Life — September 16, 1909 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Etiquette for Children This is a humorous instructional page offering satirical advice on child-rearing practices. Rather than depicting actual political figures or events, it presents nine illustrated vignettes with tongue-in-cheek etiquette tips: The captions cover practical (if sometimes questionable) parenting scenarios: never leaving cats alone with babies, avoiding kissing children on the mouth, punishment techniques, preventing water accidents, bathing procedures, and protecting valuables from curious toddlers. The satire lies in the deadpan delivery of common-sense (and period-specific) parenting wisdom through formal "etiquette" framing—treating child management as a matter of social propriety rather than genuine safety or child development. The cartoons mock both overprotective parenting and the era's somewhat cavalier attitudes toward childhood dangers.