Life, 1907-06-27 · page 5 of 25
Life — June 27, 1907 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical commentary on judicial diagnosis and treatment of social ills. The central figure is a graduate or educated professional (indicated by the mortarboard cap and robes) examining a patient—representing society or a social problem—with a bottle of medicine nearby. The caption quotes a doctor saying the case has "never before been correctly diagnosed," suggesting incompetence in addressing social issues. The poems titled "Goal" and "Sequence" reference war, murder, and children's slaughter, implying that society's violence stems from poorly understood root causes. The satire critiques how educated elites and institutions misdiagnose social problems, applying ineffective remedies. The sophisticated presentation contrasts with the serious subject matter, highlighting the gap between expert pretense and actual understanding of society's ailments.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“POOR OLD THING! STRANGE THAT HIS CASE HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED.” Goal Sequence ‘OW many a man, wh g-up the grade, ACTION is coarsened thought, The bloody war, Unmindful of the si ver charms, The murders done, the women struck stone blind, The little children slaughtered—all these things, Falls, fainting, in Fame’s arms. First grew in some wise statesman’s mind. comicbooks.com