Life, 1904-07-14 · page 25 of 44
Life — July 14, 1904 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical dialogue mocking early 20th-century avant-garde theater and the affected sophistication of modern intellectuals. Two characters meet in a theater anteroom and conduct an absurdly clever conversation filled with paradoxes and pseudo-philosophical pronouncements—speaking in riddles where every statement contradicts itself. The satire targets the pretentious wordplay and emotional coldness of "modern epigrammatical" drama: love is "an affliction," marriage "a cement that doesn't stick," a kiss merely "an acknowledgment that Love is not perfect." Their final exchange—exchanging declarations of permanent farewell while promising to meet later—encapsulates the joke: all this intellectual posturing about love and commitment amounts to meaningless performance. The title "True to Each Other" is ironic; they're devoted only to being clever. The satire ridicules audiences who found such self-consciously witty, emotionally detached dialogue profound rather than hollow.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
True to Each Other. HE hero and the heroine of a mod- ern epigrammatical play met in the anteroom “T hope,” he said, ‘that you have not been waiting for me to talk to you,.”” “On the contrary,” she replied, ‘1 have been waiting for what you would not say."" “Ah! then I will begin. marry me?" “T cannot. My slender means do not permit me to be separated from any more men. But perhaps you are not serious."” “Certainly not The matter is far too important to be serious about. By Will you THE RETURN OF A 1OBSON, the way, are you alone this evening?" ‘More so than usual. I came with two men. To be really alone, you know, is to have a multitude about."” “Ah! And did you divide your fragments among them?" “All but a few crumbs—which I ave saved for you.”* “Then shall we dine?"”” **T do not believe in eating between meals."" He ved his hand. «What is love?"’ he asked. She also waved her hand. “Love,” she said, ‘is an affliction of the masses, unpreventable except by exclusiveness."* “*And marriage?" ‘A cement—that doesn’t stick." ‘And woman?" “An affair of the past. Come slow, it’s your turn. What is the past?” “Something we are all looking for- ward to."” “And Love?"’ “*Something we cannot afford." “And what is a kiss?" ‘Merely an acknowledgment that Love is not perfect. If it were. kisses would be unnecessary." She held out her hand. “Au revoir,”’ she said. never meet again.” He took it. ‘Good-bye forever," he “T'll see you later.”” “We shall replied. Addison Fox, Jr comicbooks.com