Life, 1913-11-13 · page 13 of 40
Life — November 13, 1913 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main image depicts a hand blowing bubbles, with multiple spheres floating against a dark background—one prominent bubble in the center appears to contain a spiky object. The accompanying text is a satirical dialogue between characters named Nogi and Y.M.C.A. about wealth and luxury. Nogi mocks the high cost of living, sarcastically asking whether it would be "nice for all human people to have high cost of living." The conversation critiques conspicuous consumption: people buying expensive luxuries (called "magnates" in French) like candles made from orchids, while paying excessive fees for basic services like hiring headwaiters. The cartoon appears to satirize bubble economics or inflated wealth—the bubbles represent fragile, insubstantial luxuries that the wealthy indulge in while ordinary people struggle.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“After 17 innocent rioters tally clubbed by police, gangway forced befront of St Swollen Cathedral while the bride, was open lecomingly lined with antique lal- ian lace (price o$) approached in- ward between ropes of diamonds which our fearless correspondent, Cicero O'Toole, estimated at S6$ (new schedule). More than 2$ worth of orchids hung in florial festunes from balcony to orchestra cire Miter the Lord Nothingmore, the S3e. worth of groom. drank champain the clergyman 4§. since the horse: pense been seen.” tipped how has such ex- BUBBLES Nogi listen to this knowledge with scholarly peculiar MCA “WIL it not be nice ior all human people to hi praved by Oscar-Underwoodrow-Wil- son Bill?” he suppose “Why should it if it Shall?" I renig lhashly "Can expression ¢ hizh cost of living de- livin mace more precious by making him more cheap? (Multiply this by 1,000). What are Civilization but paying too much for everything? When folks live on Topical Island: picks bannannas (free) from every vine and grows children without the price of marriage license, they are But when they can pay 25$ to hire a headwaiter to bring Answer is, Nop!!! called cannibles. to Y. these Iusuries while speahin French, they are called Would you not rather be a magnate them magnate than a cannible?” “That are too hard reply for me to answer,” report Nogi, looking entirely ignorant Hopins you are the same Yours truly Hasuimens Te (Per Wallace 1 Defined HATS a‘ New Yorker’. pa?” “It's a man who has never heen inside Ins own home nor outside his own city. comicbooks.com