Life, 1909-06-24 · page 13 of 29
Life — June 24, 1909 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **literary and humorous commentary** rather than political cartoons. The top section discusses the **Shakespeare-Bacon authorship controversy**—the historical debate over whether Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays. The poem playfully addresses this, suggesting Bacon chose to hide behind Shakespeare's name rather than claim credit. Below are three brief **humorous anecdotes**: one about a village card club membership fee, one about Boston's subway system (praising its logical design), and one about summer travel using refrigerated cars. The illustrations are **whimsical drawings** accompanying these jokes—including a figure with an elaborate hat labeled "laboring under a big mistake," children discussing pocket knives, and an insect character called "the beet of the drum." These are **light social commentary and humor**, not serious political satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LABORING UNDER A BIG MISTAKE Boston's Superhuman Intelligence F Boston's new labyrinth, connect- ing subway afd tunnel in Hay- arket square, the Transcript says: ground from acre and a quarte ne you will fetch up just where you want to go. This le of entrances, exits, ‘ou may wander beneath r to post in a maze th. and every t is a most orderly tracks, platforms, es, rows of columns and sub-st has been created by engineering the s of the modern Athens, hardly less intricate and ex+ tensive than those of ancient Rome. Observations taken by a visitor from New York in the Boston subway last month induced the conviction that it took superhuman intelligence in any pas senger to get the car he wanted. It further noticed that the native pas sengers did get the cars they wanted d got them promptly and without ex cessive mental effort. showing that the quality of intelligence required was kept in stock by the ordinary population of Boston, Summer Travel RS. GOODHART: All the way from Chicago! Didn't you find it very hot traveling? Dusty Trax: Not at all madam; I al- ways take a refrigerator-car in the sum- mer. gal Cal tS) eg Shakespeare-Bacon OME hold that Francis Bacon wrote The plays we tag with Shake- peare’s nan And cabalistic dreams they quote With cipher codes to prove their claim ; But grant that Bacon chose to bind On Shakespeare's brow his own green bays; He donned the mask—why look behind ? He had his game—we have the plays. Beyond the peaceful stars, mayhap, The twice-bought gown Reviles the merry player-chap, And bids him yield the poet’s crown judge in wig and If Baeon’s spirit makes a fuss, What mirth must move the cherubim ! He tried to play a joke on us~ I rather guess the joke’s on him! irthur Guiterman RS. BAKER: How can you afford to pay five dollars to join the vil lage card club? Mrs Barkre I don’t have to pay five dollars for the village newspaper. Because, then Me . Mow sew nar?” ‘CHARMING. MISS Mipe YouR WiGHT UN! po you tke Lictrer! rer wity kA pusnet? Nature BECAUSE Nature is the greatest of all bores, such that men shun her sedulously, we have cities. Because of cities there are such things as big money in re estate, rt ts, opera, municipal corruption—in_ short, civilization, that priceless boon without which life wouldn't be worth living, com- mercially speaking, at least. Let us not forget what we owe to Na ture, then. If she is now and then per- mitted to become the fashion that is no more than her due. RB. MY PATEK WAS A KETKNIVE SEVEN BLADES AND ONE CORKSCREW,” THAT'S NOTHIN’. OMY UNCLE IN KENS TWeKy ONE WITHE SEVEN CORKSCREWS.” wittt Of the Right Sort N a recent business letter 10 Lire oc- curs this self-explanatory passage Altho 1 am a Jew and a teacher of things Jewish, nevertheless I see the hu- nearly everything mor and fairness of you print BEET ov THE comicbooks.com