Life, 1912-08-15 · page 23 of 40
Life — August 15, 1912 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques American newspaper editors' poor political judgment. The text argues that London papers correctly mocked U.S. editors for dismissing Theodore Roosevelt's political viability—editors claimed he couldn't carry Illinois, then Massachusetts, then Ohio, yet he succeeded repeatedly. The satire's point: American newspapers prioritize sensationalism over truth. The piece notes readers don't actually believe what they read; they simply enjoy "picturesque things" over "less interesting truths." This reflects early-1900s anxiety about press credibility and yellow journalism. The cartoon at top illustrates the opening phrase about dining to music—showing diners so distracted by entertainment they've abandoned proper behavior. The bottom cartoon depicts a custody case, likely a separate satirical item about social decay and incompetent servants, typical of Life's commentary on contemporary society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE- 1603 IF WE OBEYED THAT IMPULSE WHEN DINING To MUSIC Newspapers THe London papers have been ridiculing our newspaper editors, They say that our papers poohpoohed at Roosevelt when he started out on his campaign and said that he had no show; that he was not worth considering; and, in fact, that our editors entirely misunderstood the whole situation. No news- paper thohght that he could carry Hlinois; but after he had carried Illinois, then nobody thought that he could carry Massachusetts; after he had carried Massachusetts, why even then the editors thought that he might possibly split Ohio, and thus all along the line. According to the London critics, our newspapers have failed. But why should they not fail? Our newspapers are not published in the interest of truth or justice. Nobody wants a paper that is tied down to truth, There is no great demand for the article on this side of the Atlantic. The fact that so many papers have been denouncing Roosevelt and giving reasons why he could never “come back” is evidence of the fact that the people are more interested in the picturesque things the papers publish than in less interesting truths. Few believe everything they see in the paper. If it is interesting they read it. But they seldom believe it. JUDGE, I WANT A DIVORCE FROM MY S, WITH B' ARE of the man who knows too much, especially ALIMONY. THEY HAVE DESERTED ME FOR SOCIETY AND LEFT if it happens to be yourself. MY BRINGING UP TO INCOMPETENT SERVANTS.” comicbooks.com