Life, 1912-12-19 · page 12 of 40
Life — December 19, 1912 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Upper Section - Poem "Statistics Prove":** A satirical poem mocking the limitations of statistics. It argues that while statistics can measure quantifiable things (town sizes, tool development, wealth), they cannot capture human experience—a violin's beauty, an eye's glance, a sorrow, a bird's song, or the soul itself. The satire targets the era's growing faith in statistical data as proof of progress. **Lower Cartoon - "Why Captain Kidd's Treasure Has Never Been Found":** A humorous illustration depicting underwater explorers (on diving equipment) being chased away by sea creatures, while a woman sits relaxed on the ocean floor, apparently having claimed the treasure herself. The joke plays on the absurdity of where famous pirate treasure actually ended up.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
2488 “Statistics Prove” TATISTICS prove” things: size of towns, the height of kings, age of children in the schools, skull development of fools, salaries that parsons get, number of abodes to let, The wealth of lucky millionaires, The price of hens and mining shares— All things below and things It seems to be, “ statistics prove.” so many “g The The ve, But no! statistics never yet Appraised a single violet, Measured the glances of an eye, Or probed the sorrow of a sigh. Statistics never caught the gleam That dances on a meadow strea Or weighed the anthem of In forest aisles devoutly heard. Statistics never proved a soul, In high or low, in part or whole. Sin, beauty, passion, honor, love— How much statistics cannot prov Amos R, Wells. wuy BR suave “WON'T YE PLEASE MURKY, MISTER. HE'S COT MY SKATES ON” a RAWFORD: Do you object to the hobble skirt because it shows a Hoe You've been spending week with Perkins, haven't How is his house furnished insid Norn: I never noticed, “Well, he always did have good ou? woman's curves? vo Crapsuaw: No, objection is when it my boy. My only "sworn by women who haven't any curves. CAPTAIN KIDD'S TREASURE HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND comicbookeum