Life, 1907-10-10 · page 5 of 24
Life — October 10, 1907 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page features two distinct pieces: **"Forty-Mule Power" (cartoon):** This appears to be a humorous illustration showing a man being pulled backward by a mule while attempting to operate an early automobile. The satire likely mocks the unreliability or difficulty of early motor vehicles compared to traditional animal power—a common theme in early 1900s humor about nascent automobile technology. **"News About a School" and "The Order of Creation" (articles):** These are satirical commentary pieces. The left article criticizes Groton School's admissions practices and institutional reputation. The right piece, attributed to Ramsey Benson, presents a tongue-in-cheek creation myth comparing human instincts to those of animals (Ormuzd and Ahriman—Persian religious concepts). Together, they appear to critique educational pretension and institutional authority of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
News About a School T HAS been noted in the papers with considerable profusion of comment that the celebrated Groton School has de- termined to amend its method of acqui ing pupils, and departing from its first- served method of accepting boys according to priority of registration, will hereafter be governed in part by the results of competitive examinations. About half of the vacancies each year, it seems, are presently to be thrown open to competition. This innovation is wel- comed by the neighbors as the sign of a rising democratic spirit, but the truth the old method was more democratic, if anything, than the new one will be, for competitive examinations for admission will make for the setting up of an in- tellectual aristocracy, whereas the old way of taking the boys as they stood on come-first FORTY-MULE POWER the register avoided selection altogether. Groton School has had more free ad- vertising, and has been more misrepre- sented and has had more fabricated stories told about it than any school that has ever existed in this country. The advertising has not helped it because it has never happened to need it. The mis- representation has been a trial, perhaps, but hardly an injury. The experts—the schoolmasters and college authorities of the country—know what manner of school it is, and they are not the ones who disparage it. Its founder, in important respects, is the most remarkable Ameri- can schoolmaster of his generation, and has not only made a good school, but one that has been a help and an inspiration in scores of other schools besides his own. It is he that is at the bottom of Groton School’s renown, and not this or that method of acquiring pupils. The Order of Creation HEN man was in the making, saith the Persian legend, it was agreed between Ormuzd and Abriman, the spirits of good and evil respectively, that when it came to giving him his instincts, they two should suggest, alternately, what instinct should go in next. Ahriman won the toss and had the first choice. “Give him the gregarious instinct,” quoth he, with a diabolical sneer. That made things look pretty black for man- kind, but Ormuzd was not asleep. “Give him the sense of humor!” he cried, with a justifiably triumphant smile But unhappily, the workmen, in making the adjustments, did not clinch the sense of humor quite perfectly, to the end that there is considerable sin and misery in the world after all. Ramsey Benson. comicbooks.com