Life, 1908-08-06 · page 34 of 54
Life — August 6, 1908 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces mocking American hypocrisy and wealth inequality: **Top illustrations**: Contrasting vignettes showing virtue unrewarded—a strict vegetarian appears frail while enjoying nature, opposing the "brutal practice" of vivisection, and a champion of "song birds" tend their strawberry patch. The satire: virtuous living brings neither wealth nor power. **"Thrift"**: Attacks the Puritan virtue-narrative. The text mockingly praises thrift as foundational to American success, then reveals the contradiction: wealthy industrialists credit thrift while actually accumulating fortunes through "judicious speculation"—essentially gambling and investment schemes. **"Vice-Presidency"**: Suggests Brother Bryan (William Jennings Bryan) proposed the Vice-President live in the White House. The satire ridicules this as absurd; the VP should earn real money and live elsewhere. **"When It Comes to Reward"**: Quotes President Roosevelt's rhetoric about equal opportunity, then sarcastically equates it with robber barons like Harriman and Ryan claiming freedom to exploit rates and resources without ethical constraint. Overall point: American elites preach virtue while practicing ruthless capitalism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIP: Some Rewards of Virtue THIS MAN MAS ALL IS LIFE WEEN A STKICT VEGETARIAN Thrift HRIFT was discovered by a man whose na Scotch- c has not come down to us. © forgive him, on the assumption that could not possibly know what he did. Thrift was brought over to this country in the Mayflower, which xives ita certain claim upon our respect. The cavaliers of Carolus Rex were making it hot in Eng- land for thrift, sobriety, decency and all the rest of that merry crew, and that is why these were seching a home in the New World. They left unstained what there they God without The mo:lern tendency is und, 10 wit, freedom to wors! for incense and costly vestments. In a kingdom power derives from prescription, but democracy from thrift. The men who run things with us make no denial that thrift has put them where they are, with a trifle of judicious speculation, from time to time, as the op portunity has offered Thrift dom having to dig u ates our national councils. Witness our $400. 10,000,000 war, and leaving us $10,000,000 ahead, not to speak of the moral uplift. Thrift is what the New England theologians really mean when they speak of saving grace. Faith, hope and charity are graces, but they are not so very saving, especially charity, the greatest of these Ramse 000,000 navy! staving off a Benson. To Improve the Vice-Presidency HAT Brother Bryan thinks of the Vice-Presidency ap. pears from the suggestion attributed to him that if Mr. Kern doesn’t care to keep house in Washington, there will be quarters assigned him in the White House. Awful thought! What the Vice-Presitency needs to make it acceptable is a salary of $30,000 a year, and permission 10 live in New York. There is ro reed to have the Vice-President hang arovnd Washington at all, mvch less to have him board at the White <2 THIS ONE 18 A STRONG OPPONENT OF THE BRUTAL PRACTICE VIVISECTION TIS SHOWS THE STRAWBERRY PATCH OF THE CHAMPION OF THE SONG mIKDS House. Pay him a salary big enough to have fun with and let him live where ke likes and do what he will. The last place he could be happy in is the White House. When It Comes to Reward LIEVE,"” said President Roosevelt, on July 1, “in quality of opportunity for every man to show the stuff t is in him, but when it comes to reward, let him get what he is able to get with the opportunity open.”” Which is to say: “I don’t ask to have Africa fenced in, but when it comes to r ‘ine rates, it's every man for him- self."* HY is it that Harriman, Ryan, Rogers, and the rest of the garg are more arrogant than ever?” “They have the courage of their non-convictions.””