Life, 1913-07-03 · page 35 of 48
Life — July 3, 1913 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon features a sorrowful face with the caption "WHEN YOUR BEST GIRL GOES BACK ON YOU," illustrating romantic rejection through exaggerated emotional display. The accompanying poem is satirical social commentary on early 20th-century American ignorance and pretension. The speaker confesses embarrassing gaps in knowledge—not knowing his congressman's name, being unfamiliar with fashionable fabric ("charmeuse"), unable to play bridge or golf, and crucially, not knowing baseball star Ty Cobb's position. These specific references suggest the poem mocks the public's selective knowledge: citizens ignored civics but obsessed over celebrity sports figures and fashionable consumer goods. The humor targets both the speaker's obliviousness and the shallow priorities of society generally. The inclusion of a Coleridge quote about religious phoniness reinforces the satirical theme: people adopt affected manners and language rather than speaking plainly. The page overall critiques American cultural superficiality around the time period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
S| on] 1 Seale WHEN YOUR BEST GIRL GOES BACK ON You Depth of Ignorance “Honest confession is good for the soul "— So runs the axiom—true, I guess; And now, in this most penitent role My awful ignorance I'll confess. First I will own, to my lasting shame, Ido not know my congressman's name. There! I feel better since that is out; Perhaps some other poor wretch ‘twill cheer— There is some other, I have no doubt— But in my next I'm alone, I fear. In fancy I see all your horrified looks— I haven't read Arnold Bennett's books. Well, I shall be glad to remain unknown And hide such dullness as men abhor; My lack of knowledge will make you groan— I do not know what a spark plug’s for! And worse than that—I have no excuse— I can’t imagine what is “charmeuse”! J cannot play auction bridge or rhum, And naught know I of bunkers or tees; When talk is of tennis, then I am dumb; Another offense—and, worse than these— Did you ask this moment I could not say What position does Ty Cobb play! —New York Globe. How much I regret that so many re- ligious persons of the present day think it necessary to adopt a certain cant of manner and phraseology as a token to tach other. They must improve this and that text, and they must do so and 8 in a prayerful way; and so on. Why Rot use common language? A young lady the other day urged upon me that sich and such feelings were the mar- tow of all religion; upon which I recom- mended her to try to walk to London upon her marrow bones only. —S. T. Coleridge. The Mountains and the Sea Generally you find them far apart. Rarely are they found together. The coast of Japan can boast of such a combination. So too can the coast of New England—pine-clad slopes running down to the sea, bays ending in cliffs covered with verdure, the charms of the country mingled with those of the ocean—all this can be found along the coast of Maine. It will pay you to try it for your vacation. If you are familiar with the low lying shores of the rest of the Atlantic seaboard, it mallees you to visit the New England rockbound coast for your holiday this summer. Here the monotony of long stretches of sand is delightfully broken by rocky headlands, against which the old Atlantic has battled unsuccess- fully for countless ages. Watch the sweep of the surf against the rocks Pe: Cape Ann or the Maine shore, feel the sea’s spume flung into your face as you stand on some oft these promontories and you will feel repaid no matter how long your journey there. From the shores of the Sound to Bar Harbor and beyond here is a coastline replete with charm. You can fish, sail, swim and bathe in ozone and sunshine. E-ven the fogs are “dry” fogs. Try a holiday somewhere along this wonderful eek of shore this summer and watch results on your fam- ily and yourself. It is convenient and accessible. There are few resorts throughout its entire length which cannot be reached comfortably either by train or boat. If you have the hunger for the sea, for scenery that is unique, for talks with quaint seafolk, select some art of the New England shore for your vacation. t is full of camp and bungalow sites and hotels ready to cater to your comfort. Address, Vacation Bureau, New England Lines, 4 ith Stati Rog ahan comicbooks.com