Life, 1910-12-29 · page 18 of 41
Life — December 29, 1910 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks the "muck-raking" journalism trend popular in early 20th-century America. The author, credited as "Buster Brown Smith," parodies investigative reporters who exposed corruption by claiming to have discovered restaurant graft—minor price-gouging schemes. The satire works on multiple levels: Smith's "evidence" (a waiter eating cabbage, slight food markups) is trivial compared to actual corruption. The editor's note further ridicules the premise by admitting circulation has "trebled" and attempting to sell magazine stock, suggesting the sensationalism drives profit rather than genuine reform. The cartoon titled "The Eternal Question" (showing a money bag) reinforces this critique. Life magazine itself is satirized as cynically exploiting public concern about graft for commercial gain—the very corruption it claims to expose. This reflects Life's satirical mission: mocking both corrupt institutions *and* the self-serving nature of the media claiming to reform them.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1194 -LIFE- Our Muck-raking Department Horrible Conditions Discovered in Our Leading Restaurants By buster Brown satiTi The Hero of Jersey City, Author of “ Woman's Clubs Exposed,’ “Why Williamsburg Went Wrong,” etc., etc. HE other day I was strolling quietly along Fifth Avenue, wondering how I could ad- vertise the magazine, and incidentally earn enough to take another flyer in the stock mar- ket, when I caught sight of a large, fat man ahead of me. I recognized him at once as a leading head waiter. By his walk I knew that he had been eating red cabbage. Where had he got it? In no other place but the market. What did this mean? Simply that he was getting a rake-off. This reflection led me te follow him. The re- sults are given herewith. The American people may well pause and ask themselves whether—but my mission is to give the facts, or as many facts as are necessary to fill my article. I am not here to preach, but to muck-rake. Here goes. The restaurants of New York are reeking with graft. I say recking advisedly, I know what I am talking about. I have a repus tation behind me and in front of me—such as it is—to sustain, There is not an honest palm room in New York. An instance: Last week the price of Southern grown asparagus in the open market’ was reduced five cents a bunch. What happened? Every palm room in New York added twenty-five cents to the price of cach portion, Who got it? It is the same with carrots, parsnips and ice-cream. This, how- ever, is nothing. I am coming to something big. Read on. I get ten cents a word, and you mustn’t stop or my reputation will be ruined, The waiters are in a conspiracy, Last week I saw a lady from Jersey City—a kind-hearted, open-faced (I have to be funny occa- sionally just to keep up the interest, but really I am deadly in ear- nest) lady, who never did any harm to any one, thrown out of one of our leading palm rooms. Why? Simply because she hadn't engaged a seat there three months before. Another woman—an upper Fifth Avenue woman—sailed by and presscd—actually pressed—a five-dollar bill into the hand of the head waiter. What was the result? It is this phase of our national life that appalls me. It makes me ask, What will the end be? It fills me with a sickening sense of un- rest. In the next installment I shall deal with the rake-off on salads. Sautu. Note by the Editor: Sirce Mr. Smith began his articles our cir- culation has doubled—nay. trebled. The nation awaits with breath- less interest what he has to disclose in the next issue. In the mean- time there are a few shares of stock in this magazine which we will sell for almost nothing. We do this because we want the public in- terested with us in the grand work of uplifting the nation. THE ETERNAL QUESTION AUEUST navel COMICHDOOKS-Comm