Life, 1909-06-17 · page 8 of 32
Life — June 17, 1909 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts "A Boston Literary Club," showing a woman (labeled as "Miss B.") reading a paper to an assembled audience about "the destructive influence of modern fiction on the intellectual and moral development of our parents." The satire is clear: the joke inverts typical moral panic rhetoric. Instead of worrying that modern fiction corrupts *youth*, this group worries it corrupts *parents*—suggesting that adults, not children, are the vulnerable ones susceptible to fiction's influence. This mocks the earnest intellectual pretensions of Boston's literary establishment while satirizing contemporary anxieties about literature's social effects. The accompanying text discusses various charitable fundraising efforts and cultural commentary, typical of Life magazine's satirical social coverage from this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
5 i ) I FINNG. POS WAKE MISS B, READS A PAPER ON Suill at It ILLIAM TRAVERS district attorn JEROME, says: to answer briefly chnical matters y_ tech: man can understand the reasons e acted as I have or refrained Oh, that’s all right. We understand Only stop explaining for a few minutes and give that poor old reversible, air- cooled, selective type record a chance to be forgotten. These avalanches of explanation are almost as bad for the public as they are for the record. R-LP. A BOSTON LITERARY CLUB “THE DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE OF MODERN FICTION ON TIE INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL MENT OF OUR PARENTS.’” Our Fresh Air Fund Balance on hand at close of last sea- son... : Less Mari ory Fund Receiveo Margaret tolokin, } 3.00 100.00 100.00 51.03 23.00 10.00 and P, W , 15.00 M. 10.00 3-49 Confidential Guide to Cities ITTSBURG—Millionaires, chorus girls and Music by steel foundries, and an anvil chorus of labor unions. The first stage in money dis- case, of which the next is upper Fifth avenue and the last Newport. Chicago—Lake front and prairie back filled with gamblers, anarchists and so- ciety leaders. Also the home of the Baptist. Church the Mrs. Potter Palmer society movement. Tank drama, chief part taken by Chicago River. Music by railroads. soot and DEVELOP- Boston—Incubator of religions, home of new thought and projector of New England conscience. Culture, beans and bronchitis constantly on tap. Suffers from Harvarditis during winter months. Also breeding place for psychologists. Philadelphia—Convenient resting place on the way south. This town was started by William Penn and is now the home of the Ladies’ Home Journal. Resounds with Quakers and slow music. Chief business to keep politicians supplied with cash. Does it Figen “Love WILL FIND A WAY”