Life — February 18, 1909 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes marital discord through a fake advertisement for a "Correspondence School for Husbands." The cartoon mocks men's domestic incompetence, advertising lessons on furniture moving, putting oneself into bed without "exciting wife's suspicion," eliminating cozy corners, training wives to stop nagging, gambling habits, and handling "cosy corners" and desk clutter. The accompanying illustration and testimonial letters from supposed wives (complaining about husbands' behavior) reinforce the joke: wives endure lazy, inconsiderate, financially irresponsible husbands. The satire targets early-1900s gender dynamics—implying husbands need remedial instruction in basic household cooperation and consideration. The fictional school "solves" marital problems by suggesting men require training to be tolerable partners, mocking both male domestic uselessness and women's resigned acceptance.