Life, 1914-05-21 · page 12 of 52
Life — May 21, 1914 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page (page 912) contains two satirical cartoons commenting on early 20th-century American politics and society. **Top cartoon:** Shows a figure distributing eugenics propaganda to a crowd. The caption "Is the Prof. a Self-Made Man?" sarcastically questions whether eugenics advocates genuinely achieved their status or merely arranged it through privilege—mocking the pseudoscience of eugenics that was gaining traction in this era. **Bottom cartoon:** Titled "Onward, Christian Soldier!" depicts a Rockefeller figure (labeled "Colorado") confronting labor issues, likely referencing the Rockefeller family's violent suppression of miners' strikes. The satire questions the morality of wealthy industrialists claiming Christian values while brutally opposing workers' rights. The page's text sections offer cultural commentary and humor on various topics, reflecting *Life*'s role as satirical social criticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
912 ‘LIFE * Why Not Have Yourself Appraised? HE government has bought a substantial tract of land in the District of Columbia, south of the White House, and proposes to erect there some new public build- ings. Among others will be one for the new Department of Labor. We suggest another building, while there is still room, and a new department, namely, Department of Appraisal. The difficulty of picking out our great men is, to the or- dinary citizen, constantly increasing. You never know what moment you may pass one by without recognizing him. But the difficulty of knowing how to classify those who are known to us is much greater. A man’s reputation for greatness is often measured by the sum total of all the newspaper accounts about him. Whar we need, therefore, is a national board which will appraise all great men at their real value, and label them accordingly. Their credentials would read something as follows: Passed by the National Board of Appraisers, May, 1914. Pure Bluff 30 per cent. Culture 3 per cent. Money-making ability 30 per cent. Capacity for con- tinuous work 2 per cent. Bullheaded luck 35 per cent. Culture IRST COLLEGE STUDENT: Hamlet's soliloquy come? Seconp Stupent: I'm not quite sure, but I think it comes in Macbeth, where Iago delivers the funeral oration over Marx Antony. In what play does OTTO of Congress—Millions for investigations, but not one cent for rectifications. “ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIER!” co “NO, NO} EUGENICALLY ARRANGSD FoR.” Our Most Dangerous Character > Sane or insane, Harry Thaw is the most dangerous character in the country, and he has been so for many years. He is dangerous to our self-respect, dangerous to our institutions and dangerous to our reputation. —San Francisco Argonaut. O you think so? sIt is an interesting opinion. But if you had asked us who is the most dangerous character in the country—dangerous to our self-respect, in- stitutions and reputation, we should have said—— Well now, whom do you think we would have said? Give you one guess, and the same to any reader who is in- terested. “NYJAITER,” said the indignant diner, “this soup tastes as if it had tobacco in it.” ‘ypographical crror, sir,” responded the waiter; “it should have been tabasco.” comicbooks.com