Life, 1911-09-21 · page 30 of 52
Life — September 21, 1911 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces: **"Information" (left):** A commentary on information overload. The text criticizes how modern citizens—particularly club women—consume excessive specialized knowledge without time to act on it. The "cause and effect" illustration shows bare trees with birds, likely depicting the uselessness of accumulated but undigested information. The satire suggests civic engagement has become paralyzed by data. **"What Money Couldn't Buy" (right):** A story beginning where a man (Winket) attempts to manipulate a young boy (Bobbie) into helping seduce Bobbie's older sister by exploiting the pseudo-scientific concept of the "subliminal self"—a then-popular psychological notion. The satire mocks both the charlatanism of amateur psychology and the brazen attempts to corrupt youth for seduction. The illustration "The Medicine Bawl" appears to relate to athletic or social expression themes. Both pieces critique early 20th-century American society's susceptibility to information glut and pseudo-intellectual manipulation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ra | wo Information HIS co is now in a conditi somewh over-specialized in club work, who reads so much and ac- quires so much knowledge upon s of all kinds that she doesn’t find time to do anything. We are suffering from an excess of information. Our feeble civic stomachs cannot digest it. Our underde housewife who h. caWs "AND EFFECT veloped civic brain cannot reduce the kind of comprehen- sive form. We are unable to assimilate formless mass to even the census, to say nothing of the re- ports of special committees of Congress. of the endless municipal, te and pri investigators, students and foundations. The more information we get the more obfuscated we seem to becom We know it all, but we don't know what to do about it What Money Couldn’t Buy “Bowne, come here. 1 want you 10 do something for me.” Bobbie obeyed obediently. Although not nine years old, he was very keen to any invitation from one of his sister's admirers. And it was not a matter of doubt that Mr. Winket belonged in this class. Winket held up a dollar. “Do you want to win this?” he “You bet I do.” This was Bobbie's favorite expression “Well, my boy, you cannot only win this, but another one just like it, if you will only do as I say. Come over here where we can be quiet.” Winket led the way to a house. “Now, Bobbie,” he said, “let me ex- plain just exactly what I mean and you must listen attentively. In the begin- ning, 1 will tell you frankly and can- didly that I want very much to kiss your sister, Hitherto she has repelled me, but with your help I believe that she will be only too glad to let me. Did you ever hear of a subliminal self?” Bobbie shook his head. “Well, cach one of us has one. It is like a spirit, We can’t sce it or feel it, but it is there all the same, Now this subliminal self is open to sugges- (Continued on page 491) ATHLETIC EXPRESSION “THE MEDICINE BAWL” comicbooks co