Life, 1911-02-02 · page 29 of 52
Life — February 2, 1911 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains several satirical pieces mocking American politics and society circa 1909-1912. **"Sunny Jim's Auto"** defends Vice-President James Sherman's $7,000 governmental auto expense by sarcastically suggesting he's the *only* government official pompous enough to "carry" a car properly—a backhanded insult wrapped in mock praise. **"A Rare Freak"** jokes that an Ohio man who lived 68 years without selling his vote is a museum curiosity—satirizing endemic vote-buying corruption. **"Canny Andy"** critiques Andrew Carnegie's philanthropic hypocrisy: he donates millions for "peaceful ends" while his steel profits fund battleship construction. The remaining short pieces ("Think This Over," "The Sequence") are lighter humor about childhood mischief and romantic mishaps. The balloon-topped imagery at the page header spells "FEBRUARY," suggesting this is a February issue mixing political criticism with gentler social observation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Sunny Jim’s Auto UNDAY papers (not many) are objecting to the fact that Vice-President Sherman motored last year at a govern- mental expense of $7,000. We do not find ourselves in sympathy with the objections raised. In the first place, motoring is no longer a fad, but a well-established institution, The government as such should recognize it as such. But how? Manifestly everybody in the government can’t motor. Most of the under-secretarics and clerks and stenographers are too busy and, besides, if the government undertook to provide autos for all of them, our newly-adopted policy of economy would evaporate like dew in a cyclone. But that is far from saying our government should be autoless. Well, then, whom shall we select to do our riding for us? It should be someone who makes a good appearance ; someone with sufficient pomposity to do an auto justice; someone who can carry an auto, as it were. Viewed in that light the problem is quickly solved. In all our governmental connections, there is no more ideal automobilist than Sunny Jim Sherman Think This Over wr do YOU take yourself so seriously? “Sow, MY BOY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITIT TITAT SNOWRALL? “WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE WHEN YOU WERE A KID IP AN OLD GUY HAD WENT PAST WITH A PLUG HAT ON Canny Andy EN million cash for peaceful ends From out Carnegie’s pursie slips— A mickle frae the deevidends On steel for building battle ships! A Rare Freak MITH (at the dime museum) : Pshaw, I don't see anything curious or remarkable bout that old man that seems to her such a crowd to look and gape at him. Jones: Don't, eh? Why that old fellow lived sixty-eight years in Adams County, Ohio, and never once sold his vote. The Sequence ‘JT was very romantic,” says the friend. “He proposed to her in the automobile.” THE GILDED YOUTH SUDDENLY DISCOVERS THAT THERE AkE “Yes?” we murmur, encouragingly THINGS IN THLE WORLD WILICH ME CANNOT MAVE FOR THE “And she accepted him in the hospital.” ASKING comicbooks.com