Life, 1907-10-24 · page 5 of 24
Life — October 24, 1907 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes political corruption and moral decline in early 20th-century America using allegorical imagery. The top cartoon depicts "Jeanne d'Orléans"—a female figure representing the nation or justice—confronting various corrupting forces (competition, greed). The accompanying poem "Out of the Mouths of Croakers" mocks pessimistic critics, referencing ancient Rome's decline to warn against similar American decay. The peacock illustration symbolizes vanity and excess. The satirical verse invokes historical parallels: Rome's corrupt Senate, prophets ignored, luxury breeding weakness. The poem's refrain "(It did)" sarcastically suggests America ignores these warnings. The closing attribution to Wallace Irwin indicates this is political/moral commentary criticizing contemporary American institutions—political leaders, commerce, and society—for abandoning principle amid prosperity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ante Rapcl JEANNE d'R dOILYANS. No. I—THE VISIONARY “VOICES” URGE LA FUSELLE TO DRIVE OUT COMPETITION AND MAKE TRUST THE KING Out of the Mouths of Croakers [8 DOLHAUNTED Babylon, Where kings were drunk with power, Where pagans worshipped wood and stone And falsehood was in flower, A Prophet turned his warnings loose And Moloch's panders chid, “This town is going to the deuce”— (It did.) In Athens of the marble shrines, When vice was in its day, When Sophists dropped their silken lines And Luxury held sway, A Prophet preached his decalogues And Fools to Wisdom bid, “This town is going to the dogs” — (It did.) Then Rome upon her seven hills Made free with gilded pomp. ‘The Plebs were wont to pay the bills And let the Senate romp, Until a Teacher in the throng Amid the Forum hid And cried, “This town is going wrong!” (It did.) ‘The gold of nations glozed the court Of Louis's royal blood Who, slaying peasantry for sport, Cried, “ And lo! a Thinker, boiling hot, A King to Justice bid, “Your throne is going to the pot”— (It did.) So, down the page of History A finger we may draw— ‘The plainest-minded child can see A certain moral law. The Nations, choked with wine and meat, Who into coma slid, Were billed to take a backward seat— (And did.) And if some Croaker’s voice shall call, “This Nation is undone— Because of Sin your stones shall fall Like Rome and Babylon!” Let us not, too, unheeding lapse Before his boding plaint. Perhaps he’s right—and then, perhaps, (He ain't.) Wallace Irwin. comicbooks.com