Life, 1910-05-05 · page 21 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the instability of republics and frequent governmental upheaval. The header illustration depicts soldiers, cypress trees (symbolizing death/loss), and animals—suggesting violence and chaos accompanying political change. The text mocks the contradiction inherent in republics: they're defined by written constitutions meant to provide stability, yet history shows constant governmental turnover. The satire suggests that if republics are constantly replaced, citizens waste energy managing endless political transitions rather than living peacefully. The final quote attributed to "Ellis O. Jones" delivers the punchline: Americans celebrate Independence Day with noise and "carnage," then spend the remaining three-quarters of the year dealing with consequences (doctors, priests, undertakers)—implying the violence and upheaval of republican revolutions causes ongoing death and suffering. The photograph below shows dangerous early automobile racing, visually reinforcing themes of reckless speed and peril.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Republics REPUBLIC is an agreement among a body of people that on and after a certain date nothing shall be done dif- ferently. This agreement is solemnly made, put into writing and is called a constitution for convenience. A republic is usually a very good thing at the time it is formed, and the only point on which men differ is as to just how long a self-respecting republic should last. It stands to reason, of course, that if republics come tripping upon the Ved Goold = heels of one another in too frequent succession all the waking hours of the people would be uselessly taken up with the mere disagreements of agreements. On the other hand, history seems to show that the best kind of republic is a new republic Ellis 0. J NE Fourth of July is given up to noise and carnage, the remaining three-fourths to the doctor, the priest and the undertaker. comicbooks.com