Life, 1908-06-04 · page 21 of 44
Life — June 4, 1908 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece imagines a future (1950) where automobiles have become so dominant and dangerous that pedestrians are extinct. The cartoon depicts an early aerocar race with absurdly high casualty counts treated casually ("not more than thirty fatalities"). The joke reflects early-20th-century anxiety about the automobile's rapid proliferation and deadly consequences. By 1904, cars were still novel but already notorious for accidents. The satire presents a dystopian extrapolation: if this trend continues unchecked, walking will become impossible. The accompanying poem "A Confession" about loving liars appears unrelated to the cartoon. The "Wonders of American Scenery" illustration likely satirizes industrial/technological "progress" destroying natural landscapes—a common theme in Life magazine's social commentary. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about unregulated technological change and urban safety.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ERHAPS it’s just affinity, Perhaps it’s something higher, But I for one am free to say I dearly love a Liar. Ilove the Liar who declares He buys my books by dozens And sends them off as Xmas gifts To all his country cousins. I love the Liar who remarks: “We missed you at the meeting; No voice like yours to give a toast Or speak:the speech of greeting.” T love the Liar when he swears He knows a pretty woman Who wants to meet me very much, “My pictures look so human, I love my food, I love my drink, I love my open fire, But more than all I dearly love A dash binged blooming LIAR! Herman Knickerbocker Viele. The First International Aerocar Race (From the New York Sun, Moon, Star, Comet, Sept. 22, 1964.) Sce center page cartoon. HE first International Aerocar race, run yesterday over the Washington-Chi- cago-New York course, was won by Upuppi, WONDERS OF AMERICAN SCENERY THE MORSESMOE YALLS A. D. 1950—THE LAST SURVIVING PEDESTRIAN the driver of the Italian Boozac ether car, in five hours twenty-two minutes cighteen seconds. This was fast, considering the poor weather conditions which prevailed in some of the States. The event was unusually free from acci- dents, not more than thirty fatalities result- ing. Amos Green, the American, who was picked by many to be a sure winner, suf- fered from a series of mishaps which drove him from the contest early in the day. While passing over Philadelphia his stock of ether was absorbed by the atmosphere of that city and twenty minutes were lost in procuring a newsupply, After puncturing a wing while making the Washington Monument turn, he was forced to retire. Alphonse Pompom, the driver of the French car, collided with the rainmaking machine of an author-farmer, while passing over Indiana. The farmer was up making his weekly rain and claims that he was not ‘on the course, but was, in fact, almost two. miles below it when the collision occurred. Both machines were badly wrecked, but no injuries were received by the occupants. See-How-Hi, the only Chinese contestant, who arrived too late to make a trial trip over the course, mistook the distant city of Pitts- burg for a volcano in eruption and de- scended in Canada. He was disqualified. ‘The races attracted considerable atten- tion and were well attended. Some of the drivers complained of the crowded condi- tion of the course, but it was only at the Masonic Temple turn at Chicago, where the police reserves had to be called upon, H.G. D. comicbooks.com