Life — June 26, 1913 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A New Society" - Life Magazine This page satirizes early 20th-century intellectualism and social reform movements. The article advocates for a "new society" based on scientific knowledge rather than tradition, claiming ignorance and "comfortable obscurity" are no longer acceptable. It explicitly mentions demystifying sex education and challenging medical authority. The illustration below—captioned "His Matrimonial Chances, as Viewed by His Mother"—appears to satirize this modern approach. It depicts a young man's matrimonial prospects being evaluated through a supernatural or spiritualist lens (note the ghostly figures on the wall), suggesting mothers still clung to old superstitions and traditional values when assessing their sons' romantic futures, despite the article's call for rational, scientific thinking.