Life, 1912-03-07 · page 18 of 60
Life — March 7, 1912 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration shows a figure labeled "The Latest Fashions" playing a pipe while five women in identical checkered suits follow, each labeled with a major nation's emblem: America, Germany, England, Russia, and Italy. This is post-WWI political satire. The "Pied Piper" represents Paris (or French fashion/culture), and the five nations are depicted as mindlessly following French trends and influence, like the children in the fairy tale. The women's identical outfits suggest both fashion conformity and loss of national independence. Below is "Symbolisme," a farcical one-act play mocking pretentious French culture through absurdist dialogue filled with nonsensical pseudo-French and exaggerated stereotypes (absinthe, café au lait, dueling honor). It's a satire of bohemian Paris itself. The "Items from Washington" section provides domestic political commentary—Congress investigates nothing, politicians avoid action before elections, and ordinary citizens are treated roughly by authorities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIFE:- ¥ ve & THE PIED PIPER OF PARIS Symbolisme A Triple Play by Edmond Grandstand CHAKACTEURS. a homard. , a camembert. ‘IT, a tonneau. A lonely moor in Tiffany. The three charac- teurs enter, after which it is not lonely any moor. Jean (nonchalantly) : Commy voo porty voo monsoo. Jeannu (mal-de-merrily) : Liberté, egalité, fraternité, casserole, Clientele. Jeannit (paring his nails with a@ boudoir): Asq mie sumthinezi, macarté. Jean (suitely): Boys dee boolong champs elizas. Jeannu (qwith insouciance. If the printer cannot spell insouciance, let him make the word innocence): Vive la France. Vive l'amour. Veuve Clicquot. Jrannit (chevalrously. The man is hoarse): Eau goche Jean (sipping his absinthe from a pince: dee hoat ay cart. Beef ay lay modee. Jeannu ing his eyes with a gendarme) foie gras dumas balzac. JeaNnit (noively): Muthir pinna rozon mic. sowa? Jean (zeith gaucheric, This is an obsolete French word, meaning the same as proximity or Sandusky): Jee nee says pass may belly. : Table Paté de Wiské Jeannu (with badinage mixed with goodinage) : Demi tasse café au lait. Moulin rouge. Jeannit (flipping the dust from his boots with a mouche): Puttonia oldgré bonnette mérijéne. Jean (gargonically): Pardonny moy seel voo plate. Mercy bowcoo. JeaNNu (centimentally): Sault sainte mari rouge fond du lac. it (clutching Jean by the throat with bon Smarti smarti, ricq sticq starti. Honey soyt quy mal wy pence. (Drinks phial of bastille and dies.) $ Jeannu (shooting himself with a cabaret touraine avenue dé l'opéra. Jeannit (sardinically): Matinée tudé at tu. Givmy regardes tu brodwé. (Drowns himself in an escargot.) LE FIN. Quincé Kilbé Baton Mardi gras Items from Washington ONGRESS completed another investigation to-day. Nothing will be done about it. The Ways and Means Committee is trying to work out a plan to economize without spending less money At a caucus to-day of a number of leading politicians it was decided to take no important steps until election, or as long thereafter as possible. An ordinary citizen was discovered on Pennsylvania avenue early this morning. As he was suspected of being there in the public interest he only escaped rough treat- ment by the prompt action of the police. comicbooks.com