Life, 1908-07-30 · page 15 of 20
Life — July 30, 1908 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces of satire: **"The Lady in the Moon"** is a humorous poem playing on the man-in-the-moon concept. The satire suggests that if a "lady" exists within the moon and could somehow communicate (via future "telephone-appliance"), she would expose all the secrets and gossip she's witnessed from lovers "spooning" below. The joke warns young couples that their private moments might not be as private as they think—a playful commentary on surveillance and loss of privacy in the modern age. **"Kentucky's Bad Roads"** mocks the terrible condition of mountain roads in Kentucky. It recounts Governor Willson's horseback campaign tour where rough terrain nearly threw him into a gorge, prompting his desperate exclamation. The satire ridicules both the negligent state infrastructure and the governor's willingness to endure dangerous conditions for political gain, suggesting his concern for votes outweighed voter welfare. The antisemitic "Don't" section is included in the text but appears to be material *being criticized* rather than endorsed by Life's editors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
that you are a Jew does not enhance your beauty or picture. If you have a motor car see that it is fitted with a non- Jewish horn. “Don't play cards with th especially on Sunday. “Don't play cards in the band stand at all “Don't be offended at these sugges- tions. They are for your good and the communal benefit.’ The theatrical managers of London should get together and bar the editor of the Jewish Chronicle from their theatres. Kentucky's Bad Roads blinds up, I F there are any worse roads than those of the mountain portions of Ken- the localities they tucky, infest are ashamed to acknowledge it publicly. Last year, Governor Willson, Republican who carried the State, horsebacked all over the mountain counties where his majority came from. It was no pink tea job, either, and there were moments, she got down to sit by the roadside nd rest his bones, when he thought he was paying a pretty high price for what he didn’t know whether he would get or not. One day, coming down an espe- cially bad mountain road, his horse slipped and came near throwing the Gov- ernor-to-be clear over his head and into a rocky gorge of unknown depth. * Jee-ho 1” he gasped, as he drupped. back into the saddle, “ there nearly went the whole d— campaign.” The Lady In the Moon HEN, at night, in by-paths lonely, Lovers wander forth to “ spoon,’” They believe they're noticed only By the old Man in the Moon. He. of course, will “keep it shady "— He has troubles of his own. But within the moon's a lady, And her temper isn’t known. Do not think I'm talking vainly ; Take a look, before you laugh. You can see her figure plainly In the great disc’s eastern half. Though with secrets he is laden, Never does the Moon-Man “ peach "" What man would? But here’s a maiden! True, she seems bereft of speech. Yet in these weird days of science They will be inventing, soon, Some new telephone-appliance To connect us with the moon Soon that lady will be getting Well acquainted at this end, And it’s more than even betting That she'll have her “dearest friend.”” All these ages she’s been throttling Gossip that would make things hum; There will be a grand unbottling When the word's no longer * Mum! "* They may take her deposition For a case or two in court; She may edit an edition Of some “ yellow," just for sport THE RESCU! Boys, how hot for you she'll make it! Girls, she'll have it in for you! And the worst of all, I take it, Is that what she'll tell is true. So, I beg you, use discretion— Choose the darkest nights to “ spoon,” Lest you give a wrong impression To the Lady in the Moon. Frank Ro, “VEN DER MOT VETHER COMES 1 ALWAYS VIS T VAS AN ISAACLE** comicbooks.com