Life, 1911-04-13 · page 7 of 44
Life — April 13, 1911 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes burglars as a social institution. The header illustration shows two figures in a tug-of-war over the word "LIFE," representing the ongoing conflict between burglars and society. The central photograph depicts a burglar climbing through a window with a rope, captioned with a quote suggesting burglars deserve jail time. The accompanying essay treats burglary with mock-serious tone, discussing how burglars have evolved from disreputable criminals into an established profession. It ironically notes that burglars now move in "highest society," that women burglars are increasingly common, and that burglary has become a standard plot device for short-story writers. The satire critiques how modern society has normalized or romanticized criminal behavior, treating burglars as respectable members of the social order worthy of literary attention.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
This Number HAT would we do without out burglars? No national institus tion is more necessary. Not only are whole families supported by this honor- able calling, but likewise entire insur- ance companies, Until recent years the profession of the burglar was held in disrepute, but since it has come to be regularly recog- nized by the police, it is now upon a firmly established basis. At one time burglars wore poor clothes and were not admitted to the society of the best people without a forcible entry, Even. a plumber could enter a house and rob it with greater ease. Owing, however, to our protect- ing laws, any burglar of casy manners and wearing evening clothes can_ find ready access to all respectable house- holds while the family are at dinner, and, arraying himself in the family dia- mond necklace and other trinkets, can sally forth without danger of being locked up more than thirty days for petty larceny. Burglars also contribute to our liter ature. When any one of our half mil- lion short-story writers gets out of ideas, all he has to do is to write a tale about a burglar, which invariably finds ready acceptance. Fairies having long since gone out, the burglar has taken their place, and little children are now systematically frightened with the story of their pres- ence. Burglary offers a field of employment for women, ady burglars are be- coming more en régle every day. They move in the highest society. As a rule burghirs are a hard-work- ing, respectable class. They live with their families, rarely indulge in intoxi- cating liquors, and by sleeping in the da time, conserve our natural re- sources, as they use but little gas and clectricity. In dedicating this number of Lire to the burglar, therefore, we feel that for the first time we are recognizing an in- dispensable adjunct to our modern civilization. “pooR LITTLE CRITTER; THERE YE ARE IN JAIL AN’ YE NEVER DONE NOTHIN’ TO DESERVE IT, NEITHER.” comicbooks.com