Life, 1907-12-26 · page 3 of 21
Life — December 26, 1907 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines patriotic poetry with social satire. The upper section features "America," a jingoistic poem by J.F. Morton celebrating American industry and nationalism ("Big shops and mighty mills"). The sidebar story "Who Was the Man?" presents a brief moral tale: a man searches centuries for an "absolutely truthful woman," suggesting contemporary skepticism about feminine honesty—a common theme in early-20th-century satire. The bottom cartoon, "The Responsibilities of Wealth—Choosing the Family Crest," satirizes wealthy families' pretensions. It depicts well-dressed figures discussing heraldry, mocking the nouveau riche attempting to establish aristocratic legitimacy through invented family crests and symbols. The satire targets American wealth's social climbing and desire for Old World respectability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
America Y COUNTRY, 'tis of thee, Sweet land where rogues go free, Of thee I cant; Land which the bosses ride, Land of the henchman’s pride, From every office slide Let seekers rant. My native country, thee, Land of rich trusis so free, Thy spoils I love; I love thy bonds and bills, Big shops and migity mills, All which my pocket fills, I do, by Jove. Let war-songs then resound, From West to E With Freedo: Let Uncle Sam ay Let all that paid partake, Let grafters’ voices quake, The noise to swell. O, Mammon, god of greed, Author of all we need, To thee we sing; May all our souls have light, To see that might is right; O keep them in the fight, Great Gold, our king. J. F. Morton. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF WEALTH CHOOSING THE FAMILY CREST Who Was the Man? HILE walking upon an unfre- quented path I met an aged man who was carrying two lighted lanterns. Recognizing him, I cried: “Ah, Diogenes, isn’t it about time you gave up your search for an honest man?” “Friend,” answered he, “I am often tempted to desist; but you mistake the object of my quest; I found an honest man several centuriesago. Tam hunting now for an absolutely truthful woman.” And he passed on, weeping; for he had far to go. comicbooks.com