Life, 1907-07-11 · page 5 of 24
Life — July 11, 1907 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page features two cartoons satirizing American urban and social conditions. **Top cartoon**: "In the Midst of Death Were in Life" shows a man with binoculars observing "Hope Island" from a ship's railing, while crowds gather at the destination. The widow and stranger dialogue suggests bitter irony about escaping worldly troubles only to find false hope. **Bottom section** contains three brief satirical pieces: 1. **"The Cycle of Manhattan"** mocks New York City's cyclical social problems (terrorism, sweatshops) 2. **"In the U.S. Section"** presents a darkly comic exchange about an investigating committee, suggesting governmental ineffectiveness 3. **"A Case That Buffalo Neglected"** criticizes inadequate authority response to a reckless motorist who killed a horse and injured an elderly man, highlighting the era's automobile danger and lack of accountability. The overall tone criticizes social indifference and institutional failure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Widows 2 AH, THERE'S THE ISLAND AND IT’S DESERTED. IN THE MIDST OF DEATH WE'RE IN LIFE The Spinsters: Now, GIRLS, GIVE THE YELL! AT LAST 1 CAN BE AWAY FROM THE WORLD AND MEDITATE. The Cycle of Manhattan “N YORK is such a sinful place!” id Black. Sail White, “You bet! There is the Tenderloin, and slums— ‘And then the Swagger Set!"” In the U. S. Section “TS THIS Heaven?” “Yes, sir. But you can’t come in just now.”” “Why not?” “The Investigating Committee is in session.” A Case That Buffalo Neglected WHAT perseverance will accomplish was illustrated once more by the recent death of a well-known citizen of Buffalo, who had suffered long and con- spicuously from incapacity to restrain the speed of the automobiles in which he rode. After gaining a certain celebrity for his furious motoring in the public streets, he finally ran down another vehicle while racing in a dusty road, killed a horse, in- jured an old man, fatally injured (the papers say) a boy, and for the first time in his reckless experience, got his own sum- mary and comp'ete punishment. It was a very proper end for a person of his disposition, but it is hardly creditable to Buffalo that a resident citizen whose need of restraint was so notorious should have been left to treat his own case. When an automobilist has a demon- strated and persistent propensity to run amuck in the streets, there ought to be authority enough in any civilized Ameri- can city to get him shut up before he does himself a fatal injury. comicbooks.com