Life, 1912-07-04 · page 7 of 44
Life — July 4, 1912 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a poem titled "A Murder" by Nathan Haskell Dole, accompanied by an illustration depicting a formal garden scene at Morganidge Towers (identified as the country estate of the Duke and Duchess of Dertford, formerly Miss Bertha Doodle of Pittsburgh). The poem's title and melancholic tone suggest the "murder" is metaphorical—likely the death of conscience or moral principles. The text references Puritan ancestry, inherited sternness, and the speaker's renunciation of life's joys in favor of righteousness. The illustration shows well-dressed figures in a stately setting, apparently depicting the social world the poem critiques. The satire appears to target American society's adoption of rigid British aristocratic values and the spiritual cost of such conformity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i [oown witht THE || | “SALE | SANE | — c 4 TTT Ul A Murder HE stern, harsh Conscience I inherited From Puritan ancestors who hated joy, Sat on my heart when I was still a boy, And like a vampire on my spirit fed, Till in despair and wrath I rose and said, © longer shalt thou all my peace destroy; No more the gold of life shalt thou alloy,” And with a sudden will I smote it dead. And now I miss the pain of it; the zest Is gone of doing what I know is wrong; Between the false and true I find no test; I cannot mark the discord in the song; There is no way of telling worst from best. Oh, Conscience, live again: once more wax strong! Nathan Haskell Dole. TIUWTNUUTOUDTVDPYDIQQOAUOOOQ OOO OOOO OOO ODOO0TOOPROCOOOOE TOE INDEPENDENCE DAY AT MORGIDGE TOWERS, THE COUNTRY SEAT OF TE UKE AND DUCHESS OF DEBTFORD (SHE WAS. JPPER, TIPPING, ENGLAND comicbooks.com