Life, 1912-04-04 · page 20 of 80
Life — April 4, 1912 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes bad manners among prominent public figures. The top cartoon shows a man (likely a politician) escaping stuffy social conventions, captioned "the first breath of real air I've had since I left home!" The article documents three examples of public rudeness: a clergyman publicly excommunicating a parishioner, New York Mayor Gaynor writing insulting letters requiring apologies and costing him $10,000, and Senator La Follette making veiled insults at a dinner before being publicly denounced by the toastmaster. The bottom illustration, titled "Portraits of a Lady," satirizes political flip-flopping through a woman viewing herself in mirrors—showing different reflections. The dated quotes (November 1904 vs. February 1912) contrast contradictory statements about presidential candidacy, likely referencing Theodore Roosevelt's shifting position on seeking another term, illustrating hypocrisy masked by refined manners.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIPE* “NOW, THAT'S THE FIRST BREATH OF REAL AIR I'VE HAD SINCE I LEFT HOME!” Bad Manners in Public Men HE other day a clergyman of Long Island publicly read the excommunication sentence over a leading parishioner who was at the time sitting in the congrega- tion. This is an instance of theological bad manners that seems to have no excuse. However guilty the poor pa- rishioner might have been, publicly to denounce him with- out a hearing was indefensible. Recently Mayor Gaynor of New York wrote a letter denouncing Judge Gerard, for which he was obliged to make public apology. The Mayor had previously ma- ligned Commissioner Bingham, and his bad manners had caused him about $10,000 in costs. Yet Mayor Gaynor is considered by some observers one of the ablest men in the country. At the dinner in which Senator La Follette made his famous speech, in which he committed political suicide, he began by stating that the other speakers memorize: their speeches, thereby making a subtle reflection upc them, and added that he would read his. When he ha: finished, the toastmaster denounced him by stating that regretted that he had no time to answer his slandero remarks. These are instances of bad manners on the part of ov public men, They are taken at random from recent his- tory and probably could be duplicated almost any mont during the current year. Are they common to Americ and is our standard lower than it is in other countries “Let Your Conversation Be ‘ Yea’ and ‘ Nay’” NOVEMBER 8, 1904. “Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for or a cept another nomination.” FEBRUARY 1912, “T will accept the nomination for President if it is ten- dered to me.” PORTRAITS OF A LADY