Life — November 23, 1911 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Page 893: "Concerning the Fourth of July" This page contains two elements: a serious editorial and a humorous cartoon. **The Editorial** discusses Fourth of July fireworks safety, noting deaths and injuries from fireworks. It celebrates efforts to reduce casualties—Massachusetts reduced deaths by 51%, Pennsylvania by 41%—crediting press coverage and local ordinances against "the silly and dangerous custom." **The Cartoon** ("Our Illustrated Songs: After the Ball Was Over") depicts a baseball scene. A player swings and appears to have hit another person instead of the ball, shown crouching injured. The joke plays on the song title "After the Ball Was Over"—suggesting literal consequences of a wild swing. It's gentle sports humor, likely satirizing either careless play or overzealous batting.