Life, 1908-12-17 · page 9 of 28
Life — December 17, 1908 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two distinct items: **"Ballade of a Diner Out"** (top left) is a poem celebrating the pleasures of dining out—napery white as snow, glinting glassware, dainty food, laughter, and music. It's romantic satire of upscale restaurant culture. **"Experiments in Chicago"** (main text) reports on Dr. Albert Woeful's controversial method of treating animals by starving them to death to study digestive effects. The article appears critical, questioning the ethics while noting Dr. Woeful had assistance from Dr. Anton Carlson and tacit approval from John D. Rockefeller's University of Chicago. **The illustration** (right) depicts a whimsical, crowded interior—possibly a restaurant or home—rendered in detailed pen-and-ink style typical of early 20th-century Life magazine humor. The juxtaposition of fine dining celebration with animal cruelty experiments creates dark satirical contrast about scientific progress and moral standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ballade of a Diner Out NAPERY as white as snow; Glint of glass and silver sheen; Something with a golden glow Just to edge the hunger keen; Pretty garniture of green; Dainty food as fine as fable; Sooth, I dwell in Joy’s demesne With you, sweet, across the table! Laughter loud and whisper low, Music murmuring between ; Sigh of swain and beam of beau,— All a merry, madcap scene; Mark yon maiden prink and preen!— Someone's Madge or Maud or Mabel! May I?—yes, I'd nearer lean With you, sweet, across the table! How the moments tripping go Till the midnight hour is queen! What! depart? Nay, nay, not so! Let Time curvet and careen! Don gay Mirth for gaberdine While flows on the bubbling babel; Gray Care can not intervene With you, sweet, across the table! ENVoy. Fates, that this dear boon bestow, Sunny are my thoughts, not sable; Happiness undimmed I know With you, sweet, across the table! Archibald Crombie. Experiments in Chicago CCORDING to the reports pub- lished in the Chicago papers, Dr. Albert Woelful, of the medical depart- ment of the University of Chicago, has invented a new method of treating ani- mals. He scorns the simple operation, which is at best untidy. In place of this he slowly starves them to death in order to discover whether or not certain tissues exercised digestive effects upon surrounding tissues during starvation. Doctor Woelful was assisted by his “1 KNOW MY HOSS AIN'T MUCH TO LOOK AT, PERCY, BUT I'LL JUST RACE YoU ROUN’ DE BLOCK FER A SIDE BET OF TWO TERBACCO TAGS aN’ a coupon!" Irote Mr. Bug: weit, xow! THIS 18 AN OUTRAGE! cxaiee**} aaa sey MERE t PAY A PANCY PRICE FOR A NIGHT'S LODGING, AND THAT CONFOUNDED ROOMEK OVERMEAD SPENDS THE NIGHT DROPPING HIS SHOES ON THE FLOOR. friend, Dr. Anton J. Carlson, and, in the presence of the university staff, says the Chicago Record-Herald, During the course of the experiments a number of the animals were killed in order to compare the tissues of starving dogs, cats and goats with those under a normal feeding regime, Four groups of dogs and two groups each of cats and goats jected to the trials. It will be remembered that John D. Rockefeller is largely responsible fi € sub- for the University of Chicago, also that he is the author of the Rockefeller Institute in this city, at which vivisection is openly practiced. Mr. Rockefeller is described by those who know him as a kindly man, full of good impulses, and a devout Christian. “You could not be with him for fifteen minutes,"’ said a recent ad- mirer, “without being convinced of that fact."” Does Mr. Rockefeller think that closing days, when he se appear not so black as he be more effective in produci his ms to desire to painted, will g this result by encouraging people as Doctor Woelful and his kind? In the mean time, what is the Chicago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals doing, that it permits such things? comicbooks.com