Life, 1913-04-17 · page 16 of 52
Life — April 17, 1913 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**"The Spirit of Self-Sacrifice"** mocks Alabama's exploitation of child labor. The text sarcastically praises the state's "Christian altruism" in sending children to factories and mines, then reveals the joke: Alabama doesn't profit because foreign capitalists own these industries. The satire cuts both ways—condemning child labor while ridiculing how wealth extracted from poor workers enriches New York elites' art collections. **"Unlawful"** jokes about florists and confectioners suing over a "merger"—a groom who spent lavishly before marriage but nothing after, treating matrimony as a hostile business takeover that eliminates their customer. **"Contrary to Precedent"** presents a crude ethnic joke: a pedestrian asks a policeman if he's still in New York, surprised to see three "Gentiles" (non-Jews), implying New York's Lower East Side was predominantly Jewish immigrant. The "joke" relies on stereotyping neighborhood demographics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE* The Spirit of Self-Sacrifice NE of the beautiful things about Alabama is her saintly spirit of seri- ous self-sacrifice. Alabama, mark you, is all. business No tomfoolery for her. At the earliest age possible, and oftentimes earlier, she kisses her children fondly and sends them along to toil in the factories, fields and mines, but she does not do this selfishly, It isn’t the miser in her that spurs her on, but Christian altruism. This has heen pointed out to us by a minister who used to live down there. He says that the work of little children is very profitable, but that Alabama does not keep the profits for herself, because the principal child-employing indus- tries that adorn her fair map are mostly owned by for- cign capitalists. Therefore, it is insisted the people of Alabama, and especially the children of Alabama, are entitled to some of the credit for the magnificent art col- lections that beautify the mansions of New York con- noisseurs. We are only too glad to publish this little tribute to Alabama, even if it does sound a good deal like free advertising. Unlawful HAT the man spent for flowers and candy before his wedding was quite some. But not a red afterwards. Accordingly the florists and confectioners filed a bill in the federal court. “This merger,” they protested, “is in restraint of trade!” He: 1SN'T THE WIDOW WEARING A RATHER LOW GOWN? “SHE'S IN HALF MOURNING NOW, YoU KNOW." SUFFRA THE SACRIFICE Contrary to Precedent PEDEsT RIAN: Officer, am I still in New York—in the city limits? Pouicesa: PepestRian last block. Indade, an’ yez are, son. I passed three Gentiles on the comicbooks.com