Life, 1913-05-08 · page 28 of 48
Life — May 8, 1913 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces: **"Bad News"** criticizes Secretary of War Garrison for discovering America's military unpreparedness. The author sarcastically contrasts current weakness with American confidence after the Spanish-American War (1898), mocking the nation's decline from past imperial swagger to present vulnerability. **The chicken cartoon** uses barnyard humor—a man sitting on eggs expecting roosters, suggesting foolish expectations. **"Great Show"** mocks the women's suffrage movement's public demonstration at Madison Square Garden. Life satirizes different activist "types": bomb-throwing English suffragettes, marching women, "Domestic Type" housewives pretending contentment, and street-corner agitators—all portrayed as absurd or deceptive. **"Out of His Element"** is a joke about a New York criminal nervous away from home, playing on stereotypes about urban toughness. The page reflects early 1900s attitudes: skepticism about American military readiness and mockery of women's rights activism as theatrical and extreme.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
on YOUR OLD MAN SETTING ON THE EGGS FOR “sH—H—H! HE THINKS THEY WILL ALL TURN OUT ROOSTERS IF HE DOES.” Bad News © sooner does Mr. Garrison, the new Secretary of War, look into his portfolio than he discovers that we are not prepared for war. What's the matter with us? What has overtaken us since all that brag and bluster arising from a certain little brush with Spain which some of us remember? If we were able more than a decade ago to pick a fight with a foreign nation and take a lot of islands away from her, how comes it we have degenerated to such pusillanimous impotence? We certainly were some warriors in the pris- tine days of 1898, but, though our standing army is sev- cral times bigger and a single battleship these days costs as much as two or more of those valiant leviathans, we could not repeat the valorous deeds of the past. We are not even prepared to stay home and mind our own busi- ness in ample security from the ogreish foreign potentates who lie in wait to rush in suddenly when the Army and Navy Department shall have relaxed their vigilance. Mr. Garrison is to be congratulated at being able to size up such a comprehensive situation at a single peep, as it were, and we can only hope that he is mistaken, that a second peep will reveal unsuspected resources of brawn, breastworks and _bellicos E. O. J. PEM TONS are often necessary—for surgeons in straightened circumstances. Great Show (The Suffragettes’ Bench Show was the feature of the week. Madison Square Garden was crowded to its limit every afternoon and evening. The idea of the show was to advertise the rights of women, and, by showing repre- sentatives of this great cause, to give an object lesson which will convey to everybody its real meaning.) OMB THROWERS.—This small and select class was imported from England. They present a mild front and usually dress well. Principal occupation, destroying public buildings and, when it is over, shouting, “ Sorry we didn’t kill more. Marcuers (all nationalities) —These ladies have a craze for marching. They spend their time in forming in line. They will march anywhere, if they can be noticed. Domestic Tyre.—Rare, but important. This type is de- mure in appearance and, when approached, will talk about home life as if they believed it really existed. Their pur- pose is to deceive the unwary into believing that they are harmless. Some of them have even gone so far as to have children, whom they systematically neglect in order to attend public meetings. Our anv Ourters.—Quite common. Will buttonhole you anywhere “for the cause.” Not shamed by anything Love to screech. Fond of standing on soap boxes in public squares. Out of His Element IRST CUT-THROAT AND ROBBER: Did you pull off that job in Syracuse? Srcono Cut-Tnroat: Naw. Do you know, when I get away from New York I get nervous. WARMING UP comicbooks.com