Life, 1899-03-25 · page 14 of 32
Life — March 25, 1899 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page contains three separate jokes targeting gender roles and social hypocrisy of the era (appears to be early 20th century): 1. **"It Killed Her"**: Mocks women's vanity—Miss Teeter dies of shock when a milliner *actually* delivers on time, subverting the expectation of tardiness. 2. **"Worm's-Eye Views"**: The central cartoon criticizes the contradiction of "New Woman" athleticism. A woman can swing dumbbells, fence, row, and play tennis all day—yet claims she's "not very strong" when asked to help her mother with housework. It satirizes selective weakness and the rejection of traditional domestic duties despite physical capability. 3. **"A Little Boy"**: A joke about parental priorities—a mother thanks Heaven her son swallowed a dime rather than five cents, prioritizing monetary loss over her child's welfare. The page's closing aphorism endorses "incense" (flattery/deception) as wise. Overall, the humor targets women's contradictions, vanity, and shifting social roles during a period of changing gender expectations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
It Killed Her. « ISS TEETER’S death wasa very sudden one, wasn’t it?" asked Mrs. McBride. “Tt was, indeed,” replied Mrs. Cumso. “The miliiner sent her new Easter bat home just when she said she would, and the shock was so great that Miss Teeter collapsed.” EN were deceivers ever. women, So were WORM'S-EYE VIEWS OF US, TUE MAeQUERADE BALL Poor Thing! HE can swing a six-pound dumbbell, She can fence and sho can box, Sho can row upon the river, She can clamber mong the rocks, Sbo can do some heavy bowling, And play tennis all day long; But she cannot holp her mother, "Cause she isn't very strong! LITTLE boy one day inadvertently swallowed a dime. Amid the general hubbub, his mother’s voice was * heard to exclaim devoutly: ‘ Thank Heaven!” **Thaok Heaven!” retorted bis father. “What for?” “Oh, it might have been worse. It might have been five cents!" LITTLE incense now and then -Is relished by the wisest men.