Life — August 23, 1906 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Comfortable Creed" - Page Analysis This page satirizes E. Kay Robinson's book "The Religion of Nature," which argues animals don't suffer like humans because they lack human consciousness of pain. The main cartoon, "Snap-Shots in Hades," depicts this philosophy as absurd: it shows the underworld with people and animals in equal torment, suggesting Robinson's comforting doctrine is false. The text mocks Robinson's logic—that a baby screaming doesn't *know* it's in pain, so we needn't feel concerned. The reviewer (Agnes Repplier) argues this is willful delusion used to justify indifference to animal suffering. The satire attacks both Robinson's book and the comfortable self-deception it provides to those wishing to ignore animal pain.