Life, 1914-01-29 · page 25 of 40
Life — January 29, 1914 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon ("Giving Out the Parts"):** This satirizes the economic reality of young actresses in theater. Despite landing a coveted acting role, the protagonist earns only $30/week but must purchase three different dresses costing $400 total—over 13 weeks' salary. The joke exposes how theatrical work, seemingly glamorous, actually exploits performers financially. The sketch shows a casting director distributing roles while the hopeful actress realizes her "good part" is economically ruinous. **Bottom Article ("Iconoclastic"):** This editorial argues for applying business efficiency principles to government, advocating a "commission government" model with a professional business manager rather than career politicians. It uses the Boston Board of Education (reduced from 17 to 5 members with improved results) as precedent, suggesting the U.S. government is so wasteful it would face receivership under ordinary business laws. **The Turtle Cartoon:** A motorist's joke about seeing the same slow automobile repeatedly—implying it's so slow it was passed hours earlier yet is somehow still ahead.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GIVING OUT THE PARTS THE AMBITION OF THE YOUNG ACTRES COOD PART, SHE WILL APPEAR IN THR! DRESSES, THE DRESSES WILL COST HER FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS, IN THE FORFGROUND IS REALIZED AT LAST. ACTS OF THE PLAY, SHE WILL HAVE TO WEAR THREE DIFFERENT SHE HAS GoT A HER SALARY IS THIRTY DOLLARS PER WEEK Iconoclastic Is it too much to predict that commission government for the United States as a whole will come in time? We timidly suggest the idea, knowing full well that all senators, congressmen, cabinet officers, heads of depari- ments and other officials will lift up their hands in holy horror at the sacrilegious suggestion. The tendency is not (so far as government is concerned) all the other way. The tendency is to multiply offices just as laws are multiplied, but inasmuch as simplicity has been introduced into smaller communities, why will not the idea become broad cnough to include governments? It was not so long ago that the Board of Education in Boston consisted of seventeen members, and the reduction to five resulted in immediate improvements. With the Board of Directors for the United States elected by the people and the business manager employed by the Board of Directors, would it not be too much to hope that we might then get down to business? How long would the government of the United States last if it were subjected to ordinary business laws? It would he put in the hands of a receiver in no time. It is no economy to employ cheap men. Cheap men and their number are costing us from three hundred to five hundred millions a The Turtle: yes, THAT'S THE SAME AUTO THAT PASSED ME AT FIFTY MILES AN HOUR ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD! comicbooks.com