Life — January 26, 1911 — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Mrs. Cow: usHER, MER MAT I'LL BAT IT. YOU CAN TELL The Puppet Strings E'RE Showmen, bring Our Puppets for the wide world’s gaze; At blazoned doors we stand, and sing In strident tones their praise. And one hath Gauds, and one hath Grief, Schism, or smug Theology : “Walk in, walk in, the time is brief This goodly Show to see!” all, we bravely With trailing tears, with laughter much The crowds gape past or stay, As promptly, at a shout and touch, The painted poupées play. This Rule, fast kept, scores sweet Success, The praise which never tires: The wide world must not see or guess The hidden Puppet wires! Though sweat be blood, though prayers be vain, Though heart and brain be rent, No gazer-on may know the pain, The Soul's disfigurement. We're Showmen, all, and, man for man, With cunning circumstance We screen the threads: “ Find, ye who can! Come, see the Puppets dance!” Meribah Abbott, THAT LADY THAT IF SHE DON'T TAKE OFF Better Than Nothing IFE congratulates the S. P. C. A. on its awakening. This society has evidently been struck with a new idea. That it thinks of doing something for the protection of animals seems likely, if we may judge from the following: At the December meeting of the society's Board of Managers this preamble and resolu- tion was adopted without a dissenting vote: Whereas, ‘Phe, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was cre- ated bythe late Henry Bergh for the pur: pose of preventing all forms of physical cruelty to dumb creatures, no matter by whom committed or how concealed under the guise of beneficial results; Resolved, That it is the duty of this society to draw public attention to this especial field of alleged cruelty, to cause the same to be investigated by the State authorities, and thereafter to try to secure the passage of legislation which, while not prohibiting en- tirely such animal experimentation, shall penalize all acts which are properly charac- terized as cruel, and in the interest of hu- ity shall surround the practice with proper limitations, and shall place it under the supervision and control of the State. “ Proper limitations” is a treacherous phrase, but these gentlemen may con- sider this a case where a compromise with sin is a step toward progress. Probably in the good old days when they vivisected non-believers there were conservative heretics who advocated com- 217 promising with the Inquisition. “ Proper limitations,” however, would have been meager solace for burning flesh and dis- located joints. An Interesting Thought editor from the Far West has made a striking if somewhat un- couth observation concerning Mr. James J. Hill, Analogizing from the well-known the- ory that husbands and wives after liv- ing together for many years grow to look alike, this editor claims Mr. Hill has lived with locomotives so long that he has acquired many of their attributes He does not deny that Mr. Hill can pull a heavy load, but he regrets that Mr. Hill finds it necessary every little while to give violent, noisy and withal fruit- less vent to his feelings exactly as loco- motives blow off steam when they have nothing else to do. While there may be an element of truth in what this editor says, our rev- erence for magnates in general causes us to withhold our unqualified indorse- ment. Religious Unity HE New York Call points out what seems to be a most hopeful sign, looking toward the breaking down of re- ligious bigotry and the establishment of human brotherhood on a broad scale. There are three men who are leaders in the attempt to relieve the United States of any profit it might derive from Alaska. These men are Senator Aldrich, a Christian; Senator Guggenheim, a Jew, and Senator Smoot, a Mormon. And all they want (at present) is Alaska. Cheap at half the price. We should say, “ Take it and welcome, gen- tlemen.” Such love cannot be too highly rewarded. comicbooks.com