Life, 1910-03-10 · page 12 of 36
Life — March 10, 1910 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece depicts Satan posing as a bishop during Lent, tempting a young woman with worldly goods—a pearl pin, motorcar, yacht, and Paris fashions—in exchange for her soul. The joke targets the Church's practice of selling indulgences and making "concessions" during Lent. The cartoon criticizes institutional religion as corrupt, suggesting the Church itself functions like Satan's agent, hawking spiritual forgiveness while encouraging material desire. The "Attorney for the Defense" caption at bottom adds ironic commentary—the Church defends its mercenary practices as acceptable doctrine. The satire mocks both ecclesiastical hypocrisy and the era's consumer culture, suggesting Lenten piety masks capitalist temptation. The young woman's eager bargaining underscores how easily religious conviction yields to material promise.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
436 *LIFE: A Lenten Sale Oo“: afternoon in Lent, when Satan was moving about briskly stationing his sentries and looking after his entrenchments and barricades, he saw what appeared to be an enormous muff, topped by a fur hat and collar, walking down the steps of a church. Conquering his natural alarm, he looked more closely and observed that the furs were borne by what now appeared to be a walking stick, and this in turn presently resolved itself into a little sister of fashion dressed in the very height of the mode. Her skirt was so narrow that she could barely step in it; her hat came down to her shoulders and over the bridge of her nose. Her fur collar, with heads and tails and claws dangling down from it, was of huge dimensions and resembled a thatched roof, while her muff, several feet across, reached from her waist to the hem of her skirt. Satan drew near, assuming the guise of a bishop “My daughter,”” he said in resonant, unctuous, authorita- tive tones, “we have met before. “Tam sure that we must have done so," she replied cordially, “but to-day I should not be able to recognize the Devil if I were to meet him, my hat—"* “Then may I walk with you a short distance? There is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with you." “T shall be delighted,” she answered sincerely. “ Your voice arouses so many pleasant and familiar associations. You are Bishop 2" ferely a sheep in wolf's clothing, my child, who is deeply interested in your welfare and desires to see you adorning your proper niche. To speak frankly, I represent an organization which is endeavoring to break up this soul trust which the church has created and maintains. What, are they offering this year as premiums?" Attorney for the Defense: HAVE YOU READ ABOUT THIS CASE <THE PAPERS? “NO, SIR; 1 CAN'T READ." “ALL RIGHT. ACCEPTED BY THE DEFENSE.’” “WANTA BUY A PEARL PIN, SPORT? IT'S WORT’ EIGHT HUN- NERD, BUT YOU KIN MAVE IT FER A HUNNERD."* “siow ME THE PIN,”’ & THAT OLD GUY BACK THERE? IT’S IN HIS TIE." “The same old thing," said the young woman discon- tentedly; “an endowment policy on the future, for which we pay enormous rates of goodness and the cold consolation that virtue is its own reward.” “We do better than that,’ replicd Satan cheerfully. “ Owing to the circulation of malicious rumors, our company inspires a certain amount of fear and distrust in the public mind. In order to offset this we are making vast concessions. For the remaining days of Lent we are permitting desirable persons like yourself, with souls to sell, to name their own price.”" The young woman skipped as joyously as her skirt, twelve inches in diameter, permitted. “I will close with your offer once,’’ she said; “that is, if you will guarantee me in writing an airship, some new motors, a prince—or at least a duke—for a husband, credit at all the great Paris and New York modistes, and——" Hold!" cried Satan nonplussed. “I had thought of a gold vanity bag. or at most a string of pearls."" She laughed derisively and began to argue the question with him, Satan was anxious to close the bargain, for the wind was bitter cold, and he was used to a much warmer comicbooks.com