Life, 1912-07-25 · page 28 of 41
Life — July 25, 1912 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The photograph shows a church choir seated during a sermon, capturing an unguarded moment of social behavior—the women appear to be gossiping, fidgeting, or distracted rather than devoutly attending to the service. This serves as visual satire on hypocrisy: ostensibly pious churchgoers failing to maintain proper religious decorum. The accompanying story, "The Fable of the Modern Ruth," satirizes the economic and social ambitions of early 20th-century women. A woman hires a young gardener for wages, then—recognizing his newfound earning power and marriage prospects—she secures employment in the same household to earn "pin-money" (discretionary income). The satire mocks women's materialism and calculated courtship tactics: rather than genuine love, the girl pursues the young man because he now has financial means. The biblical reference to Ruth (known for loyalty and virtue) underscores the irony—this "modern" version is purely transactional. Together, the image and text critique female duplicity and shallow values in contemporary society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE CHOIR DURING THE SERMON Three Simple Fables for Grown Women The Fable of the Modern Ruth WILL tell you a story about myself. My garden was overgrown with weeds. I cast my eye about for a gardener and T saw but one man, a fine, strapping youth “Twill give you ten dollars to weed my garden,” I said. “Make it fifteen,” he replied. He was the only man I could find. | engaged him. At the end of a week he took his fifteen dollars and went and deposited them in a bank. As he walked out of the bank he raised his chin proudly and thought, “Soon I shall be getting married,” and before he had reached home he had decided he would marry the girl who swung all day in the hammock next door. Now the girl as she swung in the hammock next door was wishing she had many things. First she wanted a husband, but she was in no hurry for him. So we will count him from the list. Then she wanted a new hat, and she wanted mon for soda water, and she wanted pretty silk stockings and a lot of other pretty things. So she made up her mind that she would try to earn a little pin-money. The next morning she came to me and said, “Let me take care of your garden. I'll do it as well as a man for much less.” I said, “I'll give you five dollars a week.” “All right,” she sai water.” “it will be enough for soda When the young man came I said filled.” He went away and in a few days he came back again. “T must have work to live.” said he “TN give you five dollars to help in the kitchen.” (Continued on page vs0r) “Your place is comicbooks.com