Life, 1911-12-28 · page 12 of 41
Life — December 28, 1911 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration titled "Mary's Learning Something Every Day" depicts a royal court scene with elegantly dressed figures in elaborate period costume. The specific narrative is unclear from the image alone. Below, "Here's to Texas" is a humorous essay praising Texas's practical intelligence and straightforward outlook, contrasting it favorably with Boston's more pretentious "culture." The piece uses gentle satire to celebrate Texas's no-nonsense character. The "Robinson Crusoe" section appears to be a satirical commentary on isolation and loneliness, with an accompanying photograph showing what seems to be a desolate landscape or solitary figure. The "Hobbs" dialogue jokes about transportation—a prospective chauffeur claiming he can drive over 20 miles per hour, though the chauffeur dismisses this as unnecessary speed for a "baby carriage." Overall, this page combines visual satire, regional humor, and light social commentary typical of Life magazine's approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MARY'S LEARNING SOMETHING EVERY DAY Here's to Texas have alw suspected that Texas contained more intelligent people to the acre than any other State of the Union. And this suspicion has been confirmed by the fact that Lire has apparently more readers in Texas than anywhere clse—judged by the letters received at this office. Boston’s culture is mitigated and neutralized by some reprehensible things, but the air of Texas does not permit any miasmatic mental germs to stick very long to anybody. The consequence is that Texas has the wide-awakest p20- ple and the sunniecst outlook of any of us. Who, by the way, was that able gentleman and scholar who said that it was not a man’s fault, but his misfortune, that he wasn’t born in Texas? In the meantime, here's to you, Texas. Power to your elbow, and may your shadow never grow less. OBBS (to prospective chauffeur): Under no circum- stances must you run over twenty miles an hour. Tne Ciavrrecr: You don’t want an auto; you want a man to take you out in a baby carriage. ROBINSON CRUSOE (after spending a week York without making any friends) : Great cocoanuts! But this is a lonesome place! “Backward, turn backward, oh Time, in your flight Make me a child again—just for to-nigh comicbooks.com