Life, 1912-12-05 · page 71 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 71: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top cartoon:** A man (likely representing a wealthy businessman or public figure named "Stoxon-Bonds") attempts to propose marriage to a woman, but she and her attorney repeatedly refuse to be interviewed or answer questions—turning his proposal into a legal matter requiring attorney consultation. The satire mocks both the formality of upper-class courtship rituals and the litigious nature of business dealings bleeding into personal life. The joke is that romance has become as complicated and evasive as a corporate negotiation. **Bottom section:** "The Jest," a poem about love as fleeting and illusory, paired with a photograph captioned "Shade of Orpheus" showing a woman moving furniture. The caption humorously contrasts the mythological Orpheus (who could move trees and stones with music) with modern domestic reality—a woman who accomplishes the harder feat of moving three families in one week. It's gentle satire on the gap between romantic ideals and mundane, practical life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“MR. STOXON-BONDS, I WOULD LIKE “1 DECLINE TO BE INTERVIEWED.” “AHEM, I, ER, WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU: “WAVING CONSULTED MY ATTORNEY, I REFUSE TO ANSWER.” Oo “FOR THE HAND OF YOUR DAUGHTER IN MARRIAGE.” The Jest | OVE is a silly little dream, When moments rose and golden seem, Alight with rapture’s blesséd beam. § Love is a silly little sigh. Love is a pleasant little lie, | Too swift to come, too swift to fly. Love is a silly little jest. Love is an errant dreamer’s quest, We watch and laugh at with the rest Love is the spirit’s secret cry, ‘ That lasts till life’s last heart-beats die— And, oh, a sorry fool am I, ' Shade of Orpheus: GREAT JUPITER! SHE BEATS ME TO A FRAZZLE. Who claimed to pass its passion by! I MOVED TREES AND STONES, BUT I NEVER MOVED THREE FAMILIES IN Leolyn Louise Everett. ONE WEEK. | xu | comicbooks.com