Life, 1914-10-29 · page 11 of 44
Life — October 29, 1914 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts an allegorical female figure (representing something valuable or desirable) admired by an older, bearded man gazing upward at her portrait. The caption reads: "Tho' lost to sight, to mem'ry dear / Thou ever wilt remain." **"Good Authority" section** defends Alabama's governor O'Neal against claims that Life has lied about the state's conditions. It argues Alabama's low position among states reflects lack of "life, health and intelligence of little children," while praising the governor's efforts to improve conditions by promoting insider reform. The piece uses romantic/nostalgic imagery ironically—suggesting Alabama's past glory is "lost to sight" while present reforms remain hopes rather than achievements. The satire critiques both the governor's modest progress and the state's broader social deficiencies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Tho’ lost to sight, to mem’ry dear Thou ever wilt remain” Good Authority ERHAPS those who claim that Lire has lied about Alabama will pardon us for publishing these words of Governor O'Neal of the State: “ Alabama to-day occupies the un- enviable and humiliating position of being one of the three States of this Union that permits the life, health and intelligence of little children to be coined into gold to swell the dividends of the capitalist class that own the cotton mills of the State.” Good work, Governor! Keep it up. We have felt for some time to be working at a disadvantage because we are so far away and because outsiders are always looked upon with suspicion. What this job needs is a few good, lively insiders with authority and in- fluence. Reward of Merit A correspondent sends us word (It may be true or not) That Kaiser Wilhelm has conferred The Iron Cross on Gott. —Henry Tyrrell, in New York World. ET us hope that this much-coveted honor, thus bestowed, as it were, on an outsider, will not awaken un- seemly jealousy in Prussian military circles. Point of View T sometimes happens that a man’s practices will betray the processes of his mind unconsciously, For ex- ample in the telegram which was sent to President Wilson by John D, Rocke- feller, Jr., the concluding sentence was as follow: “I will support any constructive plan which may properly conserve the interests of the stockholders, the employees and the public.” We wonder how many years will have to go by before, under similar circumstances, a similar capitalist, sit- uated like John D, Rockefeller, Jr., would write a telegram and have it concluded as follows: “I will support any constructive plan which may properly conserve the interests of the public, the em- ployees and the stockholders.” “THERE'S no use, my dear girl; you can’t be happy with that young man on two thousand a year.” “But, papa, I'm too much in love to care about whether I’m happy or not.” SIRE is the beginning of all things. Performance is the end. Rest not on past performances. Get new desires, “SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS” comicbooks.com