Life, 1910-01-13 · page 10 of 36
Life — January 13, 1910 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the intelligence and behavior of young men, particularly those from wealthy backgrounds. The heading "Please Give Them Some Ideas" introduces a critical commentary on the "current magazine" set—described as insufferably stupid, internally incoherent, and prone to anarchism despite their exclusivity. The illustration titled "An Incentive for Genius" depicts a young boy taking a music lesson, likely satirizing the notion that such genteel education produces intelligent adults. The caption suggests repeated drilling ("ten times before he can go skating") is necessary, mocking both privileged education and the apparent need to drill basic sense into the privileged classes. The page also includes several application letters to what appears to be a club, showing would-be members' ineptitude and revealing the satire's target: wealthy but intellectually vacant young men.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
86 *LIFE® the real thing. Also if he be one whom every one is tired of. Dues must be paid on entry in cash. No notes or checks or other paper received. The day the club first opened three insurance presidents who applied for admission gave checks and they came back on us afterwards. crs will not weep, wail, or gnash their teeth in the A suitable room has been provided for this pur- nature-fakers, immediately on entering the clab, are invited to help dig in this garden, No Vice-Presidents of the United States will be re- ceived. This club is only for those who have once been prominent. Lying contests every Friday night in the Ananias Room. The one telling the biggest whopper will be given a copy of William James’ Pragmatism. All applications for mem- bership should be made in writing. Blanks at the office. The applicant should give his name, age, and all the cir- cumstances showing how he has discredited himself. Those who have not been pub- licly held up to scorn or found out, but still know in their hearts that they ought to be, are eligible to the club, with the p signing whenever the; they are ready to live better lives. Applications continue to come in Among others the following have been received : Drar Sirs: Can I come in until the next campaign? I know I am still popular, but I have a secret feeling that I ought to do some sort of penace for killing those animals and at the same time posing as a benefactor of the human race. Yours, Tiropore. Roosevett. (Telegram) On my way. Important Notice ZELAYA urday night Anthony Com stock will lecture on Anatomy Reserved seats at the office. Please Give Them Some Ideas WANDERING through the bael: pages of the current maga- zines we find some reason to hope that there is an improvement in the intelli- gence of the young men who wear shirts, collars and ready-made suits in those pages for the benefit of the advertisers. Why should those young men average so insufferable? Why so soulless? Why so infernally correct and so abysmally stupid? We are sure they tend to make anarchists, so nice they arc and so exclusive. Some of the crop of the present season incline a little more to the human, but they have a long way still to come. AN INCENTIVE FOR GENIUS LITTLE HAROLD MUST PLAY HIS LESSON TEN TIMES BEFcRE HE CAN GO SKATING comicbooks.com