Life, 1900-06-14 · page 3 of 20
Life — June 14, 1900 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 503 This page contains three distinct pieces of humor: 1. **"Cupid's Archery"** (top left): A brief poem about Cupid's blind marksmanship, playing on the classical trope that love is blind and uncontrolled. 2. **"A Question of Expense"** (main text): A dialogue between Whittler and Caterby about golf club expenses. Whittler argues that constantly replacing broken golf balls is an unavoidable cost. The satire targets upper-class leisure spending and the rationalization of unnecessary expenses—a gentleman justifying frivolous expenditure to his more frugal friend. 3. **Bottom illustration**: Shows a camel or similar creature with bottles labeled "More Hatter" and other items, captioned "Now, that's just your size. It fits your roper exactly." The meaning is unclear without additional context. The page reflects early 20th-century American humor about class, spending habits, and genteel society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Cupid's Archery. WATCHED the blind god’s archery; Each arrow sped straight to its mark. Tasked myself how this could be, A Question of Expense. ‘cc OU ought to play golf, old Whittler laid his hand on his friend Caterby’s arm and looked at him with that anxious, conde- scending and impassioned look that the missionary displays over an unwilling convert. ‘ My wife and I,” he said, ‘* have become so much * interested in the game that we care for little else."” Caterby eyed him with tho dis- gust and quasi-toleration that a reasonable being feels toward any form of mild insanity. “Don't you find it a trifle expen- sive?” he asked mildly, as if he had intended not to excite the patient too much. “That’s the best part of the Since he was shooting in the dark. “NOW, THAT'S JUST YOUR SIZE. IT FITS YOUR KOPJE RXACTLY."” “LEP “need no skill to play this game,” Methought I heard Dan Cupid say. “ My foolish victims watch my aim And hasten to get in my way.” Isaac Anderson, whole thing,’ said Whittler, “I save money. It’s true our clubs are continually breaking down and we have to get new ones.”’ “That must be quite an item,” suggested Caterby. ‘Then you have your dues and other inci- dentals."’ “Yes,” returned Whittler, calm- ly. ‘It is true that we can’t turn around that we don’t have to spend. money on the greatest game in the world, We lose almost six balls every time we play. The caddies a "Sia thle candid old cheS §rom Colognes “Je be humbly content Y am prognes name 1s not Guelbh t Y §latter myselph I should! look rather well on 6 theoqng sty count up, too. When wo havo je Ov friends, as we often do, they are FR | v> / extra, The club strikes me for a ry \ y \ subscription every once in a while, and what with lunches and wear and tear, it makes things pretty lively.” “Then what on earth,” de- manded, Caterby, ‘‘ do you mean by saying that you save money?’’ “Why, my dear boy,’’ replied Whittler, with a superior smile, “for three months now my wife hasn't had time to do a day’s shopping in town.” Tom Masson, M2: PROBE: That man who had typhoid sends word he can’t pay your bill for a month yet. Dr. Prose: Confound him! he hadn’t been sick! T almost wish comicbooks.com