Life — April 24, 1919 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation of the Cartoon This cartoon depicts a traffic cop directing a young woman toward a car, with the caption: "Take yer time, young lady. It's better to get to the office too late than to heaven too early." The satire targets reckless driving and the era's dangerous roads. The "GO" traffic signals above reinforce the speed-obsessed culture. The joke warns against prioritizing punctuality over safety—arriving late to work is preferable to fatal accidents. This reflects early 20th-century concerns about automobile danger and cultural anxieties about modern speed, combined with period gender attitudes (addressing a "young lady" specifically, suggesting concerns about women drivers).