Life, 1895-09-19 · page 12 of 16
Life — September 19, 1895 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Life" Magazine Page Analysis This page satirizes **high society and journalistic hypocrisy** in early 20th-century America. The main story mocks the **Society Reporter**—a gossip columnist covering wealthy social events. The satire exposes how reporters flatter the rich while insulting the poor: a millionaire's plain daughter gets described as "beautiful"; a poor woman with good looks is called merely "interesting, rather than strictly beautiful" (the worst insult). The plot follows a young man trying to woo a bright but unattractive wealthy woman by flattering her mind rather than beauty. At a society function, a drunk reporter misattributes the descriptions—calling the wealthy woman "interesting" and the bright woman "beautiful"—accidentally reversing their reputations. This costs the young man: the bright woman marries the reporter instead. The satire targets **class-based media bias**, showing how journalists weaponize language to curry favor with the wealthy while maintaining plausible deniability through coded compliments.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WALL STREET PHRASES. E IN CORDAGE. CONVINCING EVIDENCE. S* ZAKING of family makes me think What Dorothy said last night : That she could trace her ancestors back To the time of that Hastings fight. Ive not the slightest shadow of doubt That her blood is royal, for Her eyes have a look which proves—(to me) All her claims to * the Conqueror.” TACTFULNESS OF JOURNALISM. HE was what is called “quite a bright woman." In the New York vernacular, this term applies to any woman of sense below the age of thirty, after which they are called “brainy,” and don't seem to like it. Her appearance was such that even Society Reporters merely described her as possessing “an attractive personality.” This is a signifi- cant fact, The Society Reporter is never rude. If you are a millionaire’s daughter, and of average looks, he will describe you as “* Beau- tiful and possessed of indescribable ei." If you have a few thousands, and dress well —even though you have no eyelashes and a slab-sided figure—the Society Reporter will still be kind, and allude to you as “a young woman of considerable personal attractions.” It is only when he describes you as “inter- esting, rather than strictly beautiful” that you alize that probably your nose is all out of drawing, your eyes watery, and that what there is of your hair 1s the wrong color. In short this last expression is the worst that the Society Reporter can do to you—if you are in Society. And if you are not in Society—well, then, he wouldn't know even who you are, don't you know. The Society Reporter had not yet applied this final damning descriptive term to her, of whom I write, because She had not yet become “ Brainy,” and—more important still—she was not poor. She smiled upon a young man, andalthough her smile was about two inches too long, and * LIFE: too toothy to be pretty, he decided to woo her. He had been told that she was “bright.” So he decided to woo her as a bright woman should be wooed, in his opinion. “Twill not insult your preternatural intelli- gence,” he began, “by telling you that you are beautiful. You are too clever to swallow that sort of humbug. Besides Beauty is not what Lam after, It is transient and unsatisfying. But you have a Mind. One cannot expect to find Mind and Beauty combined —. But at this point the young lady said, Take me back to my chaperon,” and the local tem- perature went down to freezing point ! Now this happened at a Function, A“ Function” isa meeting of people held in large houses for the promotion of employ- ment among dressmakers, florists and Society Reporters. At this particular Function, the Society Reporter (having been at several other Functions, and having sipped claret punch and champagne frappée at each) had accumulated what in lower circles is known as ‘a pretty considerable jag.” Therefore in reporting this Function he got his terms mixed. The next morning on reading the morning paper Mrs, Golde-Dollar, the millionaire's wife, found herself described as ‘interesting, rather than strictly beautiful,” while She, (of whom I write) read for the first time, that she was ‘Beautiful and possessed of j indescribable chic.” The Society Reporter was denied entrance at Mrs, Golde-Dollar’s next Function. And when the young man—who thought that bright women should be wooed differently (rom other women —saw the marriage of the Bright woman and the Society Reporter in the paper, he wondered how on earth the other fellow had got ahead of him! — Jessie Af. Wood. five'prev say that remaine: Maitland moment mother Christm “THO pleased | contest. with this to tell m Yes, 7 blushing touch-do A BUSINESS PROPOSAL. Keno Jim: 1 SAW YOUR AD. UP THERE, PARDNER, AND THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE A DICKER. IF YOU'LL WHACK UP ON THE PROCEEDS I'LL GET ROARIN’ FULL TO-NIGHT, AND START HERDIN' THE TOWN Up. WHEN I GET 'EM ON THE RUN IT’S YOUR PLAY TO YELL, ‘‘COME IN, AND BE SAVED.” AND I'LL. KEEP CHARGIN' AND SHOOTIN’ OUTSIDE, WHILE YOU WANTER PASS THE HAT INSIDE TO BEAT THE BAND. IF YOU CAN PLAY YOUR HAND ALL RIGHT, I't OF WOOL AGAINST AN INJUN’S WHISKERS, THAT WE DIVIDE A COOL HUNDRED BETWEEN US, THEY'LL COME FAST ENOUGH, 1. BET A TON