Life, 1909-01-28 · page 19 of 28
Life — January 28, 1909 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two distinct items from *Life* magazine: **Top illustration:** "Madame Zambezi Gives a Dinner Dance" depicts a wild, chaotic party scene with multiple figures in an exotic or fantastical setting—likely satirizing high-society social pretension or exaggerated accounts of scandalous gatherings. **Main content:** An announcement inviting women writers to contribute to a special "Woman's Number" of *Life*, with suggested topics ranging from suffrage to housekeeping. This reflects early 1900s debates about women's roles and expanding women's participation in public discourse. **"Saved by Love" story:** A comedic domestic sketch mocking gender dynamics. A husband wants to visit New York City's exciting nightlife (implied: morally dangerous attractions like "chorus girls"), but his wife forbids it, treating him like a child requiring bedtime discipline. She offers a suburban trolley trip as consolation. The humor targets both male desire for urban vice and wives' controlling domesticity—reflecting anxieties about modernization, gender power, and proper behavior circa 1909.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MADAME ZAMBEZI GIVES A DINNER DANCE Woman’s Number of Life An Invitation to All Women Writers EE“ in the Spring Lire will issue a Woman's Number, the text of which will be written exclusively by women. Lire extends herewith a general invitation to the women writers of this country to contribute to this number. Con- tributions will be paid for at Lire’s regular rates. The editors reserve the usual privilege of rejecting all contributions not suited to Lire’s purposes. This is not a contest. It is an opportunity thrown open to women to express themselv It is not necessarily con- fined to well-known writers. No manuscript will be rejected because the writer’s views do not happen to coincide with those of this paper. Among the subjects suggested are Woman Suffrage, the Care of Husbands, Matrimony, Divorce, Babies, Children, Spinsters, Home Decoration, Gardening, Music, Drama, Travel, Woman's Clubs, Shall Women Speak in Public? Local Gov- ernment, Woman's Dress, Education, Servants, and their man- agement, all domestic topics, etc. Oftentimes the cleverest and most original thought of the week may be expressed in one line. All contributions should be sent in before March 1, 1909, addressed to the Editor of Lire. Saved by Love ING in Brooklyn The young husband gazed at his wife with wistful eyes. He had a request to make, and he was trying to summon up courage enough to make it. “Dearest,” he said at last, “please don't be angry, but do you know, I have always had an intense desire to spend New York. I have read such thrilling tales of the ite Way, that I thought I should like to see it for myself. If you will only let me go, I promise you that I will take nothing but ice cream soda. And I will be home by midnight.”* His wife looked at him sternly. She shook her head. “No, John," she said firmly, “it cannot be. Little do you realize the wild excitement of that restless life. would not live to tell the tale. Do not think of such a thing. I fear that your reading those horrid New York papers has unsettled your mind. You little know what fate would be in store for you. No! You cannot go. But if you are real good, and will go to bed every night this week at eight o'clock instead of eight-thirty, as is our wont, why next Sunday, dear, we shall take a trolley trip to Jamaica.”” And kissing him tenderly, she tucked him up in bed, while he dreamed fitfully of chorus girls and Welsh rabbits and fizz. comicbooks.com