Life, 1897-09-09 · page 9 of 20
Life — September 9, 1897 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Professional Advice" and "Pearls of Etiquette" This page contains two satirical cartoon panels from *Life* magazine mocking social conventions and masculinity. **Top cartoon**: A boxing instructor advises a student on self-defense. The humor targets the absurdity of seeking "professional advice" on street fighting—the professor's suggestion to "holler fer der perfleckce, an' run like yer never run before!" mocks both the pretense of boxing expertise and cowardly practicality. **Bottom cartoon**: Titled "Pearls of Etiquette," this depicts a disheveled man being ejected, apparently for improper behavior toward servants. The caption emphasizes that summoning servants unnecessarily or displaying irregular habits violates proper decorum—satirizing class pretension and the rigid social rules governing servant-master interactions in the early 20th century. Both cartoons use working-class or lower-class figures to mock those claiming sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. “NOW, PROFESSOR, SUPPOSE I SHOULD BE ATTACKED SOME NIGHT BY A GREAT BIG FELLAH, WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE ME TO DO?” “HOLLER FER DER PERLEECE, AN’ RUN LIKE YER NEVER RUN BEFORE !"" PEARLS OF ETIQUETTE. IT 18 NOT THE CORRECT THING TO SUMMON SERVANTS UNNECESSARILY, OR TO MAKE YOURSELF A TRIAL TO THEM BY IRREGULAR HABITS, comicbooks.com