Life — September 7, 1911 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Force of Habit" - Life Magazine Cartoon Analysis This satirical cartoon depicts a man at a "Paving Teller" window (a play on "paying teller" at a bank). The caption reads: "Now, then, young man, fork over the cash!" with the response "Very sorry, but you'll have to be identified." The joke satirizes the absurdity of bureaucratic procedure taken to illogical extremes. A paving teller—someone collecting payment for street paving work—demands identification before accepting payment, mimicking excessive banking practices. The cartoon critiques how institutions blindly follow rigid rules ("force of habit") without considering whether they make sense in context. The accompanying poem "Cause and Effect" by Wallace Irwin tells a similar story about Jones seeking medical cures, only to continue suffering—illustrating how people repeat ineffective actions habitually.