Life, 1904-09-22 · page 9 of 20
Life — September 22, 1904 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts a dining scene where a waiter serves an elegantly dressed woman while other diners observe. The accompanying text—titled "Providence"—satirizes American wealth and eating habits. The satire suggests that wealthy Americans, having become "too rich to work" and "too stupid to talk," discovered they could "kill more time eating slowly than in eating fast." The passage mocks how the wealthy use leisurely dining as a status display and time-filler. The caption notes that Providence (divine intervention) works subtly on Americans through their own native nature rather than through dramatic revelation. This is social commentary on American materialism and the idle rich during the Gilded Age or early 20th century.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Waiter (chucking to himsely uopy NO Goo. TIFF, IT'S SAFE TO MYKE A MISTYKE IN THE DILL. It’s A MILL Ww fourth of the millions my contract called for—on the strength of the fact that they had substituted Brass for Gold, I rebelled ; volcanically, sulphureously, I rebelled ; and my un-Sunday-School language loosened the gang. They doubled the amount of the check, thereby swindling me out of one-half of my share of the plunder My story of Adulterated is done. And now that itis told, Tam wondering if the ‘Dear Public’ will fathom my motive for telling it. If not, guess again. ALL. D WOT DON'T BLOW No- 1 NOTICE THAT HEVERY TIME A GENT AN’ 'IS SWEET'EART ‘AS 283 Providence. nN D yet the time came, at last, when Americans ate more slowly than any other genuinely great people in the world. For as soon as they got too rich to work, too stupid to talk and too fat to dance, and there was nothing for them to do but eat, they very soon discovered, with their native sagac- ity, that they could kill more time eating slowly than in eating fast. Providence knows its business. If Providence had sent down an angel, with a flaming sword, to tell Americans to chew their food, it would have yot the laugh; anda revelation through a prophet would hardly have been given a scare- head in the newspapers Monday morning. But by going rightly about it, Providence has its way, after all. Some people can be driven; others have to be managed. Another ‘Query.’ ‘OUR verse (?) called ' Query” (it's a“ corker") Must have been penned by a New Yorker ; You say: “New York, so I've heard tell, Is scarce a better place than H—I.” And then proceed, without a balk, To make a rhyme of * York" and “talk.” y, if New York's like your verse, You've heard aright, Hell can't be worse A Wescerner, The above is for your ‘Kickers’ Column,” if you can stand the “jolt.” If not, the wasts-paper basket will do, It has reference to the lines on page 165 of your issue, dated August 18 Women. ERE were four women: a_ pretty woman, a great woman, a wise woman, and a good woman. About the pretty woman pressed, asking her how she did her hai Hundreds gathered about the great woman, asking her how she managed her butler. Dozens drew near to the avoided inking her fingers. But the good woman stood alone, except for a blind per- son, who could not see that she was neither pretty, nor great, nor wise, and was, therefore, curious to know why she was good. thousands, ¢ woman, asking her how she / comicbooks.com