Life, 1912-12-05 · page 63 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 63: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate satirical pieces: **"The Ideals"** contrasts how different people respond to witnessing human flight: a man wants to understand the mechanism, a woman worries about danger, but a child simply calls it angelic—satirizing how modern rationalism displaces wonder. **"Foot Ball Talk"** (cartoon caption) is a brief joke about coaching's physical effects on athletes. **"Humane Loeb"** is the main satirical piece, mocking Collector Loeb's response to new rules preventing Atlantic liners from docking at night. The satire is heavy-handed: Loeb claims to sympathize with exhausted customs officers, but Life sarcastically exposes this as callous—the real victims are passengers enduring intrusive baggage searches and insulting treatment. The piece ridicules Loeb's priorities: he celebrates shorter working hours for officials while dismissing passenger suffering as "of no special consequence." The sarcasm highlights the hypocrisy of false humanitarianism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A BIRD DOG The Ideals MAN fluttered across the sky, and the people looked up and wen- dered. Said another Man: “| did not know that could be done.” Then he said, “ How does he do it, with his muscles or with a machine?” Last he said, “I'd like to do that.” Said a Woman: “T did not know that could be done, myself." 7 Then she said, “Why do they do such dangerous things?” Last she said, “I’m glad my hus- band doesn't do that The Child said, “Why, mamma, that’s an angel.” FOOT BALL TALK THE TEAM SHOWED THE EFFECT OF STRENUOUS COACHING, “THERE NOW, JIMSY! DIDN’T 1 TELL YOU THERE'S A SANTA CLAUS?” Humane Loeb CCORDING to a recent rule made by the health of- ficer at New York, no Atlantic liners will be per- mitted hereafter to dock at night. Collector Loeb, when he heard this news, expressed himself as being very glad, as it would mean shorter hours for the customs force. There can be no doubt that the customs force has too much to do. You cannot insult decent people, rip open their baggage, and subject them to every possible indig- nity—to say nothing of the constant insinuation that they are thieves and blacklegs—without fatigue. Entirely aside, therefore, from the physical part of it, Collector Loeb shows his sympathetic spirit when he expresses his pleasure that hereafter the customs house officers will have shorter hours. The exasperating delay and the wear and tear upon the passengers are, of course, of no special consequence. comicbooks.com