Life, 1912-12-05 · page 101 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 101: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines satirical editorial content with period advertisements. The main cartoon/story (left column) depicts "Bilter," a man who revolutionizes his marriage by treating his wife with consistent politeness—as courteously as he would a stranger. The satire targets early 20th-century marital norms: his friends initially mock the behavior as absurd, then secretly adopt it themselves. The outcome suggests that basic civility between spouses reduces divorce, suicide, and financial panics. The satire's point: ordinary politeness in marriage was so rare that treating one's wife decently qualified as radical social reform. This reflects the era's patriarchal marriage customs where husbands held legal and financial control. The right side advertises the "Angelus" piano—a player piano promising that non-musicians can produce "lovely music" mechanically, positioning it as an ideal Christmas gift to cultivate refined taste and family harmony.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ee 1 “Can I buy anything I lik rved Anything. You know my income. ely You have as much right to it as I have.” nd you really mean all this?” £ to Certainly. 1 would be polite to a you lady 1 met almos hy chance, would T not? why not you, whom Th $a permanent shly companion at Bilter’s reputation for being polite ant, to his wife grew. The neighbors said heard of it. His friends at tirst jollied him about it and then referred to it Bil- sheepishly. he fact was that they _ hy were scerctly ashamed of themselves. 1s Tig OPNCAL CENSUS REPORT TOR 1008 THE UNITED STATES COWANTIINT FROGLANG THE ANGELS TO BE By and by some of them tried it— hy, and found that it worked, Bilter be ATTACHMENT. AND IN FE came the head of a new cult. It was Fe OE EEE old a silent cult, without officers, and no 5 ce 0 one mentioned it—but the had The Christmas Spirit Spread Through on gone forth that common every day po- r at liteness between men and their wives the Year with the Angelus was a most uncommon thir id that nd hereafter it was to be the order of the When the joy of this Christmas is over, let there re- , wy 1 hess § R ul main in your home something permanent of its spirit. he ivorees became less frequent. Reno cr gradually went out of wed Race — _, The Angelus brings into your home the uplift of good music. It ed suicide was a thing of the past. SF will spread its cheer through this year and the years to come. There were no more panics, because: oe The taste of other lives, wild freedom, the whisper of half-caught ny the majority of men were polite to A mysteries—all these are revealed in the music always at your command. at their wives, their wives respected them Through your Angelus will come the pleasure of cultivating your at aml (GOK: iid: RUCARARE! OLANENY THE musical taste. Through your Angelus you will hear many a sweet song. ot For the Angelus is a willing attendant to the beautiful human voice. Above all, is the pleasure that comes when you sit at your Angelus yourself. You—who cannot play a note—draw from it lovely music. You have the means to play as do the masters; but the tempo, the feeling, the expression are your own, yours with the help of those six marvelous discoveriesthat makethe Angelus the humanthing it is, The Ideal Gift for the Man Devoted to Motoring, Golfing, Hunting, Camping, Fishing and other’ Sports, fs Grinnell Gloves You'd like nothing better for Christmas, Mr. Recreation lover, than a pair of Grin. nell Gloves, would you ? The Artistyle Roll guides your playing; with the Phrasing Lever you control the tempo; with the Melody Buttons you ave separate control of base and treble; with the Graduating Melodant and the Graduating Accompaniment you bring out the melod and subdue the accompaniment; with the Diaphragm Pneumatics you obtain a touels like that of the human fingers and make tone. Now while the Christmas Spirit is upon you, we invite you to a new delight. Come to the man who sells the Angelus in your town, and though you have never played the piano before, play your favorite music on his Angelus, Then you will know what joy you can make for yourself and for your home. When the family he- gins to “sound you” Knabe-Angelus Emerson-Angelus Angelus-Piano for suggestions, tell Grand and Unsieht py Litand and Ungiaht An, woriahe piano nin en Wane Go clebrat ‘sweet-toned Emer- ile expres them you want Grin- plano end the Angelus son plane and Angelus. the Angelus. nell Gloves and to read this advertise- ment. Get In Canada—The Courlay-Angelus and Angelus Piano THE WILCOX & WHITE CO. rm Grinnell Gloves on approval Pioneers in the Player-Piano Industry Agencies all Over the World 233 Regent Street, MERIDEN, LONDON CONN. deed, every wife made a point of liv- along with national holidays and all | ing well within her husband's income the other effete ceremonies cf a past The tariff was abolished. Graft de- civilization.” clined. The trusts were no more. Cor- “And who is the man in the Mtyle 4041. G pairon approval, prepaid. Write for samples of Leather and Catalog showing our up-to-date styles ruption ceased. statue?” Morrison-Ricker Mfg. Co. Until one day, years later, a little He is the original one—the pioncer boy was walking in the park with his =the first man who realized that the papa. Suddenly he looked up and said: greatest art in the world is to be con- “Papa, what is that?” tinuously and uniformly polite to one’s REDOR “That is a statue, my son; the only wife, and who put it into practise and RETURNED ne i vhole 4 1 ese il - Seine wikia puss Getic wen one in the whole country: there used thus brought about the present millen rsa Odtain a Patent and What to lavent with list of laventions wasted to he others. but they were felt to be nium.” TIC Ev ANS Be Wellieie DG. bad art and so they were abolished Chesterton Todd. 2413 comicbooks.com