Life, 1902-04-10 · page 3 of 20
Life — April 10, 1902 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 301: Life Magazine Satire The top illustration depicts classical/mythological figures in clouds, likely representing "heavenly" or idealized realms—a common Life magazine visual metaphor for satirizing contemporary society. Below are three separate pieces: 1. **"An Invitation to the Dance"**: A poem mocking the artificiality of modern social life, contrasting "woodland spirits" and natural beauty with contemporary urban experience and materialism ("our modern money-kings"). 2. **"A Delay"**: A brief comedic exchange about Penelope expecting to marry a lord, but he's delayed meeting her father—apparently satirizing romantic or social pretensions. 3. **Right illustration**: Shows a cluttered domestic scene with caption "IT WAS PLAIN TO ALL THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE AIR"—likely satirizing household chaos or marital discord through visual exaggeration. The page uses classical allusions to mock modern American manners and materialism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Minerva? KXTRAWDN'RY, ISN'T IT, MY DEAR JUNO, HOW THE JEWS GET IN EVERYWHERE. An Invitation to the Dance. — The grass is green as ‘twas of yore, DRYAD/of ibe valley: len ‘The streams are just as shimmering fair, : ; We breathe the same pervading air 2 maa when moonlight fills phat you once breathed ; 0, come once more e dell, Do you not leave your oaken shell And meet our modern money-kings, To trip the flower-spun turf again? Our artists, our musicians, too, ‘And dance the way you used to do— We'd pay you now to see such things ! And do you miss the pipes of Pan? Henry Bannister Merwin, And do you weep to be alone? A Delay. And are you sad that they are gone— The woodland spirits of your clan? Why not forget your troubled plight, S HAT luck! Penelope expects The sylvan routs, the dancing fauns? to be engaged to a lord.” Appear upon our modern lawns “Why, isn’t she sure?" “IP WAS PLAIN TO ALL THAT THERE Was somETuING And trip ‘neath the electric light. “ He’s waiting to see her father.” IN THE arn.” comicbooks.com