Life, 1913-01-09 · page 34 of 100
Life — January 9, 1913 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces critiquing 1920s American consumer culture and judicial corruption. **"The Endless Chain"** (left) parodies the nursery rhyme "This Is the House That Jack Built." It traces how purchasing one automobile creates an endless cycle of debt: Jack buys a motor, mortgages his house to pay for it, requires a lawyer to arrange financing, whose own motor purchase creates further mortgages and real estate dealings. The satire's point: automobile purchases trigger cascading financial obligations affecting entire professional classes. The final line—"We all own Motors, and we all get them in the same way"—suggests this debt spiral is universal and inescapable in modern consumer society. **"To Whom It May Concern"** (right) by H. Hall presents hypothetical scenarios exposing judicial and political corruption: a magistrate's leniency toward wealthy defaulters, judges favoring politicians' friends, courtroom bias based on bribes or influence. Each verse asks whether justice depends on the defendant's wealth or connections rather than law itself—a scathing indictment of systemic corruption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SS|ePE The Endless Chain This is the Motor that Jack bought. This is the House that was mort- gaged to pay for the Motor that Jack bought. G This is the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. This is the Lawyer who arranged the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. This is the Motor of the Lawyer who arranged the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. FR This is the House that paid for the Motor of the Lawyer who arranged the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. This is the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor of the Lawyer who arranged the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. This is the Real Estate Man who arranged the Mortgage upon the House of the Lawyer who arranged the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. This is the Motor of the Real Es- tate Man who arranged the Mortgage upon the House of the Lawyer who arranged the Mortgage upon the House that paid for the Motor that Jack bought. This is the— But why continue? We all own Motors, and we all get them in the same way. To Whom It May Concern F I were a bank defaulter, And you were a magistrate, Would you measure me for a halter; Or wouldn't your judgment falter At the thought that your act might alter Your vote on election date— If I were a rich defaulter And you a poor magistrate? If I were a politician . And you were a trial judge, And my foe, for a slight sedition Came before your court in contrition, Would you judge him from intuition If I gave you a gentle nudge— If I were a politician And you were a trial judge? If I had votes in my pocket And you were upon the bench, And my lady had thieved a locket, And I asked a boon—would mock it, Or strike her name from the docket If she were a comely wench— you If I had your votes in my pocket, And you were upon my bench? If I were a combination And you were the law's delay, And I had an inspiration That I was good for the nation, And I hated investigation, Would you put it off—for to-day— If I were the combination That paid for the law’s delay? Yes, if you were a retail vendor And I had a mind to buy, You'd do your utmost to render Good service to please the spender— If you got the legal tender You wouldn't ask whence, nor why. And—are you a retail vendor If I have a mind to buy? ° H. Hall. comicbooks.com