Life, 1912-12-05 · page 67 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 67: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes young people's tendency to hold strong, inflexible opinions on everything. The essay (likely by E.O.J., the credited author) humorously observes that youth consider themselves wise with "definite, clear cut" views on cosmic matters, while older, wiser people eventually realize most opinions are wrong and prefer silent contemplation. The top cartoon titled "CAUGHT" shows someone photographing or documenting a figure—likely satirizing young idealists being observed or exposed. The bottom cartoon, "The 'Scrap Heap' Left from the Last Campaign," depicts a chaotic pile of political figures and debris labeled with references to recent political conflict (appears to reference "Green Dayton," "Senator La Follette," and "others"). This mocks the wreckage of a failed political campaign, suggesting ambitious politicians and their causes end up discarded after electoral defeat—a visual parallel to the essay's theme that youthful certainties prove misguided.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
2379 Views OUNG people have views. They consider it exceed- ingly important that they should have views about things; definite, clear cut, unalterable views that show great sagacity and perspicacity and erudition and orienta- tion; big, broad, comprehensive views that compass the cosmos, reach infinitely into both ends of eternity, and correct all the aberrations of the universe; keen, incisive, penetrant views that sink into the very soul of spirituality and hit the bull's-eye of the heart of things at any given range; views that ramify the uttermost reaches of rarefied ether; that roam the gamut of heaven, earth, hell and in- finity with firm and confident tread. As fast as they grow older, their views change and, if they finally reach years of wisdom, they have almost no views at all. They find that views, besides being errone- ous in something like nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine cases out of a million, are de- cidedly bothersome and very apt to interfere with the landscape. When that time comes, it is their great de- light to sit and smoke a silent pipe and smile indulgently while the views of ambitious youth are being aired. Ex. amine your views. They will tell you your exact location with respect to evolution, E, O. J. CAUGHT THE “ SCRAP HEAP. LEFT FROM THE LAST CAMPAIGN comicbooks.com