Life, 1907-11-07 · page 23 of 50
Life — November 7, 1907 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary and comic narratives typical of early-20th-century *Life* magazine. **"Leisure" Essay**: A brief satirical piece lamenting that leisure—once used to create great art and literature—is now obsolete. The irony is that the magazine is too busy advertising products to properly discuss the topic, highlighting modern commercial culture's displacement of contemplative pursuits. **"The Natural Result"**: A dialogue between an unnamed narrator and "the Fool Killer" (a recurring *Life* character representing common sense) exposing economic contradictions: a carpenter who builds houses cannot afford to live in them, instead renting from speculators. Workers pay rent for structures they themselves built—an absurdist critique of economic inequality and the housing market's illogic. **"Which is it to be, Angelica or Ethelberta?"**: A humorous romantic serial depicting a gentleman (Bertie) caught between two women, suffering "Angelina Pectoris complicated with Ethelitis"—a pun on the heart condition "angina pectoris." The illustrations show his social dilemma and distress at his club. The page exemplifies *Life*'s blend of social critique and light comedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
547 Leisure EISURE is an obsolete form of killing time. It once existed in large quantities. It is now, r, a thing of the past. re at one time was used quite extensively to produce statues, laws, legends, poems and other masterpieces. Its place has now been taken by labor-saving devices that tum out fig- ures, franchises, gossip, doggerel and other quick sellers. Will leisure ever come in again? Not as long as there are things to advertise. In the meantime, we are too busy to write any more about it, there being a best seller up our sleeve that must be ready for the printer by 4.30 P.M. to-morrow. H*® luck is the mother of success. Luck is only a relative “My ancestors came over in the Edna Mayflower,” said Bertie, proudly, in answer to old Harrifeller’s first question. id mine,” rejoined the old gentleman, blandly, “but re crushed to death on the voyage.” substitute for a piano, and probably thinking how much labor he could have spared him- self by the simple expedient of being born a century later. We shall need no more Bee- thovens in the future. It’s every man his own musician now, and scientists multiplying day by day their infernal machines for the de- struction of the stillness of the world. Agnes Repplier. The Natural Result “A CARPENTER without a house?” said the Fool Killer. ‘Why doesn’t he make a house?” “Because,” I said, “there is an overpro- duction of houses.” “Then why doesn’t he live in one of them?” “Why, he made them for some one else,” said I. “T'll get my gun,” he said. “Do the people he made them for live in them?” “No,” I said, “they rent them out to work- ing people like the carpenter.” “Do working people pay rent for what they build themselves?” said the Fool Killer. “Of course,” I said. “T must buy some canned meat,” said the Fool Killer. Where do the house-makers live?” he continued. “They live in the slums,” I said. “What are slum:?” asked the Fool Killer. “Places where there are so many poor people ‘The mental strain of deciding between Angelina and Ethelbert affects Bertie’s that overcrowding and filth kill them.” bealth. , “They have taken away my job,” said the He sends for the great specialist, Dr. Worsener Plummer, who after examining his heart tells him he has a hopeless case of Angelina Pectoris complicated with Fool Killer. Bolton Hall. Ethelitis. (To be continued in our next) Which is it to be, Angelina or Ethelberta? In despair, Bertie plunges into a whirl of reckless gaiety at his club, comicbooks.com