Life, 1904-01-07 · page 16 of 36
Life — January 7, 1904 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a portrait of **Dr. Izak Walton Mitchell**, identified as a novelist, angler, doctor, and poet—a figure of cultural note at the time. The surrounding content uses satirical observations about contemporary society. The humor targets social pretense and hypocrisy: "pillars of Society" act like "posts" (immobile, useless); the wealthy and poor alike struggle with meaningless existence; a suitor's romantic compliment offends a woman who worries she hasn't been "Pasteurized" (a reference to Louis Pasteur's germ theory—she fears being perceived as unclean or diseased); and a doctor's wealth comes from "ill-gotten gains." The section "Living and Working" mocks class contradictions: billionaires and seamstresses are equally trapped in joyless toil, yet in an idealized future ("perfect day"), rich and poor will supposedly play bridge together as equals. The dialogue exchanges present quick satirical barbs on love, social anxiety, and domestic help—typical of *Life* magazine's witty, biting social commentary of this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WALTON MITCHELL R— DOCTOR — AND POET. NOVELIST — ANGL HE SUITOR: They say that Love is blind. ss: Bat nowadays he has a marvelous sense of touch. ““ 7 Tis, indeed, seldom,” replied the Bacillus of Anwmia, dignifiedly, “that I find myself outside the pale. A Problem. PAINFUL problem this must be To hostesses and hosts, Why the pillars of Society So often act like posts! Living and Working. Few people, outside of hoboes and Indians not taxed, really live without working. Those who work with- out really living are much more numerous, including, as they do, billionaires and seam- stresses with more than six small children. In the perfect day, when the lion and the lamb shall walk to- gether, and the rich shall go down to the College Settlements and play bridge with the poor, we shall all, doubtless, both live and work. SPIRATION + per- spiration = inspira. tion. Unworthy. “7 DON'T like to have him say I look nice enough to e on >? * Because, all the time, in my t, 1 know I haven't been Pasteur- ized.” Ah, it was a relief to meet, in these days, a beautiful, rich girl h a sense of unworthiness. NDISCRETION is the better part of love. M RS. WBRIDE: NL Do you keep a cook ? Mrs. Otpwep: No! Does anybody ? DOCTOR'S wealth : ill-gotten gains, comicbooks.com