Life, 1907-05-02 · page 31 of 48
Life — May 2, 1907 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be the opening of a serialized political fiction story rather than a cartoon. The narrative depicts a lawyer, Herbert Courtney, receiving a private letter from the President of the United States requesting his service in Washington. The story engages with early 20th-century Progressive Era politics: it references railroad **rebate systems** and **Government control**—major reform issues of that period—and mentions an antagonist named Haleton who heads "forces arrayed against the Government." The illustration shows a conservatory scene, apparently depicting Courtney's memory of a dinner where the President, Courtney's wife Margaret, and Courtney discussed ambition and public service. The narrative emphasizes themes of duty, sacrifice, and marital disagreement over political involvement. Without seeing the continuation, the satire's specific target remains unclear, though it appears to critique wealthy lawyers' reluctance toward civic responsibility and wives' material ambitions versus patriotic duty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IN THE CONSERVATORY AS HE REMEMBERED IT A Delayed Telegram Mr. Herbert Courtney, one of the ablest lawyers and men of his time, sat in his office. In his hand was a private letter, in the well-known handwriting of the President of the United States. Mr. Courtney had just finished reading it, and sat looking off into space, his fingers drumming idly on the desk. The letter was as follows: My dear Herbert: You will remember that when I first assumed office we had a long interview and I intimated to you then that the time might come when I should call upon you for your help. Several emergencies have arisen since then, as you know, but Thave held off purposely, because national affairs, up to the present moment, have never been entirely beyond control and I did not feel that it was right to call upon you until there was absolute need of your services, That moment has now arrived. I know, of course, that your ambition has never been political. But I also know that no money consideration has ever tempted you. You may remember that when I dined at your house something over two years ago, your wife, Margaret, and I held a discussion upon the subject, at which we did not agree. [’ WAS three o'clock in the afternoon. It is natural for a wife to wish that her husband should accu- mulate, especially in these days, when things are run upon such a big scale, and as your wife, I appreciated her ambition for you, because almost any woman's attitude about these matters is gene ally likely to differ from a man’s. At the same time, while appreciating that Margaret’s ambition lay in a different direction, without the slightest derogation of her motives, I must confess that all along I have been secretly pleased to observe that nothing of this sort has tempted you and that to-day you are apparently living the same simple life that you have always maintained since you and I and Margaret were children together, The fact is that I firmly believe, once you are settled in Wash- ington, Margaret will come around to our way of thinking. It is impossible for me to explain the situation to you fully. I can only say that things have been moving very rapidly of late, and the forces arrayed against the Government are gathering strength every moment. At the head of these forces, as you may doubtless know, is Haleton. The rebate system will soon be thrashed out in Con- gress, and the question of Government control will come up once more. ‘This is a much deeper question than appears to the public on This story is continued on page 624 i comicbooks.com