Life — October 12, 1916 — page 32: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising**, with one political cartoon at bottom right. **The Cartoon**: Titled "Labor" and "Capital," it depicts a large gentleman in a top hat standing atop a mountain labeled "Capital," speaking down to a smaller laborer below on "Labor." The caption reads: "Go on! You're always kicking! If it weren't for me you'd be sunstruck!" **The Satire**: This is social commentary on class relations and labor disputes. Capital personifies itself as the benevolent protector of Labor, dismissing workers' complaints ("kicking") as ingratitude. The joke—from Capital's perspective—is that workers should be grateful for employment rather than demanding better conditions. The cartoon likely reflects early 20th-century labor tensions: strikes, unionization efforts, and capitalist arguments that workers benefited from their employers' existence. **Modern Context**: Modern readers should recognize this as representing the exploitative logic workers rejected: the notion that mere employment constituted adequate compensation for grievances about wages, hours, or safety. The remaining page consists of advertisements for shirts, a Cleveland hotel, and French chocolates.