Life, 1914-03-12 · page 16 of 44
Life — March 12, 1914 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks the proliferation of bureaucratic oversight in democratic governance. The text describes citizens appointing representatives to supervise the government, who then appoint *other* representatives to supervise those representatives—creating an absurd infinite regress of oversight layers. The satire's point: citizens eventually realize this system has become so convoluted that "we will all be involved," defeating the original purpose of delegation. Rather than fix the problem, they abandon civic engagement entirely, going to a baseball game instead. The accompanying illustrations show "On With the Dance"—figures in various poses suggesting frivolous activity and distraction. The page also includes a separate section, "Signs of Civilization," condemning hospital abuses and medical malpractice where patients were allegedly harmed by dangerous injections, presented as a darker commentary on institutional corruption masquerading as benevolence. Together, these pieces critique both government dysfunction and public apathy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Signs of Civilization T last public opinion is awakening to the fact that hospital patients have rights. But no investigation into the outrages practiced upon the help- less poor will be of any service if the statements of the perpetrators them- selves are to be accepted. They began by denying the charges. Now that the charges can no longer be denied, they assert, with an almost incredible ef- frontery, that the serums injected into their victims are harmless. Harmless! The elements of tuberculosis and cancer harmless The ordinary assassin who offers his victim the ghost of a chance is an angel of merey compared with him wh the guise of friendship, inoculates a trusting patient with a loathsome disease, Mercy in these men was long since dead. All Settled At Last TRE next thing in order was people's control of the government. Much thought was given to the sub- ject. It was not realized that all the people could not be on the spot to supervise the government, and tell it what it ought to do. This was just as evident as the other fact that the gov- ernment itself was not doing what the people wanted it to do. Several men—leading citizens—there- upon arose and said that in the delicate task before the people they should be glad to act as representatives. WITH THE DANCE “We will supervise the government just as if you were there,” they kindly volunteered, As many of the people had other engagements by this time, they con- sented to what seemed a fair arrange- ment, until it was objected to that someone ought to control the repre- sentatives who were appointed to con- trol the government. “They may get careless, however pure their intentions are.” This seemed good to the people, so they appointed another set of repre- sentatives to control the representatives who were going to control the govern- ment. “IT move we appoint. still other representatives,” shouted another re- former, “to control those who have just “i Thereupon the people rose en masse. “Never!” they exclaimed. “ This thing has gone far enough. If it keeps on pretty soon we will all be involved, which is the last thing we are looking for.” So saying, they went across the way to the baseball game. THE DIPLOMAT