Life, 1897-04-22 · page 3 of 20
Life — April 22, 1897 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Wasted Effort" — Life Magazine Satire This cartoon depicts a couple in a rowboat, illustrating the caption: "She (encouraging): 'It is so unjust to accuse a man of faithlessness because he is in love.' Of course, he may never intend to marry the woman.'" The satire mocks the rationalization of infidelity. The woman in the boat is attempting to reassure the man that being "in love" with someone doesn't necessarily mean he's being unfaithful to her—a logical contradiction she's cheerfully endorsing. The joke targets both her willingness to accept this twisted reasoning and the absurdity of the argument itself. This reflects early-20th-century attitudes toward courtship and marriage, satirizing the mental gymnastics people use to justify romantic duplicity. The title "A Wasted Effort" suggests her reassurance is futile.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A WASTED EFFORT. She (encouragingly): \T 18 SO UNJUST TO ACCUSE A MAN OF WEAKNESS “OF COURSE. MY TRIP PASS AND HOW | GOT IT. HAD the hardihood, the other day, to write the following letter: “Mr. G. D. Walkaway, G. P. A., “PLD. & Q. R. R., New York. “My Dear Sir: “lam reliably informed that you area hypnotist and that you make passes which will cause a man to goto sleep in New York and wake up in Buffalo. If you will kindly execute a pass in favor of the undersigned, using as many finger and whole-arm move- ments as may be necessary to make it endure fora period of thirty days, 1 think you will find me an easy subject to handle. “* Fraternally yours, “HIRAM BILLINGS, HE MAY NEVER INTEND TO MARRY THE The pass was received in due time, and I have only partially recovered from the trance into which it threw me. Below find verbatim copy of correspondence, which is self-ex- planatory: “ Hiram Billings, Esq., New York. “Dear Mr. Billings: “Your information is correct. In mo- ments of temporary aberration I have been known to execute an occasional pass. I here- with execute one for you, and if it has the effect of throwing you into a cataleptic state I shall feel deeply pained. Owing .to our limitations under the long-and-short-haul clause of the Interstate Commerce bill, however, our hypnotic experiment will neces- sitate your performing a number of hip-and- pedal movements, which it is impossible to avoid. “Yours very cordially, “G, D. Watkaway, G. P. A.” The following was inclosed : “ To all employés of this Company : “This will entitle Mr. Hiram Billings to the use of our great four-track road-bed be- tween New York and Buffalo, for pedestrian purposes. He is to have right-of-way over everything except passenger, freight and mail trains and hand-cars, and will travel en- tirely at his own risk, this company expressly waiving all liability for loss of life, time, baggage or reputation. “G. D. Watkaway, G. P. A.” William Wallace Cook.