Life, 1914-01-08 · page 13 of 44
Life — January 8, 1914 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical definitions in "Our Unalphabetical Dictionary," a recurring Life magazine feature mocking contemporary society. The cartoon at top shows two figures (appearing to be a police officer and a vagrant) with cynical humor about homelessness and poverty. The dictionary entries use dark humor to critique early 20th-century American life: "Syndicalism" attacks labor movements, "Eugenics" mocks pseudo-scientific social engineering, "Feminism" dismisses women's rights as "sexless," and "Income tax" cynically defines government taxation. "Sex Problem" jokes about finding one's spouse in a department store—reflecting anxieties about consumer culture and marriage. The right side shows a height comparison of famous buildings and structures, apparently unrelated to the satire. Overall, the page reflects Life's conservative satirical stance toward progressive movements and modern social changes of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
0, THANK YOU, OFFICER. NOW THAT I AM HERE I'LL JUST REST A FEW MOMENTS, IF I'M NOT IN THE WAY.” Our Unalphabetical Dictionary YNDICALISM—A scheme to reduce the poor to the level of the rich. Eugenics—A system of removing matrimony from the altar to the drug store. Graft—See New York. Feminism—A sexless problem. Food—A modern substitute for nourishment. England—A small island where a man named Bernard Shaw lives. Forcible Feeding—A process indulged in by the average New Yorker when he takes some girl to a restaurant. Sex Problem—Finding your wife in a department store. Fact—Something you quote which you know the other man cannot disprove. Home—A temporary shelter between tours. Your best friend—The man of whom you never ask a favor. Life—A combination in restraint of happiness. Income tax—A government rake-off from the ones who win. Hope—A substitute for hard work. Providence—An unreliable unknown. Eve—The inventor of perpetual emotion. Adam—The first white slave. Uplift—The price of meat. 3030 FEET HEIGHT TOTAL DFTtL Towrr 1000 These buildings placed one on top of the other reach up in the air 3,030 feet, or only about three-fourths the height of the Christmas Numbers of Lire, in the column to the right. WASHINGTON ‘| MONUMENT 88s reer LIFE coun 4166 reer & g 2 | : a ni dl Nelieh Ay rer StecTEA’s a1 reer (OO RR TEN, This column_ represents the height of the Christmas (1913) issue of Lure, if placed flat one on top of the other, Each num- ber of this Christmas issue is one-fifth of an inch thick, and there were 246,000 of them. comicbooks.com