Life, 1915-10-28 · page 22 of 52
Life — October 28, 1915 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* contains satirical commentary on American public figures and social issues circa 1915. **"Not Yet a Survivor"** mocks Secretary of Interior Lane's claim that poet Jim Riley and author W.D. Howells are "last survivors" of great American literary men. The satire: Riley (born 1853, age 62) hasn't lived long enough to legitimately claim "survivor" status—he's simply younger than the predecessors he outlived through natural longevity, not exceptional achievement. **"A Popular Disease"** lampoons Americans' obsession with holding titles. The cartoon shows a man overwhelmed by organizational presidencies—depicting how proliferation of clubs and societies means nearly everyone now holds some "president" position, rendering the title meaningless. **"Turned Down"** ridicules Charles Lauriat Jr., a *Lusitania* disaster survivor who complained to the Justice Department about a "Lusitania Society" stirring anti-German sentiment. The satire suggests his complaint is absurd—surviving a German U-boat sinking should logically inspire German criticism, yet he wants to suppress it. The page includes light political banter about German invasion fears and Japanese soldiers.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
go2 + LIEBE: Not Yet a Survivor OCTOBER 7th was the birthday of everybody's good friend, Jim Riley, the Hoosier poet. Jim was born in 1853, and is therefore sixty-two years old. That an odd birthday like that should command atten- tion seems unusual, but there must be some reason. Secretary Lane is quoted as saying that Jim and Mr. W. D. Howells are “the last two survivors of a generation of great literary men who were distinctly American and did much in poetry and prose to reveal the characteristic beauty and struggle of American life.” To be sure, except that a man of sixty-two has not yet got to an age where he is entitled to a rating as a sur- vivor. Mr. Lane is only fifty-one, and to him, no doubt, a mar of sixty-two looks like a venerable relic. But whorr besides Eugene Field and Bill Nye has our good Hoosier bard and brother survived? Mr. Howells was of the generation of Mark Twain and Aldrich and Warner and a younger member of the Boston Olympians, but while Mr. Howells is a veteran, Riley is still a mere kid, and survives his elders for the excellent reason that he was born later in life. A Popular Disease HAT American is there who has not been, or is not going to be, a president of something? Time was when the number of societies, clubs, organizations, chap- ters, associations, etc., was so limited that only about one in ten thousand could be a president. Now nobody, no matter how humble he is, can avoid the office. BUT DIFFERENT BRANDS Turned Down Charles E. Lauriat, Jr., a Lusitania survivor, has appealed to the Department of Justice to investigate the “Lusitania Society.” He suspects it stirs up ill feel- ings toward Germany. It seems indelicate of Charles to be a survivor. Proper consideration for Germany should have persuaded him to stay under. The Department said “Shoo!” to him. INKS: In our present defenseless condition the Ge mans could capture New York in no time. Spin Nonsense! We'd only need to lure them upon one of the streets where the subways are building and, presto, that would be the end of them. HERE are objections to fetching Japanese fighting men AGI, Sea JOH Fert up tbe hill to fetes pail of water. into Europe, but Armenia is in Asia, and possibly a dry Martinis and a horse's neck. field of usefulness might be found for them there. Comicbooks.com