Life, 1912-07-04 · page 15 of 44
Life — July 4, 1912 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on early 20th-century American life: **"No Limit"** mocks clergy who preach safely on trivial topics (bridge-playing women, absent churchgoers, thin collections) while avoiding anything controversial. The joke: ministers are so ineffectual that congregants dismiss them entirely—they can preach about politics since "everybody understands that he doesn't know anything about it." **"Fourth of July Dentistry"** contrasts a dentist's confident promise ("I'll have 'em out in a jiffy") with reality—suggesting incompetence or rough treatment. **"The Dream and The Reality"** (cartoon pair) shows a woman's fantasy of proper women's rights activism versus actual reality of limited, frivolous activity. **"Be Patriotic"** is darkly satirical, sarcastically celebrating giving children explosives and firearms as "patriotic" Fourth of July fun, mocking dangerous holiday traditions that maimed children. The closing line about "grass widows" (separated women) references class anxiety about morality. The page reflects Progressive-era skepticism toward institutions and critique of unsafe practices affecting children.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
No Limit Just what is it, I wonder, that a man can preach ‘without hazarding his job—Meredith Nicholson in the Atlantic Monthly. MAN can preach a good many things. He can preach to the women about their playing bridge with perfect safety, because they don’t take him seriously. He can preach to the men about their non-attendance at church, because none of them will be there to hear him. And when they are told about it after- wards, they also regard it as a joke. He can preach to both men and women about the meagerness of col- lections, because this is a subject that every congregation expects to have the minister touch upon at periodical in- tervals, He can preach about missions and show all the good they are doing in other countries. He can preach about the bringing up of children, because children are not brought up nowadays, and it is always amusing to learn from a tyro how it ought to be done. He can preach about politics, because everybody understands that he doesn’t know anything about it, and he can go as far as he likes. In fact, Mr. Nicholson, a clergyman in these days can preach about any- thing he wants to. Few take him seri- ously. He is perfectly safe FOURTH OF JULY DENTISTRY Old Dr. B "EM OUT IN Competent TAKER: Yes, I advertised for an assistant. Have you had any experience at funerals? Appticant: I was secretary of an aeroplane club for two years! THE DREAM AND THE REALITY (the dentist); WOLD TIGHT, GENTLEMEN, AND ULL HAVE A JIFFY. Be Patriotic LOW up the girl Incinerate the Wheel out the powder m With patriotic noise! to smithereens, Oy, gazines What though a thousand of ‘em die By powder and by ne, If half a thousand lose an eye, As many more go lame? There ‘re lots of children on this sphere, We'll nevet miss a few; The crippled ones, you needn't fear,— They'll not belong to you! So feed the baby dynam And give the boy a gun; Get out the torch and colored light, And give the kids some fun. All, all these harmless toys bestow, With clamor anthypnotic ; is such a lot of fun, you know, And very patriotic! "Ti hard M. Hunt. OME men think they are getting close to nature by making love to a grass widow. comicbooks.com