Life, 1910-02-24 · page 10 of 36
Life — February 24, 1910 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains bridge instruction mixed with social commentary. The main text teaches contract bridge strategy, emphasizing silence during play and proper card technique. The illustration titled "Another Mystery" appears to show a séance or spiritualist gathering—a popular phenomenon in this era—with the caption suggesting someone is communicating through "the night" using pointing gestures. At the bottom, "The Evolution of a Prude" shows five progressive drawings of a face becoming increasingly stern or prudish, likely satirizing changing social attitudes or standards of propriety. The overall page juxtaposes genteel pastimes (bridge, spiritualism) with subtle mockery of social pretension and evolving moral attitudes—typical of Life magazine's satirical approach to American middle-class culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Insist. upon silence. Remember that in the game you are teaching her no words are necessary. They only confuse the mind. Pivot often. It helps the score. Also establish your long suit early in the evening. She should be im- pressed indelibly with the fact that this is one of the fundamental principles of the game. Sometimes a small diamond will work wonders. When her partner doubles you should teach her always to lead her best heart. This will strengthen her partner's hand and may make him win the game. Teach her also that her strong point is to discard from weakness. She should be made to see the value of a cross ruff and its dangers. If used properly it often saves the game, but it should not be indulged in constantly. Many old players get into the habit of depending upon it too much Make it plain to her that while cer- tain rules are necessary they should be departed from in emergencies when one gets a good working knowledge of the game. For example, if she has a handful of diamonds and her partner declares hearts, she should help him establish his heart suit at first at any cost. Her dia- ANOTHER MYSTERY “MOSH ‘SHTR’ORD'NARY THING! ‘TISM MIDDLE 0’ THE WATCH ’SH POINTIN’ T’s eo HERE NIGHT 4x’ MY OLE monds will then come in and help win the game at critical points, In case she should declare diamonds at first, however, and she should help lnm get them all out, she must be careful to see that clubs are not established. Spades are even better than clubs under these circumstances. It is advisable to teach her with the gas turned as low as possible. Surviving the Fit OW that the law of the survival of the fittest has been well estab- lished, we should take care to do nothing to disturb it. That's the chief trouble with our public schools. By educating children and thus using artificial means to make them more fit, we are upsetting the di- vine law which has made people fit with- out any particular effort. In Spain they are not so foolish as we are. Just as soon as any one in Spain Starts schools which are intended to help the unfit to survive, the fit quite properly put that person to death, thus increasing their own fitness and chances of survival. And why not? Is it not merely a question of the survival of the fittest? E.0. J. Vivisection is degeneration. EVOLUTION OF A PRUDE icbooks.com