Life, 1907-04-04 · page 21 of 48
Life — April 4, 1907 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"The Healers"** mocks Christian Science, a religious movement emphasizing that illness and pain are illusions of mortal mind. The cartoon shows a practitioner exploiting this doctrine: he beats, starves, and robs his patient with impunity because Christian Science teaches there is "no matter," "no pain," and "no sin." The satire's point: the belief system enables abusive behavior cloaked in spirituality. **"The Teddybear and the Wolves"** is political allegory. The Teddybear (appears to represent Theodore Roosevelt or aggressive leadership generally) inherits office and aggressively confronts enemies ("Wolves"), but accomplishes nothing—they merely scatter and return. Other animals mock him as rash and untrustworthy. When he's replaced, the Wolves congratulate him, suggesting his opposition actually *helped* them by keeping them sharp. The satire critiques aggressive foreign or domestic policy as ultimately ineffective and possibly counterproductive.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE: 481 Some day (for I’m a homicidal, sanguinary beast) I shall sportively deprive him of his breath; And he cannot call it murder, or dislike it in the least (Because he knows there isn’t any death). Chor.: For there isn’t any matter, etc. Francis Dana “and he likes it” Christian Science Healer in my personal “Hie Rngton: there (08K any deaih employ; He positively suits me to a charm; > There's nothing I can do to him he doest't The Teddybear and the Wolves quite enjoy TEDDYBEAR once inherited a term of office over certain (For he knows that nothing does him any harm). other animals from a sleek Spaniel, with the understand- ing that he was to do nothing different. But after awhile he cnorus began to grow restless, not only because that was his nature, % ; but because he noticed a pack of Wolves eating up all the For there isn't any matter, and there isn’t any kind smaller animals they could. So he got a big stick and began to /! Of actual unpleasantness, or anything but mind. lay about him, which, however, only scattered the Wolves, who 1] Do everything you like to him, and still youcannot find jaughed in his face, and came together again for their feast at There’s anything the matter with the Healer another point. ‘This kind of game was kept up for some time, the Teddybear growing more angry all the time and sending after them long messages and threats. And in the meantime the other animals laughed at him, claiming that he really de- sired to be king over all the animals, that he was too rash and impulsive and that he made so many breaks all the time that no one had any confidence in him. But the Teddybear only showed his teeth, and kept at it. Every day he would try to get at the Wolves in some way, and every day the Wolves would cat their three square meals and dodge. Thus matters went on until there was an clection, and another animal being chosen in place of the ‘Teddybear, the Wolves with smiling faces came up to shake hands, each one of them saying, ‘‘ Much obliged, old man. You kept us guessing, all right, and we really owe you a great debt, because it’s only by keeping our wits sharp- ened by a little friendly opposition that we can hope to hold our own permanently.” Morat “Appropriate kis pocketbook” It takes more than one generation of Teddybears to make a Utopia When I happen to be angry and in need of exercise, Too Much 1 lather: him: with al my mightand mains. IRST COLLEGE GRADUATE: I hear you have a job. I beat and kick him heartily and blacken both his eyes ST CO) 4 3 2 What doing? (And he likes it, jor there isn’t any pain). Seconp CoLLEGE GRADUATE: Oh, running errands and cleaning inkwells and so forth. If I chance to be insolvent when the bill-collectors call, “1 it?” I invariably have the Healer in, “First rate; that is, until my employer had the nerve to Appropriate his pocketbook and confiscate his all ask me out to his house to dinner. It’s pretty tough to have U's proper, jor there isn’t any sin) to associate with your social inferiors out of business hours.” comicbooks.com