Life, 1909-10-14 · page 15 of 36
Life — October 14, 1909 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon (top left):** Titled "Mrs. Bank Burglar," this depicts two working-class women. One boasts about her husband being a "second-story man" (a burglar who enters through upper floors). The joke mocks pretension: she's putting on airs despite her husband being a common criminal. The satire targets social climbing and false respectability among the poor. **"Popular Birthdays" Section:** Birthday greetings to William Loeb Jr. (likely a Roosevelt administration official) and Edward William Bok (magazine editor). The Loeb entry is heavily sarcastic, congratulating him for surviving "the last administration" with "immortality"—suggesting he endured a chaotic or unpopular presidency. Bok's entry praises his moral influence on fashion (attacking "bifurcated skirts"—bloomers/women's trousers), sarcastically celebrating his conservative influence on women's dress. **"Belongs at the Pole":** Political commentary on President Taft, Uncle Joe Cannon (House Speaker), and Senator Aldrich regarding currency and tariff reform. The satire suggests Uncle Joe should go to the North Pole—implying he's outdated and obstructive to progress. **Bottom section:** Generic witticisms about politeness and finance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mrs. Bank Burglar: tHe Nowe 0° THAT WOMAN PUTTIN IN AIRS WITH ME. WHY, MER HUSBAND AIN'T NOTHIN’ BUT A SECOND-STORY MAN, Popular Birthdays WILLIAM LOEB, JR. BORN OCTOBER 9, 1866 You will never die, William Loeb. If you have lived through the last admin- istration, a sure and. deathless immor- tality awaits you. You couldn't have kept him down Nobody could, Forty-three hundred years of experience wouldn't have been able to do that It was to Roosevelt, not to Loeb. Well, you have many years of useful- ness ahead of you., What are you going to do about it Never mind. a time like this. Congratulations on being a_ satellite It might have been worse Here's looking at you We won't press you at May you never have another such administration on your hands, and may you gradually ac- quire a regenerated Custom House gen- tleness. EDWARD WILLIAM BOK. BORN OCTO.- BER 9, 1863 Good morning, Mr. Bok. Countless ladies through the land testify to your excellence. And how young you actually are! Dear me, you have yet a great carcer ahead No bifurcated skirt can dim your glory, no lingerie can set down aught in mahice against you. Blessed are the pure in heart, and thrice blessed are you. Morality praises you. The advertising world crowns you king. Prudence, valor and commonplace- ness testify to your extraordinary genius We are glad, exceeding glad, that you 515 are here among us, keeping us ever straight in the paths of high neckedness. May your column rule never grow less. And may you always be continued on page —— (next to pure reading matter) Salute! O sartorial son of a symbiotic sweetness and light Shake! Many happy of the day. Home Journals Belongs at the Pole RESIDENT TAFT wants a new cur rency law, and a Federal bank, and other improvements. Uncle Joe Cannon, he the currency as on the tariff. Uncle Joc goes very slow on improve- ments. He is against architecture, and especially against any rearchitecturing of the Republican party And yet he comes the Middle West, the seat of progress; and Aldrich, in tariff unrevision, is with stands pat on from his fellow the President in his wish for a sound currency law. The pole is the place for Uncle Joe. There is much less earth ¢ than down in these latitudes, OWARD: Mrs. Holmes gets on much better with her husband than she used to. Cowarp: Same husband? ANY a man is polite simply because it costs nothing. Some are too stingy to be polite even at that price. INANCIERS rush in where r to tread. consum- ers fe WALL STREET TERM ON THE CURB comicbooks.com