Life, 1909-12-02 · page 27 of 80
Life — December 2, 1909 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two distinct pieces: **Top cartoon:** A social satire titled "The Cousin From the West." A wealthy visitor from a mining town suggests sending unmarried girls west to find husbands, claiming they'd be engaged before the train stopped. The widow Jebb skeptically asks if there's "any chance"—the joke being that the cousin is clearly exaggerating the marriage prospects out west, likely implying the region is remote or rough enough that any eligible woman would be quickly claimed. **Bottom article:** "Own Your Own Mind" is a philosophical essay (not a cartoon) advocating intellectual independence. It uses real-estate metaphors—comparing borrowed opinions to renting furnished apartments—to argue that people should develop their own thoughts rather than uncritically adopt others' ideas. The message: independent thinking is more valuable and personally satisfying than passive acceptance of conventional wisdom. Both pieces reflect early-20th-century concerns about conformity, regional differences, and individual agency.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Aion The Cousin From the West: 18 You WANT YOUR GIRLS ING MINING TOW The Widow Jebb: 18 THERE ANY CHANCE THERE? “CHANCE! WHY, BEFORE THE TRAIN’S SLOWED DOWN ALL THE PRINCIPAL HOTEL YOU'D BE FIGHTING FOR THE BRIDAL Own Your Own Mind VE you ever considered the possibility of doing this? Remember that living in a rented mind, furnished with opinions bought on the installment plan, never offers any inducement with it for the future. Not only this, but you are not saving up anything The advantages of owning your own mind will be appar ent at a moment's thoug In the first place, you come to take a personal interest, which you do not fecl when it is owned by some one else. MARRIED WHY DON’T YOU TAKE THEM OUT WEST TO SOME THRIV- THREE WOULD BE ENGAGED, AND BY THE TIME YOU RFACHED suite.” Then, again, the natural increase in value redounds to your You have no one to dictate to you as to the in- side furnishings and decorations. Besides, it makes you more particular with regard to what you put into it. If you live in a rented nd, you don’t care much. You will drive nails in the walls, and get generally careless about it own your own mind, you are constantly going about picking it up. You take real pride in it Be it ever so humble, there is no place like a mind that you own yourself own profit But when you comicbooks.com