Life, 1910-04-21 · page 19 of 44
Life — April 21, 1910 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features social commentary on women's roles and fashion in early 1910s America. **Top Cartoon:** Depicts two women—one actively mothering children, the other lounging idle—illustrating the tension between traditional domestic duties and leisured contemplation. The accompanying verses mock male hypocrisy: men scorn women's fear of mice yet remain ruled by women. **"Better Things to Think About Than Clothes":** Responds to a Viennese women's advocate who dismissed fashion concerns as trivial. The rebuttal argues that personal grooming and dress—cleanliness, neatness, appearance—are legitimate, important matters for women, not frivolous vanity. The satire critiques the dismissive attitude toward women's practical concerns about presentation. **College Contest:** Life announces a $100 prize for the best college article, open to male and female students. **Bottom Quip:** A cynical aside about chorus girls as poor stepmothers—likely referencing showgirls' reputations as unsuitable mothers. The page reflects contemporary debates over feminism, women's education, and evolving social roles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nice Mental Attitude rried life, when je © magic of | ler WOMAN My Creed I HAVE no enm Who ‘gainst willing to fo T" men scorn the mouse that terri fies the women, but the women rule the men that scorn the mouse for those and plot; foes- ne plan e my he Lord is not! “Life's” College Contest ¢ Students wall give one hundred dollars cleverest article, on each college and its suiied to college student is eligible to It is not necessary to be a Lire For ali manuscripts which do not receive the prize, but which are deemed rthy of publication, Lire will pay at its regular rates, CONDITIONS. Manuscripts should not be more than fifteen hundred words in length and should be typewritten when pos- sible or written in a legible hand. Manuscripts should be written only on one side of the paper. The contest will close on June 1, no contributios received after ¢ being considered ‘The name and address of the sender and his s year should be written on the upper left hand corner of cach manuscript Manuscripts will not he returned un les: companied by return postage. No individual inquiries can be an swered, but where an inquiry is of a general nature a reply covering the point at issue will be published in Lire The competition 1s open also. to girls’ colleges. All communications will be treated confidentially, and the author’s name will not be published unless so desired Address Coutece Contest, Lire, 17 West Thirty-first Street 1910, that d. “Better Things to Think About Than Clothes” ELLING in the Erening P her search of agists in Vienna nr eminent and gifted advocate of votes for women nai Finally, the woman, with soft ings to think about than clothes. respcetfully to remonstrate inst this description of a lady 100 far to make her own defen such a damning descriptic sibly undeserved. “The clo nan who has better things to. thir "Y Awful! What ly done should ut than clothes ever had that | that she ished 10 the world as rdly anything better or more important for a woman to think about duly and scasonably than clothes Personal cleanliness, neatness, the man ment of hair may be important, but they are all details of the subject. The 1 ject. bad enough in men, is an The trick is to give it deserves and no more. to think of than a grain more same ct of that sub. awful thing in women, the thought it There are better thin Urushing one’s teeth, but there are few worse things to forget O* of the things learned only by experience is that a chorus girl does not make a good step-mother. comicbooks.com