Life — January 26, 1911 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is an editorial page addressing readers' inquiries about the magazine's mental health department. The main cartoon shows a figure (labeled "GEE. IME. MIT.") examining what appears to be St. Anthony's subliminal self—a visual pun on psychological self-examination. The text discusses the magazine's mental waiting list and efforts to help readers achieve "psychical harmony." It highlights a correspondent named Anthony Comstock who sought mental assistance, playfully suggesting the magazine's yogis and methods might help unite his "subliminal self" with his consciousness. The satire targets early 20th-century pseudoscientific mental wellness trends, particularly the appeal of Eastern philosophy (yoga) and subliminal psychology to educated Americans. Life mocks both the credulity of seekers and the magazine's own pretensions to offering legitimate psychological help through correspondence.