Life, 1910-07-14 · page 13 of 40
Life — July 14, 1910 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes **Charlemagne compelling ignorant chiefs to attend his school**, as noted by the Gibbon attribution. The central crowned figure appears to represent a powerful medieval ruler forcing subordinates into educational compliance. The satire likely critiques **contemporary authoritarian leadership or forced assimilation policies**, using historical analogy. The pile of books labeled "NURSERY LAWS," "FATAL PIFFLE," etc., suggests mockery of mandatory education laws or propaganda disguised as instruction. The bottom section contains unrelated nursery rhymes and light comic verses about everyday subjects (spiders, trained infants, diet). The page mixes serious political satire with frivolous humor—typical of *Life* magazine's format combining editorial commentary with entertainment content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE EMPEROR OF THE WEST Charlemagne Compelled the Ignorant Chiefs to Attend His School. opinion. We can still do pretty nearly as we like, especially in matters of sport, provided we don’t try to make money out of it. But to make much money there must be publicity and advertise ment, and the moment we advertis invite comparison of our intentions with the gencral ethical sentiment of the re- gion in which we propose to operate. We can play baseball in the back lot all Sunday afternoon, but when we fence in the lot and want to stick up bills and charge admission—that's another story, and we will have to discuss it first all the felks. i we is brave “Even to the point of reckless- ness. Why, he dines at Simpson's. and Simpson has four marriageable daughters of uncertain age.”* —Gibbon. Modern Nursery Rhymes THE SPIDER AND THE PLY “YYZILL you walk out of my parlor,” Said the spider to the fly; “Your feet are full of typhoid, And I do not wish to dic.” THE TRAINED INPANT There was a babe in our town And he was wondrous wise : He wouldn't let folks kiss him, And he ran away from flies. He boiled his little cup and plate With all his might and main; And if he thought he saw a germ He boiled them up again! A LULLABY Hush-a-by Lady, in a fur coat; When the sky ‘alls the women will vote. 61 When women vote, the nation will fall, Down will come Liberty, Suffrage and all! CAREFUL MISS MUPPRTT Little Miss Muffett Sat on a tuffet ating of curds and whey; The curds had been sterilized, The whey had been vaporized, And she didn’t cat much, anyway. CARELESS NUMPTY DUMPTY Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; He let his picture puzzle fall All the King’s horses and all the King’s men Couldn't put the puzzle together again. xIsMer Jack Spratt could not get fat, His wife could not get lean; Although they ate three meals a day And lots of things between. pier If all the world was cake and pie, And all the sea was sweet; And all the woods were starchy foods, What should we have to eat? uxcounten Hickory, dickory, dox, A mouse in the ballot box! The women yelled, The votes were spilled! Hickory, dickory, dox. CAUTION I like little pussy, her coat looks so warm, And if I don’t touch her she'll do me no harm. So I'll not pull her tail or pat her smooth head, For fur’s full of microbes that might make me dead! Carolyn Wells, The Tall One: YOU BUY AN INCUBATOR FoR? WHAT IN THUNDER DID “My WIFE IS A SUPPRAGETTE,””