Life, 1905-03-02 · page 21 of 44
Life — March 2, 1905 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page contains two satirical pieces: **"A Really Pretty Girl"** (poem by J.W. Fuller): A romantic poem celebrating female beauty as superior to all world wonders—travel, natural landmarks, even artistic masterpieces. The satire lies in the exaggerated, flowery praise of women's appearance as the ultimate achievement, reflecting early 20th-century gender attitudes that reduced women's value to their looks. **"A Plan That Failed"** (story by Addison Fox, Jr.): A domestic comedy where a tired husband wants to avoid a theater party. His wife strategically gives him a cocktail and nice dinner to improve his mood, banking on psychology to manipulate him into going. The irony: her plan backfires—he feels so good he refuses to leave home. The satire gently mocks both marital manipulation tactics and how quickly a man's priorities shift from social obligation to personal comfort. Both pieces reflect pre-1930s attitudes toward gender roles, domesticity, and marriage dynamics common in American humor magazines of that era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“UIE 249 A Really Pretty Girl. HAVE traveled alien countries (through the medium of bool I have seen sin phot ravures) Italy's sun-burnished skies ; nf cliff-bounded mountai ught me where Killarney’s splendor lies ; raph exhibits) | have trodden courts res) Lhave let my visions whirl, I've had (stereoptic) visi brooks, the camera has bi { kings, nds of € And it allo There isn rth (in Tee sage conclusion to my comprehension brings half as sp asa really pretty girl. ast, [have seen (in scenic albums) all the gardens of breezes blow ; I have been (in dreams fantastic) where the trop: 1 have watched (in moving pictures) where Niagara like yeast Frothed above its splendid chasm and upon the rocks below ; Ry the banks of the Euphrates (done on canvas) I have strolled, In the valley of ¥ ature’s glories whirl mite seen } In kaleidoscopic but when all the tale is told There is nothing half as splendid as a teally pretty girl. Nature did the firmament and splashed the sombre skies : when sb 1 the moon and star As jewels in the crown of Night and with her gorgeous dyes Made She ha Atin And she org lorious the gardens where the nodding flowers are, in mind a vision far beyond the dreams of kings, ation tha set every sense a-whirl, J practiced on these quite imperfect things, » work and fashioned us a really pretty girl ! J. W. Fuler A Plan That Failed. ‘ON BLUMER came in wearily Nop. He had had a hard da and sat down with a — at the office. He was ence had taught her to dissemble judiciously. no ad gotten a telephone message from » to go to a theatre party that evening. She tired, Mrs. Von Blumer looked at him keenly. Years of exper!- she asking the had had a nice “The to go anyw house for a farm. Mrs. Von Blumer looked at him earnestly. * You poor thi ned. “1 don't believe in it rule, but you really need a little stimulant.” ful cocktail. fternoon nap and was dying suid her husban: night. I wouldn't be dra: » 0. at don't have Heaven ged out of this "she exclai as a gene In a moment she had mixed a delig! * Here,"* she said, "take this. Her tired husband dispatched it. Then they toa dainty dinne “Do you know, Led feel better. I feel more like myself. Perha all, it would be better to go out somewhere this evening. I need a change.”" Mrs. Von Blumer smiled triumphantly. The psycholog- ical moment had arrived. “Oh, I'm so glad," she exclaimed. “I didn’t want to speak of it before, but the Bilters want us to go on a theatre party to-night. We have just time to get there. Von Blumer looked at his wife anxiously. “You didn’t tell them positiv you would go, did you?" he asked. “Oh, no. But I can telephone.” Her husband rose to his feet. ** Well, dear," he replied, ‘don’t do it, please. Do you 1F YOU'RE ROLLING IN SHLLLIONS YOU DON'T CARE TO LEAYE, know, that cocktail and this excellent dinner have put me ph Th bee ara hardest in just the right mood for an evening with the boys at the sat down id Von Blumer, over his coff afte! IF YOU WANT TO TAKE IT WITH YOU. comicbooks.com