Life, 1909-08-12 · page 19 of 28
Life — August 12, 1909 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine satirizes American overwork and stress culture through two interconnected pieces: **The Cartoon:** Shows a servant delivering a message about "private grounds" to a well-dressed man hanging laundry. The satire appears to mock the pretensions of the nouveau riche or middle class—people so busy with their ambitious pursuits that they've lost leisure and dignity, reduced to domestic drudgery despite their social aspirations. **"Recipe for Americanitis":** A mock recipe by H.T. Moore that equates the American pursuit of success with a disease. The "ingredients" (ambition, perseverance, midnight oil, coffee, exercise, telephones, stenographers) are stirred together in "carpeted ovens" and "subway" conditions, producing a hardened, stressed result. The satire critiques the relentless work ethic, constant stimulation (telephones, typewriters), and nervous exhaustion that define American business culture. The term "Americanitis" suggests this frantic lifestyle is distinctly American—a cultural pathology created by unchecked ambition and mechanized modern life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“PLEASE, SIR, MISSIS SAYS TO TELL YOU THAT THESE IS PRIVATE GROUNDS” . . we acquires an gel-food composition and a checkbook flavor. Recipe for Americanitis Practice this recipe daily suniil the automobile tae and pony-coat dressing have been palatably mustered and serve with nérvous-prostration icing as an office-hour appetizer for doctors and undertakers. H. T. Moore. © one quart of ambition add four ounces of perseverance, a pinch of strenuosity, a tankard of midnight oil and 150 pounds of mere man. Stir in the early A. M. with an alarm clock, cover with a little dressing and quickly pour in—one cup of coffee. Season with a dash of exercise and allow to sit for one hour in an electric refrigerator completely wrapped up in a mor: newspaper. Agitate for half a day in a carpeted oven, fre- quently relishing with a spice of telephone, a grating of type- writer and a fresh stenographer. Remove for a few moments to the nearest pantry and stuff with a ham sandwich and piece of pie, moistening the ingredients with a glass of milk Agitate some more in the skyscraper oven until the dough- doting rarebit becomes crusty and has the appearance of be- ing well done up. Stand in the subway for another hour or beat it to a trolley jam, constantly churning until the mas- culine compound has a hardened look and a curdled way. After sweetening with the oil of taffy, stuff with table d’hote filling until properly tempered, and set aside in a comfortable chair to cool, savoring with a Wall Street extract of L sauce. Smooth gently with a handful of lady fingers until i A MARCONI WaSit OUT comicbooks.com