Life, 1901-12-05 · page 5 of 20
Life — December 5, 1901 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 491 The main illustration, titled "A Feminine Atlas," depicts a woman surrounded by domestic and intellectual burdens—books, household items, and children—literally holding up her world. The accompanying article criticizes a "superior woman" who neglected her child's emotional needs while pursuing intellectual pursuits and social causes. The satire mocks the tension between women's intellectual aspirations and traditional motherhood expectations. The woman's child complains of boredom and loneliness, suggesting the article's argument that maternal duties cannot be delegated to abstract principles or social reform. The small illustration labeled "An Old Salt" at page's bottom appears unrelated. This reflects early 20th-century anxiety about educated women prioritizing careers and activism over childcare—a common satirical target in Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Feminine Atlas. THERE was once a really superior and highly cultivated woman. She had a husband who deprecated and hesitated and made long-winded apologies and explanations; and she was the mother of a little girl who had to eat food she disliked, because it was healthful, and to play when she did not wish to, because there were certain regular play hours. But what made the child more unhappy still was that she was always surrounded by “the formative influences which make for character.’* The home of this really superior woman was a model. Everything occurred at certain hours, and the husband and cbild had to go to bed when they were not sleepy, and get up when they were, and eat when they were not hungry, because it was “the invariable rule of our household.” But the superior lady was very modest withal. ‘I refuse to be re- garded as all intellect,’’ she would say, playfully. ‘I can make a pudding and darn a stocking as well as construe Thucydides, or write a monograph on Keltic Sagas, or Chal- 491 dean Art.’’ And, really, by a dint of living according to Hoyle, she accomplished a great deal, for she was connected with nine educational clubs, and her well-thumbed encyclopedia showed her diligence in writ- ing papers. She had boundless energy, and led many women to offer sacrifice before the elusive and ironical god of Intellect. With men she discoursed on what she considered light conversational topics. She began by asking them if they had read Heckel, or Draper, or Nitsche, which made them feel ignorant and unhappy ; and then she invariably led them through politics to the ‘Social Evil,’ which embarrassed them very much, One day, when she was hastening to at- tend an important committee meeting, she was stopped by her little girl. “‘Oh, mother,” sighed the child, ‘ why won't you stay and play with me, and pre- tend that you are a little girl, too, so that we can make mud pies, as the children do in books? I'm so tired of kindergarten games.” ** Mother is too busy to play,” replied the superior lady. “ Play will soon seem very silly and idle to you when you realizo how many things there are to learn.” Then she hastened to the committee meeting. “Oh,” sobbed the child, disconsolately, gazing about he: blank world, empty of fond and foolish love, ‘ I wish God was good for something and mother didn’t have to do it all.” Mrs, Wilson Woodrow. YHE conditions of Lire’s Anecdote Contest will be found in our advertis- ing columns. “aN OLD satt.” comicbooks.com