Life, 1909-05-06 · page 17 of 48
Life — May 6, 1909 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of early 1900s American humor: **"A Newer Idea"**: Satirizes divorce culture. A woman with multiple wedding rings (suggesting serial marriages) reveals she no longer allows the minister to kiss her at weddings—instead, she kisses "the judge who divorces me." This mocks the apparent frequency of divorce among certain social circles and suggests cynicism about marriage. **"A May Poem"**: A parody of romantic spring poetry, contrasting love's hopeful beginning ("sleighing," "gay") with its disappointing reality (winter, snow, "drat the snow"). The format mimics sentimental verse while undercutting it. **"Incredible, But True"**: Mocks religious publications' tendency to boast about their moral influence. It reports absurdly that a Pennsylvania church had 150 automobiles among regular attendants—presented as evidence of virtue, though the satire suggests this actually reveals materialism and vanity among the supposedly pious. The cartoons feature various vignettes poking fun at contemporary social pretensions, romantic disappointments, and religious hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Mt, FELLERS ! Farmer: 1818 18 NO PLACE TO Vist “DON'T avoLocize, MISTER, 17'S BETTER HERE THAN GOING TO ScItoot. A May Poem (Especially adapted to the season of 1g0y. Patent applicd for.) fa Maying Love went out / (a sleighing gay In the spring une gray Through the drifts of uaee as snow flakes the way. {blithely singing (sadly huddled (leafy bough Carpeting Birds were On the frozen bough ~ Roses blow,”” e , bsaid Cu “ Drat the snow!" j summer winter Love came home at evening fmoonlig Through they shadows gray {drops Basket full of snow (balls Gathered on the way Skipping SKIPPING) rep the meadows, Slipping J HERE COMES A BIRD-DOG! "" (sunshine clear Through the Uandscape drear “ Gay it is," ) “ Rheumatiz,”” J “Summer ) |. . Lime is here. > said Cupid, Winter A Newer Idea © you always allow the minister who marries you to kiss you?” asks the lady with the alimony expres- sion of the lady with the half-dozen wed- ding rings arranged as bangles on her bracelet. “Dear me, no! smiles the latter. “That is so horribly old-fashioned, my dear. But I always kiss the judge who divorces me."’ How is it you are always out I 1 when I call? Sue: Just luck! BASE BALL 1 TWo “ STRIKE Professor ME SEE; T BOOK SAYS THAT ONLY CINNAMON BEARS CAN CLIMB TREES. WONDER IF THIS 1S A CINNAMON BEAR? Now 1 Incredible, But True HEN the religious papers are funny, they are funnier than a mere secular, humorous paper like Lire One of the h the advantages can ever hope to be. which is impressed y its columns offer to advertisers of schools, has sent out a circ this interesting exposition of the kind of ns to re lar which contains people the paper cla “One of the Pe cently directed the fact that out of ants there were 150 au! We mention this bec the w ar attend- obiles owned n bis church typical of conditions generally They are the peo nd position jot that wonderful! ural co! ion constr: us to omit the name © denomination whose members are thus commended. comicbooks.com