Life, 1913-04-03 · page 22 of 52
Life — April 3, 1913 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page contains three distinct pieces criticizing social and political hypocrisy circa 1910s America. **"Vice Conditions"** mocks cities' competitive blame-shifting over urban vice and corruption, suggesting they'll each claim to be worse than the last—except New York, where even Chicago store owners draw the line. The satire attacks hypocrisy: cities acknowledge vice exists while doing little. **"Spoiling Their Pleasure"** depicts a doctor lamenting that he extracted all a patient's money before surgery—suggesting medical exploitation of the sick and poor. **"A Dream"** by Will Herford presents an absurdist political fantasy where President Wilson waltzes with President Taft, radical Emma Goldman hikes with Theodore Roosevelt, boxer Jack Johnson leads strikes with Cardinal Gibbons, and—most importantly to Herford—*no children work*. This last detail is presented as the dream's most impossible element, satirizing America's acceptance of child labor as normal reality. The piece critiques widespread political corruption and social injustice as so entrenched that a world without child exploitation seems purely fantastical.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
682 Vice Conditions HEY have been so successful in finding vice in Chicago and connecting it up with low wages, that several other localities announce their several intentions to go into the matter. It may soon transpire, therefore, that Philadelphia is worse than Chicago, and that San Fran- «sco is worse than Philadelphia, and that St. Louis is worse than San Francisco, and that Boston is worse than St. Louis, and that New York is—no, that is going too far, as one of the department store proprietors in Chicago said when they asked him how much profit he made off his poorly-paid clerks. Yes, indeed, that is going entirely too far, Spoiling Their Pleasure “LJOW did your patient turn out?” “Miserably. We got every cent of his money be- fore we had a chance to operate.” A Bweccea “GREAT SCOTT, MARY, YOU FORGOT TO TAKE OFF THE PRICE TAG!" “THAT'S JUST THE IMPRESSION I WISH TO CONVEY.” “YE WANT TO BE MORE CAREFUL, BILLY, YE MISSED ONE o' THEM” A Dream DREAMED Mr. Wilson was waltzing with Taft, As they canvassed a judgeship for Gompers; That a Jew and a Presbyter saved on a raft Were drinking champagne out of hampers; Emma Goldman and Teddy were off on a hike With the rest of the Suftragist trampers, And Baer and Burns were leading a strike With Cardinal Gibbons, in rompers. But, vastly the funniest thing of the lot, Which convinced me I dreamed like a fool, Was, that no children worked, not one single tot, But all played and went to school, Will Herford. TOLEr | Sy SO. A mowte FOR “saue D, wa THE ANSWER TO THIS REBUS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF comicbooks.com