Life, 1911-12-28 · page 19 of 41
Life — December 28, 1911 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **Main Cartoon:** Mocks the obsession with building ever-larger ocean liners (like the Titanic era). The joke: a ship captain reports they were so focused on size that they accidentally left England itself in tow—absurd hyperbole about gigantism. **"The Call and the Forward Movement":** Critiques a religious revival campaign backed by wealthy industrialists (including J.P. Morgan) aimed at promoting piety among American workers. Life's editors sarcastically suggest The Call (a socialist newspaper) is wrong to oppose it outright. Instead, Life argues The Call should demand the movement align with Christian teachings—specifically the Sermon on the Mount's emphasis on helping the poor—making the point that if capitalists truly followed their stated religious values, workers would benefit. **"Going Some":** A brief joke comparing President Taft to a comet with no logical destination or orbit—suggesting his presidency was directionless and chaotic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Skipper of Green Star Liner Gigantic: tuuMPinc TURBINES! IF THEY BUILD THEM MUCH LARGER WE FORGOT TO SHIP ANCHOR WHEN WE LEFT SOUTHAMPTON LAST NIGHT AND WE'VE GOT ENGLAND IN TOW The “Call” and the ‘‘ Forward Movement” HERE is a religious “ forward movement ” afloat to increase piety in the United States. It is carefully or- ganized, with a central committee in New York, and other co-operating committees in all the considerable cities of the country. It is also care- fully financed, with various gentlemen of recognized affluence among its backers, including Mr. Morgan. Our socialist néighbor, the Call (New York) warns us all against this movement, as a perfidious wile of capital to “capture, chloroform and disarm the masses for the time being, until the dangerous period is passed.” Maybe so, but to our ear the cry of the good Call is a note or two off. What the Call should try to do is not to head off this “ forward move- ment,” which may be a good thing, but to insist that it shall square with its platform. Maybe the Call is not a student of religion and does not know what the platform is on which a consistent “forward movement” in religion in these states must stand. Let it get a New Testament somewhere, and get some learned person to direct it to the Sermon on the Mount. That is the platform in which this “ forward movement” must stand. The Call professes to be “devoted to the interests of the working people.” It would be interesting to learn what it thinks of the bearing of the “ for- ward movement's” platform in those interests, and wherein, if at all, the working people are likely to suffer by the dissemination of that platform’s sentiments, EB. S. M. Going Some IRST ASTRONOMER: I have just located a new comet, but I cannot figure out its orbit; all I know is that it is going at tremendous speed, seems to have no logical destination. Seconp Astronomer: What are you going to call it? “T thought I would name it after President Taft.” comicbooks.com