Life, 1912-09-05 · page 7 of 44
Life — September 5, 1912 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page celebrates baseball as an American institution during what appears to be the early 20th century. The large illustration shows a street game with boys playing near a fence, watched by adults and children—depicting baseball as accessible to all social classes. The poem below, titled "Boys Will Be Boys," expresses nostalgia for baseball's virtues: it promises rest after labor, warns against obsessive fan complaints about umpires and weather, and suggests the sport builds character in youth. References to "Wagners and Cobbs" (likely baseball stars) indicate the sport's celebrity status. The smaller illustration captioned "A home run" shows children playing informally, reinforcing baseball's role as wholesome recreation that transcends class boundaries—a distinctly American ideal.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
tire, first 1s to ition “DOYS WILL RE Boys” L’Envoi of Baseball HEN earth's last ball game is ended and the bats are all pul c, When the ol has died, We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it—lie down for a catcher is toothless and the youngest pitcher season oF two And peacefully cease to be caring what the Wagners and Cobbs may do. Then those that are wise shall be happy; they shall cease to be bowed by care, And never have cause to grumble at weather that isn’t fair; There shall be no fans to argue, winter or summer or fall, And those who have brains will be thinking of something be- side baseball. And umpires never shall fret us and never deserve our blanc, And no one shall beat his children when the home team has lost a game; But each shall find something to live for, though the spitballist journey afar, And the grandmothers, well out of danger, shall be pleased with thi: as they are. comicbooks.com