Life, 1913-01-09 · page 23 of 100
Life — January 9, 1913 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate jokes satirizing early 1900s American life: **"The One Requisite"** mocks theatrical producers' mercenary nature. A playwright defends his comedy's length, but the manager dismisses artistic merit—he only cares about making money ("we'll talk business"). **"Briggs" joke** ridicules romantic indecision. A man loves two equally beautiful women and fears marrying the wrong one, only to be told both will eventually stop caring about him—a cynical swipe at romance and women's constancy. **Main cartoon** depicts an automobile accident victim confronting the driver, claiming to recognize him from when he rode a "rubber-neck wagon" (a tourist sightseeing vehicle). The joke suggests poetic justice: the young man who once laughed at slower transportation now causes an accident. It satirizes automobiles as dangerous novelties and mocks early motorists' recklessness. The decorative header shows stylized horses pulling ornate vehicles—contrasting traditional transport with modern autos.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AUTO NUMBER The One Requisite HE MANAGER: I can’t use your new comedy; it is too long. x Tue PLaywricut: But it is as broad as it is long. Tue Manacex: That's different. Come into my pri- vate office and we'll talk business. Brcss: I am in love with two beautiful girls and I am afraid that if I marry one I shall wish that I married the other. Graces: Equally beautiful? “Yes. “Well, there's one consolation; they'll both get over “Mey! AIN'T YOU THE YOUNG FELLER THAT LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I WAS ON THE NEW YORK RUBBER-NECK WAGON?” comicbooks.com