Life, 1901-05-16 · page 3 of 22
Life — May 16, 1901 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 407: "Life" Magazine - Social Satire The main illustration, titled "Les Fiancés" (The Engaged Couple), depicts a woman at a piano and a man seated nearby, with dialogue about marriage and money. The caption quotes the woman saying "We are too poor to marry" while the man responds "But I am worth a million, bad joke!"—highlighting the satirical point that wealth alone doesn't guarantee marital happiness or compatibility. Below are two poems: "The Bridges of Shell" and "The Power of Riches." The latter includes dialogue between characters discussing how a wealthy husband bought a yacht for pleasure, with Mrs. Vox Blumer commenting that money can only show "what money can do for a man"—suggesting wealth's limitations in creating genuine fulfillment or character. The satire targets the era's materialism and class anxieties surrounding marriage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Copyright, 1901, by Lige Puttiening Co. “TRUE. The Bridges of Shell. A ROSS the swirling torrent of her hair Three tortoise bridges stretch. Their arches guide In tiny currents that rebellious tide Of chestnut brown, that else flowed every- where. The sun throws red and gold reflections there, The winds a silken spray are flinging wide, We Les FIANCES She; WE ARK TOO POOR TO MARKY. “BUT LAM WORTH A MILLION, BAU JOvE I" While fragrance blows—such odors as abide In choicest teas the chests of Asia bear. ‘The breeze more ardent, warmer kisses plies; More eager for disorder ripples rise. ‘The bndgex sway and swing—the turmoil hides Their forms—they fall! fellows! Save Your hearts ere they are swept away. rides Flee, flee, my Love In search of wreckage on that tossing wave. Layton Brewer. BUT IF YOU WERE WORTH TWO MILLIONS WE WOULD RE 80 MUCH BETTER OFF THAN THOSE Wito HAVE ONLY ONE.” The Power of Riches. Vor BLUMER: Billton tells me his wife hates the sea, and he has just bought a yacht so he can have some pleasure by himself. Mrs. Vow BLumer: That's mean of him, isn’t it? “Yes. But it only goes to show what money can do for a man.”’ comicbooks.com