Life, 1910-10-06 · page 32 of 60
Life — October 6, 1910 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the satirical magazine *Life* contains several distinct pieces of social and political commentary: **"His Forte"** is a romantic joke: a man seeking night watchman work admits he can't sleep because he spent summer courting a girl at Narragansett Pier (a fashionable resort), suggesting lovesickness keeps him awake. **"Ode to a Collar"** parodies Wordsworth's poetry to mock laundry services. It ironically celebrates a collar that was once pristine but has been ruined by commercial laundries—a common frustration of the era when collars were separately starched and laundered. **"A Nation's Decline"** is a political critique using alliteration and wordplay to attack corruption: wealthy criminals, unfair tariffs, corrupt preachers, monopolistic trusts, and imperialist policies. It sarcastically argues nations must "decline" by resisting these ills. The bottom cartoon, "Getting Out the Vote," appears to satirize electoral politics, though the specific reference is unclear from the visible portion. Throughout, *Life* targets early 20th-century American commercial, religious, and political institutions with humor and moral commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: His Forte “YY HAT are you doing, old man?” “Looking for a place as night watchman.” “ How's that?" “Well, I was making love to a girl at Narragansett Pier all summer, and I F, don’t sleep nights any more."* CASTLES ON THE RIND Ode to a Collar (With apologics to the estate of Wm Wordsworth, dec'd) COLLAR with an Injun name. Low, rakish, a la Byron, A collar all knew how to maim, And none knew how to iron. A collar by a laundry done nd through a mangle sent air as a star when only one Is in the firmament. Erst was it smooth and clean aml low, Tt knew nor crack nor split: The laundry's had it now, and oh! The difference to it! EAR LIFE: I observe you say: “No one i= virtuous who has never been tempted.” Huh! No one 1s tempted who has never been virtuous. Charles F. Lummis. TARIFF is a sort of national hol ble skirt. DROPPING IN TO TEA a A Nation’s Decline O republic or other governmental contrivance can be said to be on the high-road to success until it has com menced to decline. It must decline to be robbed by rich rogues, trimmed by tricky tariffs, pacified by prattling preachers, traduced by ty- rannical trusts, manacled by managing magnates, trammelled by traditional trumpery, harassed by hoary hypocrites, duped by doughty diplomats, intoxicated by imposing imperialists or placated by pulchritudinous platitudes. M4%%. 1 's come to him who waits, including his wife's relations, poverty and old age. GETTING OUT THE VOTE comicbooks.com