Life, 1906-11-01 · page 19 of 56
Life — November 1, 1906 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents satirical commentary on wealthy American society through two paired essays titled "A Modern Fairy Tale." **"Extenuating Circumstances"** mocks the hypocrisy of Pittsburgh millionaires. A man cheated them at cards using a hidden mirror—clearly dishonest. Yet the author argues he deserves leniency because his goal (removing "superfluous money" from the wealthy) was morally praiseworthy. The satire suggests that stealing from the rich is actually virtuous work, and we should forgive bad methods for good intentions. **"Sport"** similarly mocks the wealthy's moral inconsistency. Hunting for food is defensible; hunting for sport is cruel entertainment that brutalizes character. Yet the author ironically notes that sportsmen aren't necessarily more inhumane than millionaires generally—implying the wealthy are already brutal, making hunting a minor moral concern. Together, these essays satirize Pittsburgh's gilded-age industrialists: wealthy, morally compromised, yet self-righteous. The accompanying illustration shows well-dressed suitors or business associates, suggesting the social circles being lampooned.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A MODERN FAIRY TALE THe surtors Extenuating Circumfances MAN has subjected himself to serious criticism by cheating at cards in a Pittsburg club. He kept in his hand a little mirror, which reflected the cards as he dealt them, and helped him to relieve several Pittsburg mil- lionaires of considerable sums of ready money. They found a great deal of fault with him, and it is impossible to deny that his methods were censur- able. But his motives seem to have been good and he should have credit for them. Surely it will be agreed that peaceably and quictly to detach a Pitts- burg millionaire from superfluous money is a work that in itself is praiseworthy and that altruists should be leniently judged for errors of method in such service. Te man who hunts and fishes for food has as good a right as any other beast of prey. The man who hunts and fishes for sport makes fun of the mortal agony of a fellow-creature, and is in a class by himself. And yet it is ngt as hard as it looks. You go out into the woods and pick a quarrel with a panther, and it is wonderful with how little compunction you can take advantage of his ignorance of the use of firearms to put him to death. Nor is the quarrel such a difficult thing to manage, the panther being acranky fellow, with a chip on his shoulder. It is true that bass, or quail, or deer, cannot be induced to quarrel with you, but they will usually have the effrontery to try to get away from you, which answers as wel!.. Before you know it your blood is up and their destruction becomes a point of honor. Hunting for sport is thought to render men inhuman, but whether it can claim to be responsible for any considerable por- tion of the inhumanity which has made countless millionaires, is doubtful. Some of our most tremendous sportsmen are relatively poor men. comicbooks.com