Life, 1919-09-04 · page 28 of 48
Life — September 4, 1919 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page satirizes the dominance of railroad labor unions (the "Four Brotherhoods"—likely referring to major railroad worker unions of the era) over railroad stockholders and management. The top photograph shows a couple viewing scenery, captioned "And they climbed up here to see the sunset"—a romantic, innocent scene contrasting with the harsh rules below. The "Traveling Rules" mock how stockholders must surrender all property to unions, perform menial labor, and show deference to Brotherhood members—inverting normal class hierarchies. The three cartoons below ("What Goeth On at Present") continue the critique: "The Best Remedy" suggests union power as a solution, while "Shade of American Doughboy" cynically questions whether this worker dominance represents the democracy WWI soldiers fought for. The final panel warns children away from tobacco-using workers. The satire targets what the magazine viewed as excessive union power constraining capital and respectability during labor's post-WWI strength.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AND THEY CLIMRED UP HERE TO SEE THE SUNSET Traveling Rules for Railroad Stockholders He shall rise and stand at attention when a member of aI BIRE mac , a Brotherhood passes. CITIZEN owning railroad stock shall be permitted to Hevdliall freely -eedevany’artidevol. couiing-or verdant adornment which peal toa member of a Brotherhood He shall cheerfully do the fatigue duty allotted him. He travel, provided, at the beginning of his journey, he has ceded all property, both real and personal, to the Four Brotherhoods, shall also, when required, sweep the car, mend the road- hed and help the engine up the grades Brotherhood objects, in which case he shall ride At the end of his journey he shall thank the various in the baggage car, if there be carried no live-stock be- members of the Brotherhoods for their courtesy and for- longing to the Brotherhoods. bearance in permitting him to ride. What Goeth On at Present Il he allowed a seat in a day coach unless a mem: a) Yy Vitti BEST REMEDY Shade of American Doughboy; tuat’s “CHILDREN SHOULD BE KEFT FROM NOT EXACTLY THE KIND OP DEMOCRACY 1 KISSING FATRERS WHOSE LIPS ARE DE rovGHT FoR! FILED ny Tonaceo! comicbooks.cqnim