Life, 1903-01-15 · page 7 of 20
Life — January 15, 1903 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate jokes typical of early Life magazine humor: 1. **"Get Your Money's Worth"** (top): A cartoon about a man on a fence, likely satirizing penny-pinching or miserly behavior—the caption suggests someone trying to avoid paying for something while still benefiting from it. 2. **"The Continent"** (left column): A lengthy article with decorative illustrations mocking European stereotypes—French wines, German beer culture, and Italian characteristics. It's satirizing American tourists' fascination with Continental Europe while poking fun at European national traits. 3. **"The Retort Courteous"** and **"Defined"** (bottom right): Short joke exchanges about a wife's shopping habits and a "Metropolitan Street Railway bug" (likely referencing crowded public transit conditions in cities). The overall tone reflects turn-of-century American satirical humor targeting both domestic and foreign social behaviors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
49 Underwear. (THERE are only three opinions among eminent doctors as to the best material for underwear. Wool, or linen, or silk is best. If cotton ever becomes expensive enough to be suitable for refined people such as eminent doctors practice amongst, or on, there will then be four opinions, of course. But nobody sup- poses cotton will ever become so expen- sive as that. HE married man’s last word always eral . turns out to be the one before the GET YOUR MONEY'S WouTH, If YOU CAN, BUT DON'T OVERLOOK TAX MAN ON THE PENCE The Continent. THE Continent is that part of Europe which is chiefly inhabited by crowned heads, American tourists und musical celebri- s. Itis quite well known through- out the civilized world through the Continental Sabbath, The Continent has a fertile soil. Some of the best French wines we get come from the Continent. In Germany the bad and the warst abound. Germany, Austria and Italy form the Dry Bund, next to the Raines law the most effective temperance device the world has ever known, No description of the Continent woald be complete without mention of the King of the Belgians, His Majesty has identified himself with the Continent in a negative way by not giving a continental damn. Paris is very gay. It comprises the Other Half, the Latin Quarter and the Submerged Tenth. The remaining three-twentieths are the Bourgeoisie. last. THE RETORT COURTEOUS, & YOU IN MOURNING?” “b DIDN'T KNOW THAT You HAD Lost ANY." JUDGE: Your wife has shown Defined. her bruises to the jury. What have you to say that sentence HE: Dear, you have crushed shall not be pronounced upon ~~ and almost suffocated me. you? What kind of a‘hug do you call Prisoner: I can prove that for that? the last three weeks she has been He: That's a Metropolitan qe scD0E chanoED THE JeKY. doing her holiday shopping. Street Railway hug. comicbooks.com