Life — February 7, 1918 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Railroad Traveling in the Near Future This page satirizes railroad travel conditions through two captioned illustrations. "An All Night Debauch" (left) shows shoes and debris scattered on a train floor, mocking the chaos of overnight rail journeys. "A War of Attrition" (right) depicts a man clinging desperately to a train's exterior, struggling against wind and motion—likely satirizing the difficulty of boarding or remaining aboard moving trains. The accompanying text offers mock-serious "directions to travelers," humorously advising passengers to prepare extensively (sleeping bags, portable stoves, rations) as if embarking on wilderness expeditions rather than train rides. The satire targets poor railroad conditions, unreliability, and the physical ordeal of rail travel in this era, treating routine journeys as epic endurance tests.