Life, 1909-04-22 · page 19 of 32
Life — April 22, 1909 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This essay-article satirizes the social conflict of early 20th-century women choosing between marriage/motherhood ("Babies") and leisure activities ("Bridge," a popular card game). The accompanying illustration shows a woman lounging by what appears to be a decorative pool or fountain—a visual representation of idle leisure. The author argues that Bridge-playing, though fashionable among "up-to-date" women, is intellectually inferior to motherhood. Bridge merely develops memory and is mechanical/uncreative, while babies develop imagination. The piece references classical ideals (Horatius, Cornelia) to contrast ancient women's roles with modern women abandoning domesticity for card games. The satire's barb: women choosing Bridge are becoming neither beautiful nor creatively fulfilled—they're becoming "Bridge-Fiends," mechanical and unattractive. The author questions whether this social choice explains the "dearth of beautiful women in modern pictures." The piece reflects anxieties about women's changing roles and leisure habits in the pre-WWI era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JOYS OF NATURE Bridge or Babies ? BY ELEN THORNTON NIGBEE HE fascination and tragedy of life is that we continually have to choose between things desired; therefore he is happiest who has most wisely developed the faculty of choice There is no question but that the “up-to-date” woman has chosen Bridge in preference to Babies. The sole question is, has she chosen wisely? We will not consider the moral aspect of the question; simply the intellectual A baby develops a woman's imagination, Wordsworth feclingly wrote, “ Heaven lies about us in our infancy.” Can we then blame the proud parent for indulging in that from which Heaven itself cannot refrain? A woman without imagination is Ennui personiiied. It is impossible 10 be a mother and la imagination; at least when we hear a moth- er’s description of her children and then sce the children themselves, such seems to be the case Bridge docs not develop imagination; it develops memory. Now, memory is the faculty above all others that women wish dormant, especially in this age of insomnia Bridge is not creative; it is mechanical. It is better to be a mother than an automaton; at least it would seem that one accomplished more. Of course some women do use their imagination and create Bridge rules for themselves. I heard not long ago of one who, when asked what her discard was, replied. “First all the twos, then the threes, then alternate red and black.” That was creative, but only a few brave souls dare venture to be original when playing Bridge Maidenhood, “standing with reluctant feet where the brook and river meet,” is to be seen no more. She is “ bridg- ing it,” according to Elwell, Foster or Strei “How well Horatius kept the Bridge In the brave days of old,” and Cornelia enjoyed her jewels and her nursery, which were synonymous. To-day Cornelia attends to the Bridge and her jewels are of a very different variety. And Horatius? Well, perhaps he will keep the nursery. In olden days the Madonna and Venus types were rivals in Art. Bridge is fatal to both. No woman can play Bridge well and carnestly, retain her beauty and avoid wrinkles. Babies are equally antagonistic to an expert game. As Bridge scems to be victorious, can that account for the lamentable dearth of beautiful women in modern pictures, and will the future type be the Bridge-Fiend, “Good at a fight, but better at a play, Godlike in giving, but the devil to pay.” I wonder what Mr. Huncker and other art critics think on the subject To me it seems hard on the artist as well as Horatius and the babies; but, then, it is all a matter of choice, you know. Mle. tartar Megha comicbooks.com