Life, 1905-02-23 · page 3 of 22
Life — February 23, 1905 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate satirical pieces: **"Self-Centered"** (left): A brief poem mocking someone's self-importance, suggesting they believed themselves irreplaceable—that newspapers, friends, and "the World" couldn't function without them. The humor lies in the deflating revelation: "But they didn't know / When he died." **"The Industrious Factory Girl"** (right): A story satirizing the gap between appearance and reality. A young woman reads Laura Jean Libbey novels (popular romance fiction), fantasizing about attracting a wealthy industrialist with her beauty and modest demeanor. The satire reveals her actual life: she's ruined her hands with factory work, lost her looks, and married twice without ever working—undermining the romantic fantasy the magazines sold to working-class readers. Both pieces critique American delusions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Lord: OUR STOCK 1S At. NOTHING BETTER IN BURKE'S, “VES, FATHER SAID HE HAD REMARGINED SO OFTEN THAT HE HAD BETTER BUY YOU OUTRIGHT.” Self-Centered. ND he wondered what they'd say When he died. What the Press would write about him !} at his Friends would think about him ! What the World would do without him t When he died. But they didn’t even know When he died HE Subway has developed a new animal—the under- groundhog. The Industrious Factory Girl. IRL who had read all of Laura Jean Libbey’s books left home and obtained a position in a canning manu- cying that her fresh young beauty, industry and modest demeanor would win the attention of the rich young proprietor. In a year she had lost her looks and ruined her finger nails frivoling with sheet tin The pro- istor never noticed her, but married a show girl who had had two other husbands and never dic “s work in her life If you would marry a millionaire, get in the chorus. Kate Masterson, comicbooks.com