Life, 1907-07-18 · page 16 of 28
Life — July 18, 1907 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a sentimental short story titled "Life's Little Problems" by Mrs. Wilson Woodrow, accompanied by a pen-and-ink illustration of a woman kneeling before a statue of Cupid in a garden. The story presents a romantic dilemma: two women—one young and innocent, one mature and experienced—both leave offerings (apple blossoms and roses) at a statue of Love, each praying that a mysterious man will choose her. The narrative ends ambiguously: when the man arrives at sunset, he sees both offerings but the reader never learns which woman he selects. The page also includes two brief comedic sketches below: "A Natural Indignation" satirizes people's lack of honor regarding borrowed books, and "Neighbors" humorously depicts a man asking a neighbor to silence his daughter's piano practice so his son can learn the flute—an ironic request that will simply replace one noise with another. The content reflects early 20th-century magazine sensibilities: romantic sentiment paired with gentle social humor about manners and domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE- Little Problems N THE depths of a green and mossy garden there stood a marble statue of Love, with long wings and blinded eyes; and thither, on the morning of a day in spring, came a girl who laid a cluster of apple blossoms upon the pedestal and knelt before it as an altar. “Love,” she whispered, “grant my-prayer? There is only one man in the world, and I long for his affec- tion, My radiant eyes are just opening with delight upon the joys of earth; and my heart holds no image but his. Ican bring him youth and hi spirits and a first love. Think of that! The wonder and the ecstasy of a first love!”” The other woman came across the garden in the golden noon and paused beside the statue. When she saw the apple blos- soms she unfastened the splendid red roses from her bosom and laid them also upon the pedestal “So she has been here, too,” she mur- mured. “Kind Love, I admit all that the apple blossoms say. Youth, spring time, the untried heart. And I—look well, Love. There is gray in my hair, there are lines on my face and the shad- ows of tears in my :s. But—those lines came when IT was learning the great lesson of forgiving and forgetting all things; these strands of gray when I awoke to the knowledge that ‘When the gods arrive the half gods go’; these shadows of unshed tears when I learned to know Pain as an angel. I have for the only man in the world charm, con- geniality pathy; nota first unrea- soning love, no; but the heart which has given much receives more. Ab, whisper to his heart for me, Love?” ‘The one man in the world walked in the garden at sunset and he, too, lingered beside the statue. Then he smiled, for he saw the apple blos- soms and the red roses and he knew their message. And he stretched out his hand and took—the roses or the apple blossoms? Which? Do you know? “grant my prayer" Mrs. Wilson Woodrow. ‘ant my pray A Natural Indignation Neighbors ODD: Would you mind returning the book you borrowed “J BEG your pardon, sir, but I’m going to ask you if your of me last winter? daughter would mind not playing on the piano for the Topp: Some one borrowed it of me, and hasn’t re- next two weeks?” turned it yet. Did you ever see anything like the way “May I ask, sir, the reason for this extraordinary request ?” some people act about a thing like that? They have no sense “Well, you see, my son wishes to get a good start with the of honor. flute.” comicbooks.com