Life, 1912-10-10 · page 19 of 48
Life — October 10, 1912 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes two modern annoyances through a mocking "high art" framework and a bitter complaint essay. The upper section parodies **Futurist art movements** (early 20th-century avant-garde) by presenting mundane modern anxieties as profound artistic subjects: committee judges examining art, a man suspended in a swing surrounded by debris, framed images of fate and coffins. The caption declares futurism concerns "states of mind"—the joke being that artists treat trivial emotional turbulence as deep philosophy. The "Telephones" essay below delivers scathing social commentary disguised as advice. It calls the telephone an "instrument of torture" and "new power in the hands of the bore"—attacking the device's intrusive nature and inability to be refused. The author argues only licensed, properly-temperament people should use phones, since "any fool" can invade your privacy at vulnerable moments. The final cartoon shows someone suggesting a man jump on a chair—likely depicting one of those intrusive, unwanted phone calls forcing absurd reactions. Together, these pieces mock both pretentious modern art and the genuine social friction caused by newly-ubiquitous telephone technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Evoiving an emotional masterpiece THE FUTURE ART RHAPASROAASAY frereetererertrrrri777771 Thoughts upon reading Henry James THE ART OF THE “ FUTURISTS” 15 IN PORTRAYING STATES OF MIND Telephones HE telephone is a modern instru- ment of torture invented to pre- vent people from thinking continuously. Its principal object is to cut us off from the people whom we desire to know and to force us into contact with those whom we do not care to meet. To get away from the telephone is impossible. To associate with it is madness. It is a new power in the hands of the bore. The great difficulty in getting away from the telephone is the fact that there is always the possibility that someone whom you really wish to talk to will call you up. This possibility makes you easy prey for any one else. The telephone is the most discour- teous instrument ever invented. It does not even knock at the door. It does not send you word in advance that you are wanted. It breaks in upon you in the most insulting man- ner and at the most critical points. The only way to prevent its machi- nations is to provide a license only for those people who are proper per- sons to talk over the telephone. No- body ought to be allowed to use it ex- cept certain people who are fitted by Nature and temperament to do so; and these should be subjected first to a strict examination. At present, anybody can use a tele- phone. Any fool is likely to call you up from anywhere at any moment. Each one of us is therefore the victim of indecent mental exposure. Utterly defenseless, we are unable to cope against this new enemy. “WELL, WHY DON’T YoU JUMP UP ON A CHAIR?” comicbooks.com