Life, 1926-12-02 · page 38 of 81
Life — December 2, 1926 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a children's fable by Baron Ireland presented as satire on the concept of reciprocal kindness. The narrative depicts a motor truck stuck on a hill using trolley tracks. A trolley car arrives, and instead of conflict, they cooperate: the trolley pushes the truck uphill. The truck expresses gratitude profusely. However, the satire emerges in the second half. Immediately after being helped, the trolley car breaks down with mechanical failure. The motorman, conductor, and passengers puzzle over the malfunction, unable to identify the problem. **The joke**: The title and setup promise a moral lesson about kindness to those weaker ("dumb animals"), but the outcome—where the helpful party is rewarded with mechanical disaster—inverts expectations. It satirizes either the futility of good deeds or the ironic justice of the universe. The accompanying cartoon at bottom, "The Skeptics' Society," reinforces this cynical theme by depicting people testing whether kindness is as "easy as taking candy from a baby."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Obristms T, 7 (°@ Dumber cAlways “Be Kind to “Dumb Animals NCE upon a time, children, O there was a great big motor truck that had to carry a great big load of coal up a hill. The hill was very steep and the load was very heavy, so the motor truck had to use the trolley track in the middle of the street. At first it rumbled merrily along like a great big bear, but near the top the hill grew steeper and steeper and the load felt heavier and heavier “By Baron Jreland and the motor truck went slower and slower until it finally stopped, un- able to go farther. And at that very moment what should come rolling up behind it but a great big trolley car! And as the motor truck had stopped on the tracks of course the trolley had to stop too. So the trolley car clanged on its bell, “Get off the track! Get off the track! Get off the track!” I can’t get off! “I can’t get off! The Skeptics’ Society THEY TEST THE PHRASE, “AS EASY AS TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY.” T can’t get off!” complained the motor truck. “I've got to pass! I've got to pass! I’ve got to pass!” said the trolley car. “Then push me up! Then push me up! Then push me up!” an- swered the motor truck, So the trolley car came up behind the motor truck slowly and carefully so as not to dent its nice shiny paint and began to push. And it pushed and pushed and _ pushed and pushed. And the motor truck helped all it could, so that in a minute it began to move up the hill. The harder it tried and the more the trolley car pushed the faster they went up the hill, and pretty soon the motor truck reached the top and was able to get off the track to let the trolley car pass. And as the trolley car went by the motor truck rumbled, “I'm much obliged! I'm much obliged! I'm much obliged!” “Don’t mention it! Don’t mention it! Don't mention it!” replied the trolley car, and away it went down the track clickety, clickety, clackety. But all of a sudden something happened to its machinery, and_bangety, bang, bang! The trolley car stopped. The motorman and the conductor and all the pas- sengers got out and clus- tered around it, wondering what to do. “It sounds like the car- buretor,” said the motor- man, “More like the mission,” said the ductor. “What's that funny little dingus in there?” said all the passengers But just as they were about to give up in despair (Continued on page 60) trans- con- comicbooks.com