Life, 1912-10-31 · page 14 of 44
Life — October 31, 1912 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the chaotic 1914 stock market. The main article describes a volatile trading day where the "chief Bull and chief Bear jumped lightly into the center of the pit"—personifying market forces as combatants. Bulls (optimists betting prices rise) and Bears (pessimists betting prices fall) literally fight for control. The left cartoon shows a dejected figure labeled "The Renegade," appearing to represent a trader ruined by market swings. The dialogue sections below mock wealthy brokers' casual indifference to market turmoil—they discuss wives, banking conveniences, and gossip while fortunes shift around them. The satire suggests Wall Street elites remain detached from the chaos they cause, caring more about social status than actual financial consequences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
2090 -LIFE- Bulls and Bears UCH to the surprise of everyone, the stock market opened at the regular time last Monday. When the gong sounded the chief Bull and the chief Bear jumped lightly into the center of the ring. Lamb was referee. Buil lead off with a right-arm jab. Stocks went up. Bear came back with an upper cut. Stocks went down. They clinched. The market was weak. The referee declared a foul. All the stocks were put back where they were be- fore. At the end of the fifth round the referee declared another foul. Then both Bull and Bear turned upon Lamb and chased him out into the strect. Stocks laughed. On Wednesday stocks received word that Mr. Mor- gan’s transferring his art treasures to this country was a political blunder. This was the most disquieting news that had reached the street in a fortnight. Efforts were made to get into communication with Mr. Morgan, but as he was at that moment cruising upon an inaccessible part of the Nile, stocks decided to go down merely as a pre- caution, Several of the more respectable brokers looked on in wonderment. They said they had never seen stocks so peevish before. Just then a report came in that 1914 wheat looked very good. This was encouraging and would have had a pro- nounced effect upon the market, but the head statistician showed that the fact had been duly discounted in 1907 or thereabouts. To relieve the tension, the orchestra struck up “ Alex- “YOU'RE LOOKING VERY SLENDER AND GIRLISH TO- NIGHT, MATER. EXPECTING ONE OF YOUR OLD FLAMES TO DINNER?” “ NO-ONE OF Your father's.” ander’s Rag Time Band.” This gave a decided impetus to the game. New York Central Common did the Turkey Trot with Missouri Pacific First Mortgage Bonds. Steel Preferred did the Bear Hug with American Can Can. Amalgamated did the Boston Dip with Union Pacif Reading did the Gaby Glide with Western Union. It was a pleasant occasion. Up and down went these stocks with a regularity which some of the oldest habitués of the street say they have never known. In spite of had news from Afghani: . this situation was well maintained until Saturday, when the Chief of Pol arrived with the bank statement and put a stop to the whole business. These Boys OWARD: Hasn't Bachelor waited rather long before choosing a wife? Cowarp: Bless you, not He's only had a marrying income since he was sixty. ILLIS: I seé you have all the modern conveniences for women banking in this institution of yours Guus: Yes. Two of the highest paid gossips in the THE RENEGADE c ¢ always in attendance. comicbooks.com