Life, 1902-12-11 · page 3 of 24
Life — December 11, 1902 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a romantic scenario: a woman in an elaborate gown with a long train stands before two seated women and two men in suits. The caption suggests she's choosing between suitors—"both those lords are after her, and she doesn't know which to accept" / "isn't one as good as the other?" / "yes, but she can't tell in advance." The satire concerns **courtship and marriage selection**. The joke is that a woman cannot adequately evaluate potential husbands before committing, making marriage essentially a gamble. The secondary content includes humorous verses about bachelors and pessimism, plus a small illustration about library knowledge. The overall theme mocks romantic uncertainty and the limitations of female choice in mate selection—reflecting early-1900s social anxieties about marriage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
by Lye Pubitening Co. “ROTH THOSE LORDS ARE AFTER HER, AND SHE DOKSN'T KNOW WHICH To ACCEFT.” “Isn'T ONE AS GooD as THe oTnER?” “Ys, BUT SUE CAN'T TELL IN ADVANCE WHICH 18 THE CHEAPER." Explained. QN Optimist he was when first He heard the maid descant on him, Nor thought how every word is cursed With one that is its antonym. He sought her in and out of town, With candies in his satchel, or A bunch of roses fit to crown The sweetheart of a bachelor. A bachelor he still remains, Because the maiden’s Yes he missed ; And that presumably explains Why he is now a Pessimist. Feliz Carmen. EFORMER: What we should do is to eradicate the Tenderloin. Voice: What! Destroy the Waldorf! Significant. HE discovery, by a Paris surgeon, of a way to treat typhoid with the knife has its sociological as well as its patho- logical significance. Appendicitis is a grand dis- ease, but it is not without its limitations. Notably, it is not popular. Some years have elapsed since it took its place among the ills to which flesh is heir, and yet scarcely one ina hundred of us has ever had his abdomen cut open. Typhoid, on the other hand, is of the masses rather than the classes. — EWARE of the man whose dog dislikes to follow him. “wow po You KNow it's TRE LinRaRY f"* “TRE SMOKE 188UES IN VoLUMES."* comicbooks.com