Life, 1909-05-13 · page 9 of 32
Life — May 13, 1909 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon:** Shows rural laborers and farmers at work. The caption "HE—HE—HE SEZ HE'S FARMIN' FER HIS HEALTH!" satirizes the common excuse wealthy or idle people gave for farming as a hobby or health pursuit, rather than genuine agricultural work. The sketch mocks this pretense by contrasting it with actual manual laborers genuinely toiling in the fields. **"What Every Baby Knows" Section:** A humorous list of observations about infants and life, written in mock-serious style. It includes absurdist claims ("all doctors are fakers," "the average park consists of one policeman") and observations about babies' experiences. **"Hobb" Dialogue:** A brief comic exchange between two men about one's wife, ending with the punchline that he hasn't been home since their first day together—suggesting marital discord played for laughs.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ HE—NE—NE SEZ HE—HE’S FARMIN’ FER HIS HEALTH!” What Every Baby Knows HAT he isn’t responsible for being here. That he hates company. That the phenomena which constitute his conception of the outside world have not yet become adjusted to his area of consciousness, and that consequently a certain process of experimentation is necessary before he can realize that he doesn't know much of anything any- way, That his mother is a weak-minded in- dividual who gives in on every occa- ‘sion and the slightest provocation, That his father is a strange being who has no other place in the scheme of things than to be rough and awkward. That colic apparently is no respector of persons. That germless milk is a great trial. That waking up in the dead of night, and again at an unearthly hour of the morning, give that variety to life which is said to constitute its chief charm. That the process called “ snuggling’? is no joke. That all doctors are fakers. That the average park consists of one policeman, almost entirely surrounded by trees. That to eat, drink and be noisy is the chief end of all mankind. OBB: How's your wife? None: Got the grip. s “That's too bad. Awfully sorry to hear Aren't you afraid you'll catch it?” Haven't been home since the first day.’” A MICROBR? comicbooks.com