the reasons why Those ruts were dug across creation; They must have cost the Martians high Under some past administration I wonder, up among the stars, What happened when they first com- menced them; Was every Congressman on Mars Either dead for or dead against them? Did forty thousand engineers Shout “Tell the truth and shame the devil!” And wrangle forty thousand y On lock-construction or sea Were those long ditches dug by picks Controlled by labor agitators, Or were they dug by politics And patent muck-rake excavators? I wonder if those brawn) Who threw the dirt were heavy caters, And if their sanitary camps Were free from graft as well as skeeters? amps ‘That tough old contract’s done at last And stands the marvel of our nation, Who looks on Mars too much aghast For envy or congratulation. In distant ages, let us hope, Our troubles also may diminish, And Mars may turn her telescope On Panama and sce our finish! Wallace Irwin, Pearls of Packingtown UPIDITY is the god d’Armour. ’Tisa wise potted chicken that knows its own father. Half a veal loaf is worse than no bread. A sausage is all things for all men. You can make a picnic dainty out of a sow’s ear. It’s never too late to can. Double ss HAT kind of pie will you have, Willie—mince or apple?” “T'll take two pieces of each, please.” “Two pieces!” “Yes’m. Mama ‘told me not to ask twice.” HK. comicbooks.com