Life, 1911-08-24 · page 22 of 40
Life — August 24, 1911 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on two topics: **"Be a Banker"** criticizes banking practices and legal privileges. The text argues that bankers operate under different rules than ordinary citizens—while employees face criminal punishment for mishandling even small amounts of employer funds, bankers are legally permitted to invest deposited customer money for their own profit, keeping only about 25% in reserve. The satire highlights the hypocrisy: bankers demand trust while having no legal obligation to keep deposits secure, a stark contrast to the strict fiduciary duties imposed on cashiers and other employees. **"Is 'Science' Blind In One Eye?"** questions vaccination safety by citing two cases where individuals suffered severe illness or death following vaccinations during a smallpox scare. The article suggests medical authorities dismiss obvious vaccine complications as "mysteries," implying deliberate blindness to vaccination dangers. Both pieces employ ironic titles to expose what the editors viewed as systemic unfairness and institutional negligence benefiting the privileged while harming ordinary people.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
~LIFE- Be a Banker ANKERS enjoy a rare privilege. They are the only peo- ple in the community who cannot be arrested for em bezzlement One of the strictest laws, written or unwritten, guarding property rights, is the law requiring trustees to keep invio- late to the last penny all funds entrusted to them. If a trus tee invests funds, the security is either turned over to the owner or held to his account. Anything else is embezzle ment. So with cashiers and all employees who handle their employers’ funds. They must keep every cent of it. They cannot even borrow a few dollars temporarily, although know positively that they wili be able to pay it back. slightest deviation from the strict letter is frowned upon and punishable by fine and imprisonment. But a banker is different. He carries himself differently He has had iaws passed to allow him to act differently. He takes our moncy with varying deg aciousness, but he doesn't have to keep it safe. He only has to keep about twenty-five per cent. of it safe. The rest he invests, but not for us. He invests it for himself. He lends our money on security as he sees fit, and we do not even sce the security We take his word for the whole business. He has our confidence that he will weather all emergencies We have his confidence that we will not want our money when be doesr t to give it to us. His First Impression OCRATES lifted the cup and took a sip. “What is this stuff?” he asked, petulantly “It's hemlock,” they explained Oh, that’s all right then,” he remarked. “1 thought tippe was sending me another of th tutes for cofi e healthful substi- HE hardest battles fought are those between the mind and the body. “Good-night, Ladies, We're Going to Leave You Now” A BAD STEP PAKTHER Is “Science” Blind In One Eye? E read in the Detroit Free Press that Miss Blanche E. Long, twenty years old, died of blood poisoning which followed a vaccination on her arm last November, Miss Long was teaching school when the smallpox scare was prevalent last fall. She was vaccinated on November 14 and eight days later she was forced to give up her work, her whole system having become poisoned. She has been ill since that time The Toronto Iorld reports another “ mystery": A boy of fifteen in a semi-conscious condition, with six house surgeons attending him at the hospital, is a mystery to medical science. Non-medical people who know that he was vaccinated two weeks ago and suffered ever since, will see no mystery in it A RECREATION PLER comicbooks co