Life, 1913-03-13 · page 10 of 44
Life — March 13, 1913 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on **individualism** and **conformity**. The top section questions whether true individuality exists—asking whether people's opinions, manners, and personalities are genuinely their own or merely absorbed from newspapers and environment. The lower section, "A Wise Child Knows Its Own Father," depicts a story about a young girl (Dorothy) attending the opera with her mother. The satire suggests the mother expects her daughter to be bored, but Dorothy finds genuine enjoyment in the performance. The accompanying illustration shows crowded public transport, with a caption about someone's inconsiderate walking habits. The overall theme critiques how society pressures conformity while claiming to value individuality—a perennial social concern that remains relevant today.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE > Passing of the Individual S the individual passing? Are humm beings, as units, going out? Is there such a thing as personality ex- pressed singly? What is an individual? Sir or Madam, an individual is a person, and a person is a human being who stands out from his fellow human beings in such a way that you know him: not visible, but invisible. What is it that makes this human being, whom you might pick out of a crowd, if you saw him, different from anybody else when you talk with him or when you listen to him? Undoubtedly there was a time when one human being was differentiated from others. But is this true any longer? Where is the man who is an individual, who does not obtain his opinions from the editorial pages of news- papers; his manners from his environment? “RULE, BRITAND 1 (TE “A Wise Child Knows Its Own Father!” \ Portland, Oregon, there is a certain well-known auto- ‘mobile man who has a very bright and charming little daughter, aged five. Little Dorothy rides about with papa quite a bit, but it has never occurred to the fond father that she was absorbing anything but a fine quantity of fresh air and sunshine, However, one afternoon Dorothy went with mamma to a matinee performance of the comic opera varicty. During the initial features of the performance she sat quietly by her mother, apparently rather bored, but when the ballet appeared—girls in sparkling waists, gauzy skirts and gleaming tights—Dorothy came to life. She gazed at the spectacle with intense interest for a few minutes, then, turning to her mother, exclaimed: ALL OVER MY FEET, BUT I WISH YOU WOULDN'T LOITER “O my, how papa would enjoy this!” ABOUT ON THEM.” tos. THE ANSWER TO THIS REBUS WILL BE PRINTED IN NEXT WEEK'S LIFE comicbooks.com