Life, 1911-10-19 · page 20 of 48
Life — October 19, 1911 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces from *Life* magazine: **Top Section:** A mock-medieval poem (styled after Chaucer) mocking women who reject romantic advances in favor of intellectual pursuits. The joke: a woman chooses scholarly life over marriage, ages poorly, and ends up a spinster in Boston. The satire ridicules both the pretension of women claiming intellectual interests and the consequences they supposedly face. **Bottom Section:** A debate about women's suffrage. When asked what suffragettes could accomplish in politics, the response is that "a woman could never be the 'logical candidate.'" This reflects anti-suffrage arguments claiming women lacked logical reasoning for political participation. **Bottom Cartoon:** Titled "The New Yorks: If We Had a Representative Nine," this caricatures prominent New York figures (identities unclear from image alone) through exaggerated facial features—a common satirical technique of the era. The alliterative descriptions are mockery. The overall page satirizes both women's intellectual ambitions and their push for political rights, reflecting early 20th-century anti-feminist sentiment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
664 From Chaucer's “ Legende of Good Women” MAYDE ther was, full fayre and meke to see, Tresses of golde clere, swich modestie ueresse of Rome towne had nane, Ne Dido's wyfhood sute, ne Adriane; ‘This I withal a high renown; Her beauté, sooth, forbade comparisoun. die hadde “Nay,” quod the mayde, whan that with lave y-fraught ‘0 winne her hand ye bolde knight had sought; “ Swich base plebeian passioun I disdeyne ; Crule Luves kene dartes cleve nat my herte in tweyne. Ye Clerkes lyfe to me is alway dere, To rede Plato, Vergile and Homere.” Mack! eftsoons the bloom of youth was refte, Ne poudre ne py tt colde restore ye thefte; Iler tresses te wolde fain to ashen hue Them chaunge, but that ye péroxide—pardieu, I necd nat of this historie more telle, For, certes, in Boston didde this spinster dwelle Robert Wiener. Never Logical “YPZHAT do you think the suffragettc could accomplish in politics “Well, a wo! could never be the ‘logical candidate.’ ” (LIFE ONE TOUCHE OF NATURE B———_- ANKRUPT Back Bay Baccalaureates Baked Beans Opulent Old Offenders offering Officers odorous Opi: Sagacious Students seriously studying Symphony begging Boston Scores y Tutors teaching tedious themes. ious Orators openly offering Opinions Nobodies nabbing niggardly Noblemen. THE NEW YORKS IP WE HAD A RED SENTATIVE NINE comicbooks -com