Life, 1914-10-22 · page 15 of 44
Life — October 22, 1914 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon (top):** Labeled "Thanatopsis," this depicts Death (skeleton figure in robes) looming over a wealthy man being robbed by street urchins. The satire critiques wealth inequality—Death comes for everyone equally, yet the rich man is simultaneously victimized by poverty-stricken children scrambling for coins scattered on the ground. The point: death renders material possessions meaningless, yet desperation persists. **Article & Bottom Cartoon:** The text satirizes Professor Wilhelm Röntgen (X-ray discoverer) who melted down his British Royal Society gold medal to donate it to the Red Cross during wartime. The article mocks this as childish tantrum masked by charity, while suggesting medals should contractually serve humanitarian purposes in wartime. The bottom cartoon's caption about "a pair of pants" appears a separate, unrelated joke about visiting relatives. The overall page critiques both mortality's indifference to wealth and the performative nature of scientific honors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A New Use for Medals HE news that Professor Roentgen (the man who put the X in X-ray) has had melted the gold medal given to him by the British Royal Society will doubtless come as a shock to those who believe that when a man becomes a man he puts away childish things. An angry child tossing his gift against the wall is Roentgen in miniature. But there are mitigating circumstances. The professor presented the gold from the melted medal to the Red Cross. Thus it has come in time to have a distinction quite rare to the ordinary medal; namely, it has a use By surrendering up its identity it has also advertised an idea which should be noted by the British Royal Society. When this distinguished body presents its medals to famous men, it should make the provision that in case of war the medal is always to be made useful, just as Pro- fessor Roentgen has done. RELATIVE TERM: When they visit you for three months, Down-and-Out: THAT's ME LUCK! ONLY A PAIK OF PANTS ni ME WANTIN’ comicbooks.com