Life — December 17, 1908 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 696 The left side features "New York Version," a humorous counting-out rhyme using Jewish children ("little Israelites") that parodies the traditional "Ten Little Indians" format. Each verse describes a child leaving through various misadventures—getting into Wall Street, losing creditors, getting insured, counterfeiting, pickpocketing, etc.—until none remain. The accompanying illustrations show stereotyped caricatured children. This is ethnic humor typical of early 20th-century American satire, mocking both Jewish immigrants and contemporary urban vices (financial schemes, crime, etc.). The right side, "The Alleviation," is a serious poem about changing women's fashion and manners, followed by "Women and Education," a substantive essay arguing that college education for women needn't distract them from domestic duties—reflecting period anxieties about female education.