Life, 1913-10-23 · page 17 of 40
Life — October 23, 1913 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 20th-century social etiquette and parenting trends. **"The Consultation"** cartoon mocks fashionable hypochondria: a woman refuses to claim she has appendicitis (a serious, potentially fatal condition before antibiotics) because it's "passé"—she wants a more exclusive, trendy illness. This ridicules both the wealthy's obsession with status and their trivializing of medical conditions. **"Rules for a Man of the World"** is satirical advice on navigating social situations where hosts insist their children attend adult gatherings. The humor lies in the exaggerated deference required: grown men must flatter teenage daughters about their "superior education" and three-year seminary training (including foreign trips), while ignoring actual adult conversation. The piece mocks both parental vanity and the social pressure to indulge it. **"The Reason"** puns on "gauze"/"gays"—mayors banning diaphanous (sheer) gowns for what appears to be moral reasons, but the joke suggests it's actually about optical illusion or visual effect rather than genuine moral concern.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE CONSULTATION REFUSES TO ADMIT SHE HAS APPENDICITIS.” “says i1’s PASSE. WANTS SOMETHING NEWER AND MORE EXCLUSIVE.” Rules for a Man of the World How to Conduct Yourself in the Presence of Superior Children. 'HE habit among otherwise intelli- gent women, of insisting that their own children be present at all of their social functions, has rendered some sort of method necessary to those who are invited to the house, and who, from motives of policy, feel obliged to accept the invitation. When you enter the room, therefore, always speak to the daughter of the household first. Begin by saying that, although you are fifty years old, and have spent your time in acquiring a combination of wisdom and experi- 697 ence, you feel certain that only by her conversation can you be truly uplifted and broadened. You, therefore, beg that you may be permitted to sit next to her at dinner. Her mother will, at this moment, probably come up and tell you that this had already been ar- ranged as she feels that her daughter’s superior education of three years in a fashionable seminary, which included two trips abroad, has given her ac- complishments which you cannot well afford to miss, She will then explain to you privately that “ Maude is very bright, and everybody enjoys her so much”, During the dinner be careful not to interrupt the daughter, and if older people who may happen to sit near you break in on the conversation, be certain to stare at them rudely. This will show that you have the true ap- preciation of your hostess's great con- descension in giving you and ‘the’ rest of the diners the benefit of her daughter’s presence. ‘S If she has a son—you may meet him later in the smoking room. He will tell you a college story, which you must laugh at loudly and you must also slap him on the back and lend your assist- ance to make the rest of the company listen. The Reason M surprised at these efforts to bar diaphanous gowns. What ails these finicky mayors anyway?” “Oh, it's a clear case of gauze effect.” and AS IT LOOKED TO WILLIE comicbooks.com