Life, 1900-01-25 · page 15 of 20
Life — January 25, 1900 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a dialogue-driven comedy sketch by Tom Masson satirizing **marital obligation and emotional manipulation** circa early 20th century. The setup: A woman (Sue) threatens to break her marriage vow, claiming she mistakenly accepted the husband's proposal. The husband responds with rigid Victorian morality—she promised, so she must keep the promise; he alone can decide whether to "release" her. **The satire's target**: The husband's self-righteous invocation of duty and his own authority to judge the marriage's fate. He claims moral high ground while essentially imprisoning his wife through obligation. **The punchline's twist**: Sue reveals she was testing him—she wanted to see if he'd cling to his "rights" or act generously. When he finally releases her voluntarily, she admits she never wanted freedom at all; she was manipulating his conscience. The cartoon mocks both rigid male authority in marriage and female emotional manipulation, suggesting early-century marital disputes were characterized by power plays disguised as principle. The dog in the illustration observes this human drama with apparent bemusement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
1p A WOMAN Lov to acta lic and lead us both into a life of unhappiness? He: No! Sne: Then what would you? He: Leave it for me to say. Your standard should be as high as mine, should it not? Sue: Itis, sir! He: Then you cannot break your word. Your only course is to place the Ne HUSOAND, ETHEL, SHB WH. “THAT 18 A NOBLE SENTIMENT, MY DEAK, WHICH GON awe matter in my hands, Under the mistaken idea that you loved me, you promised to be my wife. Afterwards you discovered your error. To assume that you have the right to break the tic between us is wholly wrong. Itis for me to release you Sug: But suppose you shouldn't re- lense me? He: Then you must abide by the con- sequences, ‘The responsibility for what PORVERYTHING TO 1 ND WIS CREDITORS WILL APPRECIATE, Eat SUI follow is mine, You are out of it. Sue (after a pause): You are right, And now, what will you do? Hr (painfully): I have no right to take something that is not mine. You are free, of course. I release you. 81 But I don't want to be released, He: Youdon't! Why not? Sue: You silly thing. I just wanted to sec what you would say. Tom Masson, comicbooks.com