Life, 1888-10-04 · page 11 of 14
Life — October 4, 1888 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This *Life* magazine page discusses American girls marrying British aristocrats, particularly dukes. The article argues that American women have "beaten" their British cousins at the marriage game—securing advantageous matches that British women aspire to. The **main cartoon** (top right) depicts a man and woman in conversation, likely representing a potential match between an American girl and British nobleman. The **"Tennis" cartoon** (bottom left) shows a chaotic serve, captioned "A Bad Serve"—a visual pun on social missteps. The **dialogue cartoon** (middle) shows two men discussing an uncle's death, with the punchline that one won't know if the uncle was "altogether right in his head" until reading the will—satirizing how inheritance expectations shape family sentiment. **The satire's point**: American women's superior education makes them better wives than British women. The article argues American girls should think carefully before leaving "Woman's Paradise" (America) for British marriages.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AS TO MARRIAGE.” R. HENRY LABOUCHERE publicly ad- mits that the American girl has beaten her British cousin on British soil. If the rumors about the alliances contemplated by the Dukes of Norfolk and Newcastle are true, there was no need for Mr. Labouchere to make such an admission. Generally speaking, and setting aside all cases where sentiment or mere individual preference is allowed to rule, the highest social ambition of a British maiden is to marry a duke. English dukes have much that makes them desirable partners in matri- mony. Their families get front seats at public functions and enjoy a vast deal of unearned consideration both in public and private life. Besides, as a general thing, dukes are in easy circumstances, and, provided they are gentle- men and of good habits, their duchesses may expect to have, as the world goes, a pretty good time. Wherefore, when an American young woman consents to marry a desirable British duke, the general understanding is that she has achieved what her British cousins consider to be about the greatest matrimonial feat that a woman can compass, And so the stories of these pro- spective ducal-American alliay ~< are interest- ing—if true—as witnessing the ability of American specialists to beat the British special- ists at their own game. . * * HETHER it really pays for an American girl to marry a duke or not is quite a different matter, and, though that will not be discussed here, it is proper to remind our young women that certain of the English periodicals are given over just now to discussing whether or not Marriage is a Failure, and that the experience of a large number of women who have married Englishmen has been such that they have written voluminously to the news- papers to say that, in their opinion, it is a Fail- Some attempt has been made to stir up a discussion of the topic on this side of the water, ure, TENNIS, A BAD SERVE. TO BE DEVELOPED LATER, “So YOUR OLD UNCLE 1S DEAD, CHARLEY?” DIED YESTERDAY.” AS A VERY TRIC OLD FELLOW, RIGHT IN HIs HEAD?" “WELL—ER—I COULDN'T SAY, YOU KNOW, UNTIL THE WILL 18 READ.” Do You THINK HE WAS ALTOGETHER cases where it does not result as harmoniously as might be desired, the disposition has usually been to blame the parties rather than the institution. In cases where the failure or success of marriage is discussed, care should be taken to compare the married state, not with perfect bliss, but with the single state. . * . 'HIS alleged tendency of British swells to seek their wives in America, and the out- spoken doubts of English wives as to the blessedness of their condition, point to the same conclusion—that England has something of importance to learn of America as to the education and treatment of women. The education that American girls get makes them confessedly better companions for the males of their species than British girls, and the treatment that American married women receive seems to have made them far more con- fident of the success of marriage as an institution than the British matrons. Undoubtedly the United States comes the nearest to being Woman's Paradise, and the American girl should think a good many times before she consents to settle down for life anywhere else than in her own country. eS comicbooks.com