Life, 1911-05-11 · page 12 of 44
Life — May 11, 1911 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct sections: **"The Joy Riders"** (top): A series of sketches depicting chaotic scenes of early automobiles and motorcycles, apparently satirizing reckless driving and the dangers of motorized vehicles to pedestrians and property. The sketches show collisions, crashes, and general mayhem. **"Moral Waves"** (bottom): A satirical commentary on urban moral crusades and hypocrisy. The text criticizes how cities experience periodic "moral panics" where officials blame specific groups (Republicans blame Democrats, newspapers blame each other) while vice persists. It mocks the cyclical nature of moral outrage and the tendency to scapegoat rather than address root causes. The accompanying cartoon shows two women discussing suspicious banking activity, satirizing concerns about financial impropriety. Both pieces reflect early 20th-century anxieties about modern urban life, transportation, and governance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE JOY RIDERS Moral Waves © modern city can be happy unless it has recurrent at- tacks of moral waves, About every so often someone must discover that the city in question is a hothed of vice. Then some official must be charged with the blame Then this official must excuse himself and lay the blame elsewhere. Republican newspapers must blame Democrats. Democratic newspapers must blame Republicans. Yellow news; must become positively hysterical in their virtuous outery and blame whatever official happens to be its pet aversion at the time, Preachers must preach and various misdemeanants must be fined with unusual harshness and in a manner fit- tingly blareful. Then the moral wave may sudden The politi- cians may find something else to disagree about. The news- Papers may find other news. The moralists may carry back to their regular vocations the warming flush of rightcous effort. The vicious may continue to be vicious and every- thing may proceed as though no moral wave had ever swept the municipal beach, rece are three classes of Collectors, and readers. bookbuyers : “ coopxess, May! Guessed at Last HE Philosopher was sitting on a bench in the park thinking about the whyness of the wherefore when a man rushed by him, The fugitive was followed by another man who yelled at the Philosopher: Zatch him! Lay hands on him!” But the Philosopher did not budge. “Are you deaf? Why did you not hold the murderer?” “Murderer? What is a sir? “What a question! A one who kills.” “Oh, you mean a butcher, then?” “What an idiot! 1 mean one kills another man” I see; you mean a soldier.” “Stupid! A murderer is kills another man in time of peace.” You mean an exe- murderer, murderer is who one who Now I have it. cutioner,” “T never saw such stupidity! a man who comes to the house of an- other and kills him.” “Oh, oh! [have it at last! A physi- cian.” The man looked at the Philosopher for a few seconds and then rushed away over the last guess. Oscar Leonard. IT mean ponderin HE real man stands revealed when fortune frowns on him; the cad when fortune smiles on him, O be married to two women is a crime. To be married to one may be only an indiscretion. IP THEY KEEP ON CON ERS YOU'LL. SOON HAVE A REGULAR ROGUES’ GALLERY.” comicbooks.com