Life, 1913-07-31 · page 11 of 36
Life — July 31, 1913 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon ("On Life's Wire"):** This depicts a dialogue between "Life" (personified as a woman) and "Mellен," an engineer discussing corporate liability. The satire critiques how engineers deflect responsibility for industrial accidents—the company blames the engineer, who blames poor colleagues, creating a chain where no one accepts accountability. The conversation warns against being "too indulgent with the public," suggesting corporations prioritize damage control over genuine safety improvements. **Bottom Section:** "An Opening" describes North Plainfield, N.J. licensing cat-killing services to control rodents—presenting this absurdist municipal policy as an entrepreneurial opportunity. The accompanying cartoon "The Unwilling Convert" (labeled "Eugenics") appears to satirize forced eugenic ideology, showing a figure coercing unwilling participation. Both pieces mock institutional evasion of responsibility and questionable "scientific" justifications for harmful policies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Visitor: WHat's THE MATTER WITH HIM? 1S HE ILL? The Farmer's Wife: Qu, NO MA’AM; HE AIN'T ILL, BUT NO STOMACH OF THAT SIZE CAN STAND ELI EARS OF CORN. An Opening 'HE borough of North Plainfield, N. J., having placed a license fee of two dollars and a half on cats, a large number of felines are packing their grips preparatory to leaving town. As there is no corresponding tax on rats and mice, in the resulting absence of the “harmless, necessary cat,” the councilmen and other officie]s expect to catch the rats themselves, for the good of the public. Fine opening for a mousetrap factory; good site, big demand, sure trade, SOME people marry thoroughly, others incidentally On Life's Wire “ ELLO, Lire?” H Lire.’ “ Mellen.” “Charles S.?” Right. Another wreck.” Engineer as usual?” “Yes. Engineer.” “Which absolutely absolves yourself and the stockholders from all blame.” “ Absolutely.” “And there will be no necessity of fixing up the roadbed and the equip- ment?” “None whatever. Not so long as there are engineers. You see the pub- lic doesn't mind being slaughtered so long as it knows whose fault it is.” “The only thing necessary then is to get better engineers.” “ Quite the contrary. That would be fatal. If we got better engineers, then there would be nobody on whom to blame the wrecks.” “Of course. How stupid of us!" “ And so if anything happens in the future, you will know it’s the engineer's fault, without my calling up.” “Exactly so. It is clear, Mr. Mel- len, that you know your business, and it isn't for us to interfere. There is, however, one wee word of caution we should like to offer.” “Go ahead, Lire.” “ Whatever else you do don't he too indulgent with the public” “Fear not. You can depend on us for that. So long.” “So long. THE UNWILLING ‘CONVERT comicbooks.com