Life, 1900-05-03 · page 5 of 20
Life — May 3, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "SAGACIOUS SUITOR" This cartoon satirizes a young man's mercenary approach to courtship. The scene depicts what appears to be a ship's cabin or confined space with several onlookers. The suitor tells the father: "Her father says he wants me to demonstrate first that I can earn my own living." The father responds skeptically: "Are you going to try it?" The suitor replies: "What? Why, I needn't marry her in that case!!!" The joke mocks the suitor's logic—he's willing to court the daughter *only* if he doesn't have to prove financial independence. His "sagacious" (wise) reasoning is actually foolish: he views marriage as an escape from responsibility rather than a legitimate partnership. The satire critiques both fortune-hunting suitors and their exposed priorities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A SAGACIOUS SUITOR “HER FATHER SAYS IE WANTS ME TO DEMONSTRATE PIRST THAT 1 CAN BARN MY OWN LIVING.” “ARE YOU GOING TO TRY IT?” “WHAT FUR? WHY, 1 NERDN'T MAKKY NRK IN THAT CASE”