Life, 1907-08-15 · page 17 of 28
Life — August 15, 1907 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical dialogue targets **George F. Baer**, president of the Reading Railroad and major coal mine operator. The cartoon mocks Baer's famous 1902 public statement during a coal miners' strike where he claimed mine owners were "divinely appointed agents of God" — positioning themselves as benevolent forces justified in keeping coal prices high regardless of worker suffering. Life's editor uses Socratic questioning to expose Baer's hypocrisy: he's supposedly changed his mind about his "divine appointment" justification, yet the conversation reveals his fundamental rascality remains unchanged. The final joke is cutting — even if Baer now privately disbelieves his own rhetoric, his corrupt nature makes the pose irrelevant. This reflects the Progressive Era's anti-monopoly sentiment and criticism of wealthy industrialists who dressed exploitation in moral language while workers endured dangerous conditions and poverty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
209 much power in the hands of certain men unless they were capable of dealing it out wi And this being so, it was extremely ungrateful of a captious people to rail at a mine owner just be cause he and beneficent Providence had united to keep up the price of coal and incidentally ignore the sufferings of workers in the mines. Was that it, Mr. Baer?” “That was about it.” Sanctum Talks “ AH, LIFE.” “Ah, Mr.” “Baer.” “Oh, yes. How are you, Mr. Baer? President of the Reading Railroad, I believe. “Yes.” “And you are interested in coal mining.” “To some extent.” “Also you are a magnate.” “Somewhat.” “What can I do for you, Mr. Baer?” “Oh, I just wanted to be friendly. The fact is, Lire, I have been changing my opinion.” “You don’t say. You have entertained opinions, have you?” “Very decidedly. “And they are” — “Don't you know?” “TI believe you said something, Mr. Baer, about being the divinely appointed agent of God, didn’t you?” “Not quite that, Lire.” You are “But something like it. The idea you intended to convey was this, I believe” That the good Lord wouldn’t place so “And you don’t believe that any more ?”” “Now, don’t go so fast said I didn’t believe it “But you are older than you were a few years ago.” “Slightly.” nd possibly wiser.” Ves” I haven't “You have noticed that people in high places sometimes hang themselves, when they have too much rope. “That's about it, Lire.” “And that even the Lord’s appointed agents, when they indulge themselves in hypocritical utterances and get too frisky, sometimes have their own heads cut off very suddenly.” “To be candid, Lrre, I have noticed that, and I see now that one can’t be too careful in one’s pose.” “Do you think, Mr, Baer, that really makes any difference?” “Don’t you “No. If you are a rascal at heart, if you use your opportunities to advance your own aims, if you seek for power regardless of the rights of others, you can take any pose you like, but you're bound to be found out.” “And do you think that of me, Lire?” “Impossible, Mr. Baer! Good day.” “G—good day.” comicbooks.com