Life, 1909-01-21 · page 13 of 28
Life — January 21, 1909 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on women's education and roles. The left side features a letter titled "She Is Not Alone" responding to an earlier *Life* editorial supporting higher education for American women. The author argues that an educated woman makes men "tired" and questions whether education truly benefits women. The illustration labeled "SPORT IN THE LABORATORY" appears to satirize scientific or medical investigations, showing figures in what seems to be a laboratory setting, likely mocking contemporary pseudo-scientific practices. The Maud Muller story recounts a woman who, decades after being denied education by a judge's order, regrets the lost opportunity. The satire critiques restrictions on women's advancement and education, suggesting such limitations cause lasting harm and regret.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: 101 1AM '— AND IF 1 RING, I'LL WAKE HER FATHER She Is Not Alone O THE EDITOR OF LIFE: Sir:-—That first editorial of Lire anent the higher edu- cation of American women is absolutely right—and righter even than you know. For you imply that if a woman is an excellent housewife her education may be forgiven her, but this is your mist ne that IT am an excellent house- He eats three excellent meals a day, served hot, and on the minute. His ink well is kept filled, a dustless room surrounds him, with an open fire and folded keeper—and he is right paper and shaded lamp—nor have I affiliations with the W. C T. U.t I dress well, have gold hair, hate gadding, and love to be at home. There is, he assures me, but one flaw—my education, and our situation is analogous to hundreds of others in this country The Servant in the House was to him a penance of a did one good thing sacreligious character, while the mayor in shutting off Mrs. Warren's Profession."? Anna Held, how- ever, is all right, and the Top o’ th’ World we saw four times! Concerning music, literature and art he feels “least said, soonest mended "’ (I don’t know why that phrase is so satisfactory to him just here), To tell the truth, in spite of the fact that he might have written every word Lire says about WOMAN himself, still it is not enough. He darkly distrusts you! (Once you spoke kindly of those “damned socialists."") Now, how evident it is that your suggestion is sound, and that a love of the whole great world of ideas had best have remained closed to me. Not, of course, that it is evident upon grounds of justice or progress or enlightenment. You have a simpler test. Does an American woman’s education tend to make an American man comfortable? Emphatically, it does not. [If he knows she’s got it (which very likely he may forget) it makes him “tired ’'!] As it appears, she still exists for this vicarious purpose, why, then, by all means let her be deprived of it to this end, laying the while this unction to her soul that the less of a one she has the more tolerable for conversational purposes will the average An can man thereby become to her. For obvious reasons, I sign no name. Decensex 27 Maud Muller a summer's day, was raking the customary filled with hay, when the Judge came alo “Good morning, Maud."* “ How are you, Judge. Fine morning." “Yes. Um. You are probably aware that President Roose- velt has forbidden all this.”* “ Really?” “Really. He claims that the farmer's wife and, of course, the farmer's daughter, ought not to be raking up hay. Now, if you will give me a glass of water I shall be glad to take you away from all this. I am a rising young corporation lawyer, and think I can make you fairly comfortable.” Maud, looking carefully at his chestnut mare, accepted his invitation. About thirteen years later, when the Judge was investigated and put into jail, she looked wistfully back over the usual vista of years, thought of the golden haired yap who lived two farms beyond, that she might have had, she muttered softly to herself : “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: I might have had Ben. SPORT IN THE LARORATORY “It is an error to suppose that vivisection has given any true scientific notions to cither surgery or mr It is quite the contrary. I have always found what are called ‘scientific experi- nts” not only strange and inhuman, but illusory and dangerous, I am astonished that all my brother doctors do not recognize the i ‘ity of the ‘investigations ’ as practiced by the vivisectionists, “Leon MARCHAND, Ancien Professeur de la Sorbonne. Paris, 1905. comicbooks.com