Life, 1903-04-02 · page 16 of 36
Life — April 2, 1903 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes contemporary attitudes toward marriage and respectability in early 20th-century America. The main illustration shows a wedding procession, with accompanying jokes mocking shallow marriage motivations. "Elsie in Church" ridicules a young woman finding the ceremony tedious—satire on obligatory female participation in religious ritual. The "Bishop Smart" dialogue mocks clergy who marry wealthy parishioners, suggesting financial rather than spiritual motives. The phrase about "laying hands on consecrated material" sarcastically references religious justification for worldly gain. The bottom caption presents a cynical exchange: a woman claims she'd marry a reformed "bad man," but he regrets not knowing her when he was disreputable in New York—suggesting reputations are easier to escape geographically than morally, and that women's morality standards are conveniently flexible. Overall, the page satirizes Victorian hypocrisy around marriage, religion, money, and respectability—common targets for Life's satirical commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TUE WEDDING PEAST=RICE. To a Girl Angelic. NO penance do, dear hegrt ; I + By all celestial hopes above me, “Lis I should kneel ; lo—'shamed 1 bow Who have not traits to make you love me. q\LSIE, IN CHURCH, TO HER MOTHER: Oh, mamma, I can think of so many things to do that aro nicer than this. ]t is interesting that Bishop Smart should marry so much money."” “Oh, well, it’s an old church doctrine, don’t you know, the laying hands on consecrated material."” | ‘HE last lesson we learn is to pardon ourselves. “IP f THOLGNT YOU COULD LIVE DOWN YOUR REPUTATION AS A ‘BAD MAN,’ I THINK 1 COULD MARKY YOU." “way! GREAT scoTT! YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN MP WHEN T LIVED IN New York!" “RAISING THE Devit.”” comicbooks.com