Life, 1907-01-24 · page 5 of 24
Life — January 24, 1907 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts "How the Other Half Lives: The Half-Hour Before Luncheon—With the Telephone Girl," showing a crowded social scene of well-dressed women and fashionable figures from early 20th-century high society. The accompanying article "A Sad Little Story" satirizes wealthy society's moral contradictions. It describes a woman who achieved independence through a wealthy marriage but then became an alcoholic, eventually losing everything. The piece critiques how the newly wealthy Copley Square development in Boston—meant as a monument to "triumph of mind and morals"—becomes a lamentable eyesore instead. The overall satire mocks the pretensions and hollow values of the upper class, suggesting their wealth masks moral bankruptcy and hypocrisy. The "telephone girl" reference likely indicates how new technology was penetrating even exclusive social circles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES THE MALF-HOUR BEFORE LUNCUEON—WITH THE TELEPHONE GIRL The Year One A.D.G.R.* LD POINT? We were there all through April. Bar Harbor? Struck that in July. Cape May? Stopped off in September — So stupid we thought we should die. Virginia Hot Springs? Spent October And part of November down thi Weare leaving next week for the Windwards. Came over last night from Belle Air. I think we shall go to Bermuda, Coming back by Jamaica, perhaps, And we'll try to drop in at Biloxi— Is there anything clse on the —— s. After dad got rich. Puzzle A PRETTY girl with a mini- mum of brains and a maxi- mum of ambitious mother made up her mind to marry in good society, so she accepted a wealthy, middle- aged bachelor, had the use of a house in town, a house in the coun- try, several automobiles, yachts and pri- vate cars, and was able to go to the opera, cover herself with diamonds and see Europe. After she had been married for several years she became independent of everything except alcohol, which she had learned to consume in the form of cocktails, highballs and champagne. This making her fractious and irritable, her husband left her to go her own way, while he went his, and there being no children, she had nothing else to do but devote herself to the bad habit she had formed and keep it up as long as possible. PUZZLE Give the name of the avenuesand hotel corridors where this lady can be seen be- tween the hours of 2 P.M. and midnight. Post Card Freicut Drpt., Kansas & C.R.R.Co., PROHIBITIONVILLE, Dec. 20. Dear Sir: Please send for your case of — Books —— at once. It is leaking. B. H., Agent. A Sad Little Story [RESBITANTS of these parts who have penetrated to Boston know the building in Copley Square called “West- minster Chambers.” The city ordered the top story off, as exceeding the limit of height permitted to buildings on Copley Square. After years of litigation, the _courts have finally decided that the city shall pay $340,000 damages for making the obnoxious Chambers take off its hat. The Chambers now stands as a monument to the triumph of mind and morals over mere matter. But it was an expensive triumph, and the building without its top. story makes a lamentable appearance and disfigures the square ten times worse than before. A prize will be given for a moral to this tale that will square with ethics without hurting the feelings of Boston. In the tale, as it stands, the triumph of virtue seems incomplete. : comicbooks:com