Life, 1891-09-24 · page 8 of 18
Life — September 24, 1891 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Reward of Virtue" — Life Magazine This page presents a seven-panel narrative comic strip depicting women performing acts of charity and virtue—distributing food, helping children, and caring for the poor. The sequence illustrates idealized "feminine" benevolence. Below, "A Fair Question" presents a dialogue joke: a bitter man (labeled "HE") states all women are alike, while a woman (SHE) sarcastically asks why he spends so much time trying to find "the one" to marry if they're identical. The page also includes poetry by H. Price Collier about a Persian's skepticism regarding the "usefulness" of beauty and roses, concluding that being "fair" (virtuous or beautiful) justifies women's existence. Together, these pieces satirize Victorian gender ideology—mocking both sentimental views of feminine virtue and men's contradictory expectations of women.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE REWARD A FAIR QUESTION. H E. (bitterly): Pshaw! All women are alike. Sue: Then why in the world do you spend so much time trying to find the one you want to marry ? “If eyes were made for seeing,” “Then Beauty is its own excuse for being O Hafiz, came a Persian proud, And snecred in accents somewhat loud : “What are you good for?” With a sigh The gentle poet made reply : What's the rose good for ; can you tell?” “The rose—the rose is good to smell." “Well, Lam good to smell the rose. Thus when regrets their doubts propose, And you, dear lady, question how You serve the man who loves you now ; I'd have you learn of this wise bard,— Surely the lesson is not hard. > be so fair—did you but know it, Makes me content to be your poct ! MW. Price Collier comicbooks.com