Life, 1910-06-09 · page 7 of 40
Life — June 9, 1910 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a poem by William Wallace Whitelock satirizing the aftermath of Fourth of July celebrations. The illustrated header shows figures in formal dress positioned to spell "LIFE," with two women flanking men in various contorted poses. The poem describes children injured and maimed from Independence Day festivities—firecrackers causing lost fingers, damaged eyes, and other injuries. It sarcastically notes that despite these casualties, "boys must be boys" and "girls must be girls," and that "patriotism" can only be shown through such dangerous practices. The lower photograph, captioned "TO BE CONCLUDED," appears to depict an injury scene, reinforcing the poem's grim commentary on how Fourth of July celebrations routinely resulted in serious childhood injuries during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Fifth of July PTPWAS the fifth of July, and the cbildrer In bandag were swathed up to their eyes freshly bathed In lotions aseptic; cach lay in his bed, his head. ed round, And visions of firecrackers danced thro In soft-padded slippers the nurses m ‘And father and mother scarce uttered a sound their darlings should wake to the fact t Willie was legless and four fingers lacked Mabel’s right hand, while the poll of poor J Was as bald as an egg but as black as a crow; The others had lost only fingers or tocs, A trifle compared to an eye or a nose And so they all waited in silence and fear, In hopes that the doctors would soon reappear. For fear les $ t 5 Twas the fifth of July, and The barn and the stable, the oats and the hay Three fine carriage horses had zone up in smoke, ashes there lay With father’s new auto—and that was no joke But boys must be boys, tho’ And girls must be girls, tho? And “ patriotism cir life pay the cost heir beauty be lost; can only be shown By crackers and lockjaw, and by these alone. And so in their bandages, groaning with pain, The children live over the Fourth once again, While father and mother recall with a sigh ‘Their offspring whose beauty once gladdened the eye. And all wait in silence and trembling and fear In hopes that the doctors will soon reappear. William Wallace Whitelock. “10 BE CONCLUDED "’ comicbooks.com