Life, 1901-08-15 · page 14 of 20
Life — August 15, 1901 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This short satirical piece contrasts two views of women's life choices. The opening question—why Philadelphia girls become nuns—suggests convent life as escape. The inference offered is that they seek excitement absent at home. The accompanying illustration depicts working-class women (likely domestic servants or laborers) engaged in physical toil, with dialogue mocking the idea that hard work constitutes "pleasure." The satire works by inverting expectations: if convent life seems preferable to home life, what must home life entail? The working women's exchange implies that those choosing nunnery actually seek *rest* from exhausting labor, not excitement—a wry comment on the grim drudgery of working-class female existence in early 20th-century America. The joke exposes the desperation behind women's choices rather than mocking the women themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
not sawing wood and laying the foundation of the wonderful constitution which is afterwards to carry you through life, you will be reading a few well-chosen books, such as the dictionary, the Bible, and one or two good comic papers. Yon will find the jokes useful later when you are called upon to make after-dinner speeches. You can then take your choice of “ straggling"? through college or leaving the farm with a dollar in your pocket. Better leave college alone, however, as it caches you a lot of superfluous things you may regret. Many a man who might have accumnu- ge fortune has spoiled roing through college rarning to love other things more than money. The best plan is to come to New York with a dollar in your pocket. Gout once to the lead- ing savings bank and deposit seventy-fivecents, Liveon the balance until you get work. As soon as you get work, save at least seventy-five per cent. of your wa if you can; or, better still, ninety per cent, You will thus acquire habits of frugality, which will be a source of happiness to you throughout your whole life. At the end of a few years you will have saved upa few thou- sands, and your success is now assured. Donot gamble. Rob- bing is not on afer and surer, but it is legal. Protected by the laws of your country, you can feel entirely safe. Reorganizea rt a small trus acquainted in Washin When you get to be seventy you eught to be worth at least a hundred millions. Youcan hen make a blotf at giving it all away, and be quoted as saying what it is wicked for a rich man to leave anything behind him, Tom Masson, An Inference. «€7T WONDER why so many Phila delphia girls take the veil and become nuns. “DO IE GO FER THE Doctor?” * Probably they want a more exciting “NO, JANE, JONN SAYS NE Do IT PER PLEASURE.” life than they get at home ” “LAWKS, MARY. IP THAT BE US PLAY, WHAT TERRISLE UARD WORK ur’D BE botNe If He WoRKED.” comicbooks.com