Life, 1907-04-18 · page 11 of 36
Life — April 18, 1907 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine presents satirical commentary on Southern attitudes toward women, particularly regarding marriage. **Main Article: "The Southern Sentiment About Women"** The text ironically defends the South's superior treatment of women while simultaneously mocking this claim. It argues that Southern men treat women "better and more handsomely" than Northern men, claiming this explains why Southern women prefer marrying Southerners over Northerners or Englishmen. The satire lies in the contradiction: the author suggests Southern superiority stems from regarding women as equals deserving "close and helpful companionship"—yet uses this to justify why women would naturally choose Southern men, undermining the equality argument. **"Unfailing" Section** A brief comedic anecdote about train punctuality appears unrelated to the main content. The cartoon illustration above depicts a social gathering, likely emphasizing the genteel Southern social scene being discussed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_—t BE IT NEVER SO HUMBLE The Southern Sentiment About Women ‘OW much sense, if any, is there in the persuasion which our brethren south of the Potomac are i) so much addicted to, that they treat women better O87 JS, and more handsomely than we do in the North? we, There is a traditional belief to that x » effect all over the South. Wewould not a) y dare to say it is not well founded, 8 (i } (Nh nor is anything to be gained by Cg \ ae? such an assertion, for if women are better treated in the South than hereabouts so much the better. We in the North have an analogous conviction that we treat the women by whose companionship we are blessed with more consideration and indulgence than Englishmen show to theirs. Let us hope we do. Yet the probability seems to be that these reputed differences of atti- tude and deportment are individual rather than sectional or national, for we know of Northern men who make themselves preposterously acceptable to women folk ; and we read of Southern men who have to be shot because of their deficiencies in fidelity or gentleness, and we hear of Southern women who dare to marry Northerners and even Englishmen, and that from preference. ‘This last eccentricity of choice may be ex- plained on the ground that there are always women who would rather be treated as equals than as superiors. And in that explanation there is doubtless much significance. If the Southern man’s ideal of manners is to regard women as his superiors and the Northern man’s instinct is to regard them as his equals, it may be claimed with considerable force that the Northern man’s attitude is the more satisfactory, because an instinctive sentiment works all the time, and is not so subject to lapses, and fluctuations and failures to make good as an ideal. There cannot be any better b and women than equali and helpful companionship. Unfailing “CO)ER tnin leaves in just thirty seconds.” “Oh, well, it never leaves on time.” “Tt will to-day—there are seventeen people ahead of us at the ticket-window.” s of relation between men None other makes for such close comicbooks.com