Life, 1915-09-02 · page 40 of 48
Life — September 2, 1915 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page (page 440) is primarily **advertising and satirical commentary**, not political cartoons in the traditional sense. The main satirical article, "Working an Old Claim," mocks the medical and scientific professions for constantly inventing new "fads" to maintain public interest and justify their existence. The author argues that science, unlike religion, must constantly innovate to survive—comparing scientists to theatrical managers seeking novelty. The piece specifically targets **eugenics** (a pseudo-scientific movement promoting selective breeding). It ridicules Dr. M. W. Keating's eugenic argument that education deceives us about potential marriage partners' true qualities, making "proper breeding" impossible. The satire suggests scientists exploit public fear about the future to promote dubious theories. The page also includes a humorous section, "The Millennium Will Come When," sarcastically listing impossible conditions (lawyers with common sense, diplomats with honesty)—implying these professions lack these virtues. The Kodak and hotel advertisements are standard period marketing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Make the Kodak record Autographic—Authentic Date and title every negative at the time you make it. Architects, engineers, contractors find that it pays to keep progressive photo- graphic records of their work. Such records are valuable. They become doubly valuable when every negative bears a date and title made at the time of exposure. All folding Kodaks are now autographic and there’s no extra charge for autographic film. EASTMAN KODAK CO., ROCHESTER, N. Y., The Kodak City Catalog Sree at your dealer's, or by mall The Millennium Will Come When E" Y lawyer has common sense and judgment Every society leader has refinement and modesty. Every diplomat has honesty and sm. very doctor has integrity and broadne: Every actor has self-depreciation and domesticity. And there are no lawyers, society leaders, diplomats, doctors or actors. “ETRESE - Working an Old Claim HE main difference between re- ligion and science is that religion does not have to invent anything new to keep itself going, while science weuld soon die out and be forgotten if it did not keep on inventing some- thing new. Science is like a theatrical manager. It must provide its public with con- stantly new sensations. Thus we have the medical profession, which caters more to the public for direct profit than any other science—inventing new fads almost every week. Yesterday it was leeches and herbs; to-day it is inocu- lation and blood pressure. The public must be amused and interested, Other- wise the doctors would vanish and everybody would die a natural death. The science of eugenics, which has been so recently struggling to its feet, recognizes all this, and, with its eye on the gallery, now comes forward with a new idea about education, We thought that education was completely knocked out, and that there was no more profit to anybody in slamming it. Every school- boy knows now that education doesn’t educate, Everybody knows that col- leges are places where disguised capi- talists sandbag their victims, rob them oi their mental freedom and carefully keep them from knowing anything. Everybody knows that a school is a place invented by politicians to prevent hoys from learning how to.make a liv- ing. And it would seem like the height of imprudence for any scientist who has a family to support to say anything more on the subject. Yet Dr. M. W. Keating, writing in the Engenics Review, has not only suc- ceeded in doing this, but appears to have gotten away with it. This dis- tinguished and ingenuous gentleman's idea, in brief, is that we should (to he in good eugenic form and produce the proper results) marry our oppo- site, but that education fools us about our opposites and makes it too hard to know what they are. He says: A person with a true inborn qual- ity which has been developed may be led to marry a person who has that quality toa slight degree, but through education has been able to give it the appearance of strength. As a result. the breeding will not be true... . Marriage will be a dis- aster to the community. Thus we see that, to the ambitious cugenist or any young man willing to apply himself, it is possible to work an old claim like education and get something new out of it to make us fearful of the future, which is the usual motif of all successful scientific writers. Just as we were all convinced that education doesn’t cducate, we Chateau faurie Offawa-Gnada HE de lure Hotel of the Domicion. Sx» ated in the heart of the Capital of Canal, ts oneofthefinest hotels on the Contises: Accommodations, three hu rooms, Rates, $2.00 and upw European plan. Ottawa in summer is a deli journ. Full of interest for the rs sightseer. Handsomely illu: vi of Ottawa and the Chateau Laurier sent ie on application to Desk C. Chateau Lauri. are told that it is worse i it varnishes o\ spots, thereby deceiving There is only one thing that di vs, however, in this march of progress, and that is whethe Almighty has his and is keeping himself alive to the portance of the co! infer mation imparted by scic like D: Keating. If he isn't, if he do listen to the things they are te him, then, in Heaven's name, what to become of us? “AMONG THOSE PRESENT” to many requests we have recrntece le am Set form the recent cover design by. Frees Hania BAe Phetee dominant hgures fn the Great World Wat onl In ‘great demand by Poster Stamp Collectors and novel historist seat Tet Ser BT Live Pumtisitinc Company. 17 West Sst See 8? comicbooks.com