Life, 1910-12-22 · page 27 of 44
Life — December 22, 1910 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces mocking American institutions: **"Railroads Made Easy"** ridicules railroad pricing practices through a fictional explanation. The unnamed "railroad man" describes deliberately opaque systems—the "per ton mile" calculation and "long haul/short haul" distinction—that allow railroads to charge shippers whatever they want while enriching directors and majority stockholders at the expense of minority shareholders and the traveling public. The satire's point: railroad pricing is deliberately confusing and designed to benefit insiders, not serve the public fairly. **"Why Vaccination is Absolutely Necessary"** uses darkly comic math to suggest doctors profit enormously from mass vaccination campaigns. The joke implies doctors benefit financially from public health initiatives, questioning their motives—a common early-20th-century skepticism about medical professionalization. The bottom cartoon shows a drenched traveler at a hotel desk, likely mocking poor hospitality or service.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Success ! Railroads Made Easy T ast I understand all about railroads. The other day 1 was fortunate enough to meet a railroad man who took the trouble to explain them to me, and, by the way, if everyone were as carcful as that and would go to headquarters for information, there would not be so much confused thought about our great questions. I do not quote his exact words, but the following is the substance of his explanation. He said that every railroad had what it called a per ton nile Sometimes this was longer than at other times, but no how long it was, any railroad man, from office boy to president, could tell just by looking at it how much shippers ought to be charged and what stockholders and bondholders ought to receive on their investments. But I] must not think that the per ton mile was all, he said. In addition, I must always bear in mind that there were a long haul and a short haul. The directors and the majority stockholders get the long haul and the minority stockholders get the short haul, if any. He also cautioned me not to con- fuse the short haul with the short end, which went to the shippers and travelers. From this, he explained, it was very easy to figure the cost of construction, putting the capitalization per ton mile on one side and the termingl facilities on the other and then, using that as a starting point, it is easy to determine how much a shipper can be forced to pay without going into bankruptcy. When he had finished I asked, merely to clinch the matter, whether it was true that the aim of the railroads im every case was to be absolutely fair and just toward the riding and shipping public. He assured me that it was invariably true whenever neces- sary. Franklin Gayforth, Why Vaccination is Absolutely Necessary I am not vaccinated. ..$0.00 You are not vaccinated. 0.00 He is not vaccinated... 0.00 T am vaccinated.. + $2.00 You are vaccinated.... 2.00 He is vaccinated. . + 2.00 Doctor gets. + $6.00 Every person in New York City is vaccinated (at wholesale rates) : Doctor gets $4,756,883. Every person in the United States is vaccinated (at wholesale rates’ Doctor gets about $100,000, Doctor gets... They are not vaccinate Doctor They are not vaccinated: 000,000. Doctor gets $0,000,000 “you poor THinc! COME RIGHT OVER MERE AND DRY YOUR FEET ON THE MOTEL REGISTER."’