Life, 1908-02-20 · page 11 of 24
Life — February 20, 1908 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration depicts a wealthy couple—a woman in an elegant gown and a man in formal attire—examining fish they've caught. The satirical caption and accompanying dialogue suggest social commentary on marriage and wealth. The text presents a philosophical debate between characters (Socrates and Glaucon are referenced) about happiness and material gain. The dialogue explores whether winning money brings lasting contentment, with one character arguing that happiness depends on how one obtains wealth rather than the amount acquired. The cartoon likely satirizes upper-class courtship or marriage dynamics, suggesting that a woman seeks a man who shares her materialistic values—someone "after her own heart" because he also pursues wealth and luxury.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
And have you won more, in the total amount of your winnings, than you have lost ? I should say that I had, counting this time, and as I have just said, you cannot get around that. IT am not trying to get around that, my dear friend, but only to clear away the clouds of ignorance from my stupid brain. And i should like to ask you if ever you have won as much at one time as you have won now, or is this your greatest winning ? Not my greatest, for once or twice I won more than this. And were you as happy then about it as now? I should say I was as happy. More or less? More, Socrates, when I won more, and less when I won less. I like that about you, Glaucon, be- cause your answer is so clear. And it appears that at the time you won more than you have now you were happier than you are now in proportion to your win- ning then over now. So it appears. And you are less happy now than you were when you won more than you A MAN APTER HER OWN HEART have now, in proportion to the difference. That is right. And you would be still happier if you won more ? Yes, And less happy if you had won less? Yes, less happy. ‘Then, Glaucon, you are not as happy as you might be. Glaucon gave a reluctant assent to this. But I am still happier than you, he added. I have no doubt of this, replied Soc- rates, for indeed I am the most miser- able of men, and all because I have not your divine judgment in buying and sell- ing on the Exchange, which appears to me marvelous. At this moment a slave entered and handed Glaucon a message, and his hands, trembled as he unfold#d the papyrus. By Poseidon! he exclaimed, they are calling on me for margin, for it seems while I have been idling my time here there has heen a great fall in prices amounting almost to a panic and Copper fell ten points in almost no time. Oh, why did I linger here! Adeimantus and Thrasymachus tried to console him, but Socrates did not join them. Indeed, this strange man is a puzzle to all. O Glaucon, he said, can it be that we were both wrong? For first it ap- peared that your happiness was depend- ent upon others, according as they bought and sold. ‘Then it appeared dependent on the prices themselves, then upon your judgment. But now, my stricken friend, it is plain that I alone am responsible; for had you not stopped to listen to me, all would have been well. Yes, retorted Glaucon, you are the one, and I might have known it, for I had in mind to sell out when Ihad good profit, but thought I would wait a little until the price grew higher, when I would make still more, and you, by your silly clatter, kept me from watching the market, as I should have done. And that is where you were wrong, indeed, replied Socrates; for to depend upon me in any way, my dear Glaucon, is to adopt a foolish expedient, and one which I cannot even recommend, for am I not myself always going to others for counsel ? comicbooks.com