Life, 1911-05-04 · page 23 of 56
Life — May 4, 1911 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces: **Top Illustration ("Historic Affinities"):** A playful comparison labels a man "Sir Launcelot-Drew" and a woman "Mrs. Julia-Guinevere-Arthur," invoking Arthurian legend. The title suggests an illicit affair paralleling Lancelot and Guinevere's romance. The specifics of who these figures represent aren't identifiable from the image alone. **"Telephone Etiquette":** Satirizes the newly intrusive nature of telephone technology. The piece argues that calling someone without invitation is socially equivalent to "break[ing] into the house of another" with a dinner bell. It mocks how the telephone violates personal privacy—a modern concern when phones were still novel technology requiring deliberate etiquette rules. **"Coming!":** Criticizes Fourth of July celebrations as noisy, chaotic "patriotism" focused on rioting rather than genuine civic virtue, suggesting Americans are unnecessarily loud compared to other patriots. **Final note:** References Attorney General Wickersham and anti-trust law concerns, likely from the Progressive Era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HISTORIC AFFINITIES SIR LAUNCELOT-DREW AND MRS, JULIA-GUINEVERE-ARTHUR Telephone Etiquette NLY yesterday—as the years go— it would have been thought a rabid impertinence for any man to break into the house of another, walk into his bedroom with a dinner bell in the hand and ring it into that other's cars until he responded. This is about what we do now when we use the telephone as it ought not to be used. Privacy is no longer a per- sonal matter for the individual himself 10 control; it lies, so to speak, upon one’s doorstep, to be blown hither and thither by the first curiosity seeker. Every man, when he rings up another on the telephone, ought to be guided by the following considerations: Is my message so important that I would feel justified in calling upon him personally ? Is this the most convenient moment for him? I have no right ix law or justice to keep him waiting; I will therefore not delegate this affair to another, who will call me when my friend is on the wire. Coming! HE Fourth of July is a device for giving-patriotism a bad name. Let riotism remember Old Dog Tray, who was found in bad company. If patriotism is getting a bad name it is its own fault, On the only day that is set aside for patriotism, the only side that patriotism shows to the naked eye is its worst side, the inside: it is pat-riot-ism with the accent on the riot. There are lots of patriots in various parts of the world and some of them are very patriotic, but Americans are the noisiest. Hasn't the day come when local patriotism need not make a noise like war? Wouldn't it be just as patri- otic if it made a noise like gentle peace and gentlemanly quietude? are rumors from Washington that a new anti-trust Jaw will be proposed to Congress by Attorney-Gen- eral Wickersham. When we view the great increase of trusts under the old law, we are justified in shuddering at this additional burden comicbooks.com