Life, 1905-03-02 · page 17 of 44
Life — March 2, 1905 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate satirical comic exchanges typical of Life magazine's humor section. **Top cartoon ("Just Chaff"):** A doctor and judge converse at what appears to be a social gathering. The doctor asks if the judge has forgotten how boys used to steal from Farmer Perkins' melon patch. The judge responds that he has an "excellent memory" and claims it's "under perfect control"—the joke being the obvious contradiction: if his memory were truly excellent and controlled, he'd remember the youthful mischief. The satire targets the hypocrisy of respectable older men who deny or whitewash their own past indiscretions. **Bottom section ("Her Decreasing Age"):** A brief dialogue where a woman mentions her birthday tomorrow, and when asked how she'll celebrate, quips she'll "take a year off." The humor plays on the common social convention where women decrease their stated age rather than acknowledge advancing years—she's inverting the joke by literally taking a year off her age. Both rely on observational humor about human vanity and social pretense.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE- 245 is ours, He that his howse and everything in it, by right does for us what is n y—but and leaves > more for which we ble: us ungrudgingly our own resou hy und, D every moment of the time, We roam at will, gots, do not hesitate tos ke one of our having tried his own in the blissful certainty that we cannot offend him, His gical moment; and disappears the psyche app be drunk in the The cook may the same happy manner. kitchen; the waitress to quit; the eof a number of domes she is unconcerned ce mey have given out, or any have occurred. B ation is discussed as if interest in it Chere is no concealment, The sitt we were merely spectators and had no vit It thus happens that because there has been no effort entertain that be been solicitous about us, we have not be ty at last compels us tode; use NO one . We are entertained ; ne objects of art, te; and when neces kind of furt t we will come we can; and somehow this resolve occasions no hesitancy, for we d © pot our host is with ¢ resolve again s soon ¢ not seem to . Which makes it easy for us to and hostess to any trow! feel that t ad to see us, just The Doctor: WH NOASTED OF HAVING 5 The Judge JUDGH, HAVE YOU REALLY FORGOTTEN THE Way WAN EXCELLENT MEMORY AN EXCFLLEST ALEMORY, DOCT + the more we have. A The less hospitality we disp guest should be a gi delicate und hopeless 1 ideas of how he shor eral it is a st in name only, Ing k to foist upon him enjoy himself. Let h in your hittle province, to wander as he will And if there i ar Surroundings: s f do not conceal it f imperfce out it naturally om hi To know will put him at his ease Te Her Decreasing Age. »morrow is my birthday sha And how do you th ay 2% : Tsuppose you will take a day off, k L celebrate when I have a birth- Oh, I presume you take a rear this Heaven * EW ARRIVAL I St. Perer (sa ve Tt was—bef ized CHAFF. wr BOYS USED TO STEAL FARMER PERKINS’ MELONS © WHY, 1 THOUGHT you UNDER PERFECT CONTROL comicbooks.com