This is a close-up from a most excellent book, "Home Geography and Type Studies" by the right and proper Alexis Everett Frye. Published in 1911 by Ginn and Co. My mother somehow acquired a whole box full of these aged codexes. "A History of the American People", "Arithmetical Problem vol. 1-4", "Heroes and Heroines", "Legends of Norseland", "Stepping Stones of Literature" and a whole slew of rhetoric for kids supplements. They all have the most interesting little block prints and halftone photographs. I stole a handful of them (sorry Mom). In all likelihood the better images will be on my flickr account. Reading these texts really puts things into perspective.

silly things:
"In Japan the streets are lined with toy shops. Men on the street make animals out of rice paste. The girls and boys call out the names as soon as they guess what he is making. They know the monkey, wolf and bear, but do not know the sheep."

serious things:
"All the people wish to have good schools. All wish to have good roads. They need police to keep order in the city. They need firemen to protect their homes from fire. The people also need judges. There must be jails or prisons for men who commit crimes.
Cities make homes for the very poor people and take care of them. They look after the blind and the deaf and dumb. There are hospitals for the sick and wounded. People who are too poor to pay can receive just as good care as the rich.
We must not forget that the city makes parks where we can go to play games and breath fresh air.
It takes a great deal of money to pay for a city. People who vote pay taxes to raise the money for paying such bills. A person who owns very little pays a small tax. A person who owns more pays a larger tax. This is Fair."

it is fair. hmmm... what did they know in 1911 anyway?