Life, 1912-05-16 · page 14 of 52
Life — May 16, 1912 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece critiques modern American society's obsession with noise and constant communication. The main article argues that true courage lies in voluntarily embracing silence and solitude—increasingly rare in contemporary life, even in telephone booths. The cartoon depicts a man in a chair with a wrecking ball labeled "$900" about to destroy him, illustrating the hazards of reckless behavior or negligence. The caption "FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC" suggests this is commentary on dangerous individuals or practices requiring removal. The secondary section "Attention, Authorities!" criticizes government bodies (referencing Lawrence, Massachusetts; San Diego; and Passaic, New Jersey) for suppressing free speech and assembly rights, calling for authorities to maintain "law and order" through moral example rather than authoritarian suppression.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: The Courage of Silence S time goes on it becomes more .increasingly difficult to be alone. There are, indeed, no longer any places where one can be alone. If one went to a telephone booth expressly for this purpose he would be unable to stay long in soli- tude. Even in a telephone booth there is, presumably, somebody else to talk to at the other end of the line. This condition of what we might call 1 “non-loneliness” is, of course, based upon 2 the law of supply and de- ho. mand. There never has been much demand for loneliness; there always has been a large demand for noise, for talk. America being “ahead of the game,” so to speak, in resources and in inven- tive genius, has naturally reduced talk- ing to a science. St. Paul, who vi ited Athens upon one occasion and came away with the declaration that they all talked too much, would have been paralyzed with astonishment had he been able to come therefore,’a unique kind of courage in that man who, in the midst of all this frightful hullabaloo, yoluntarily goes into retirement—vol- untarily becomes willing to repress himself—think out his own salvation. Is there such a man in America? Presidential candidates may reply, care of this office. ERCY: Great things, motor cars. Chap can save so much time when he’s trying to kill it! Attention, Authorities! E presume there .are authorities elsewhere like the authorities in Lawrence, Mass., who refused to let the workingmen send their children away, and like the authorities in San Diego, who denied the right of free ARE THE Most UNreasox- Speech, and like the authorities in Pas- 1 GRANTED HER THE cus- Saic, N. J., who denied the right of free TODY OF THE CHILD, AND Now SHE Wants — assembly. A PENNY A WEEK ALIMONY!" It may be a kindness to remind all FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC such authorities that when large classes of human beings are denied the simple justice which they have every reason to expect under a revered Constitution, they are very apt to become desperate. Even Bastilles fall before desperation. The best way for authorities to pre- serve “law and order” is by setting a good example. AS ye build your ships, so shall ye travel in them. comicbooks.com —