Life, 1924-02-14 · page 15 of 36
Life — February 14, 1924 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes predictions about technological and social progress. The narrator consults a "crystal-gazer" to learn "what's on ahead," and is told about a fantastical future world. The satire catalogs absurd inventions and scenarios: motorized vehicles everywhere, canaries with propellers, whales with mechanical parts, submarines, and animals wearing human technology. The humor lies in mocking overly optimistic predictions of mechanization and progress—suggesting that future advancement would be chaotic, ridiculous, and poorly integrated into nature. The small illustrations with silhouettes depict these bizarre hybrids of animals and machinery, emphasizing the satirist's skepticism about whether technological "progress" would actually improve life or simply create confusion and danger ("pain was more than I could bear"). This reflects turn-of-the-century anxieties about rapid industrialization.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIF E: : _A PEEP INTO THE FUTURE _ One question that arises with us all, one time or other, is,”"What's the Lee =| world acoming (or agoing) to? Eh, brother ?” I pondered on the case my- self and came to this conclusion: I'd go and ask someone who Anew and thus confusion. IT hailed a crystal-gazer and I asked, “What's on la a | Have you a- ny informa- tion on the sub- ject?” “Lots,” he said. He pointed to a shinin ball and like- wise to a chair and murmured, Pe WX) "Sir, dont take my word—see for yourself. It’s there!” 1 peered in- to the future as 1 could see and saw a3 world all motor- ized; each an- [nO Ora imal and tree and scaly fish and flying fowl and bug and snake and flower and ele- phant and horned toad—all run by mo- tor power! Canaries grew propellers! So did ea- gles! Yes, and Sats! And human beings stowed their gas in fun- ny loo- king hats! And hub caps grew where wild flowers once held up their love- ly heads. The very grass was patterned like the best all wea- ther treads! Queer subma- rine equipment decked the hip- Popo- tamil; the motor- ized coyote stole his fu- el on the sly. The whale was overflowing full of brag- gado- cio, abragging of the knots per hour his twin screws made him go! I stared so hard I staggered, asa, falling for- ward off my chair and nearly broke my nose-the pain. was more rE & s than I could bear. That future- showing spheroid WAIN Crys- tal—not at all! ’Twas a so- lid steel, case har- dened, highly po- lished ear- ing Lad! SS Klank/ comicbooks.com