Life, 1915-08-19 · page 32 of 48
Life — August 19, 1915 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
## Main Cartoon: "How a Fish Looks When It Gets Away" The illustration shows a large fish escaping from a small figure on a log, humorously depicting the fisherman's perspective of loss. ## "Diary of an Abandoned Baby" This satirical piece presents a baby's first-person account of being left behind when parents vacation at a hotel that doesn't allow children (a common 1930s practice). The satire critiques parental neglect and overprotective child-rearing norms. The baby thrives without supervision—discovering water from the tap, sharing milk with a compassionate milkman and the family cat—contradicting contemporary medical advice about germs and constant oversight. The dark humor lies in the parents' surprise the child survived, and the child's dread upon their return. ## "Another Time They Will Know" This brief item references "Holt" and "Muenter" (appears to reference a fugitive case), criticizing professors at Cornell or Harvard for remaining silent about knowing a wanted person's whereabouts, wrestling with competing moral obligations regarding fugitives versus dangerous individuals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HOW A FISH LOOKS WHEN IT GETS AWAY Diary of an Abandoned Baby (A. D. 1930) Bc stir in the house to-day. Trunks being packed, and all that sort of confusion, Had to pick up anything I could get to eat. Wonder what's up? This morning men came for trunks and the whole family left. My mother actually took me up in her arms and kissed me. “What a pity,” I heard her say to my father, “that they won't take him at the hotel! But, of course, I must have my rest.” How quiet the house seems without them all! Ought to sleep well to-night. Broke into the refrigerator to-day and managed to get a square meal. How careless of them to leave so many things! Spent the afternoon crawling up and down stairs. Rather good exercise. Signalled to the cat to-day from the top floor. He was sitting on the back fence, looking pretty blue. Nice pussy, that. Seems a pity to have left him to his own resources. But, then, he is only a cat. Police came around to-day on a tour of inspection. I lay low and kept mighty quiet. Afraid they might ar- rest me for vagrancy. Made a great discovery late this afternoon. My eye was attracted by a brilliant brass thing in the kitchen. I turned it, quite by accident, and got—water! This was a grand day for me. This morning about five the milkman passed by, and I'll be blessed if he didn’t fill an old saucer on the back steps with milk for the cat. I got there first. Talk about your Ritz-Carleton and Waldorf-Astoria! They didn’t have a thing on me. P. S.—I left some for the cat. That milkman is the real thing! He did the same thing this morning. This time pussy got there first—I had to crawl through the window; but I'm blessed again if, when she saw me coming, she didn’t leave some for me. And yet they say cats have no human feeling. All my theories have been exploded. Since the family has been away I've slept anywhere without covers and taken no advice from anybody, and never felt better. Guess +I must have developed resources of my own. I've no doubt that that water and that milk are reeking with germs. But, in the absence of the doctor, I’ve done as I pleased. S; diet, plenty of exercise and fair division with the cat—that's my rule. And no noise! The worst has happened. They've returned. Mother seemed surprised to see me alive. But father said: “Never mind, dear, your health is restored. You can bear it bravely now.” In the meantime I await the future with calmness, but little hope. Another Time They Will Know [" seems that several professors at Cornell or Harvard who knew that Holt was Muenter kept the informa- tion to themselves. So they saw their duty. Doubtless each of them has now made a note on his cuff to this effect: “It's mean to tell on a fugitive, but if you think he is crazy it is better to tell.” Crazy people ought not to be at large, even though they are already charged with murder, “HIS MASTER'S VOICE” comicbooks.com