Life, 1913-05-15 · page 19 of 52
Life — May 15, 1913 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon ("Another Blow for Freedom"):** A large crowd of children marches with protest signs demanding "Votes for Children," "Down with Growing Up," "Schools Must Go," "No More Castor Oil," and "Free Ice Cream." This satirizes reform movements of the era by absurdly applying their rhetoric to children's complaints, mocking progressive activism as childish complaining. **Dialogue Scene:** A character named "Life" (the magazine's personified voice) confronts a doctor who casually accepts patient deaths as routine. Life sarcastically questions whether deaths harm newspapers, the medical profession, the doctor himself, or hospital patients—exposing the doctor's indifference. This critiques medical negligence and callous professionalism, likely reflecting contemporary concerns about hospital mortality rates. **Bottom Cartoon:** A blacksmith tells a customer their bargain car costs ten dollars to repair and "ain't worth it"—mocking cheap, unreliable automobiles and buyer's remorse among early motorists. All three pieces use humor to critique social attitudes: childish activism, medical negligence, and consumer gullibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Why should it be? There are plenty more left. Besides, the mere fact that a few patients die now and then does not tak ay anything from your reputation. If it did there would be no medical reputations left.” “But Lire, you don’t understand. a serious matter.” “Tut, tut, my dear doctor. It is not serious for the newspapers, is it?” Vell, hardly.” ‘or for the medical profession?” “Perhaps not.” “Nor for yourself?” “Possibly not.” “And certainly not for the poor devils in the hospitals who are being put so rapidly out of their misery?” “T hadn't thought of it in that way, Lire.” “Well, think it over, doctor. It is worth while. Good morning.” “Good morning, Lire.” ANOTHER BLOW FOR FREEDOM FREE | ICE CREAM THAT CAR YOU GOT AT A BARGAIN Blacksmith: WELL, IT'LL COST YE ABOUT TEN DOLLARS, AN’ TO TELL YE THE TRUTH, SHE AIN'T WORTH IT comicbooks.com