Life, 1914-04-23 · page 13 of 44
Life — April 23, 1914 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon depicts a "Palace of Mirth" theater entrance where a man attempts to delay the show's start, explaining his sister cannot hurry because "she's just had dinner." This is a domestic humor joke about women's digestive processes and the social awkwardness of attending public entertainment with family members. The bottom illustration, titled "Another Version: St. Bartholomew's Eve," shows a village scene with numerous figures gathered outside a cottage. This appears to reference the historical St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, though the image presents it as a gentler community gathering, likely creating ironic contrast between the historical event's violence and this peaceful domestic scene. The accompanying text discusses social equality and merit versus inherited privilege.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
T= STOCOTS CO SG OSV CSO OB soXeKTeKeKeXI a 25 ————s \ * “say! MISTER, CAN YE WAIT A MINUTE BEFORE YE BEGIN THE SHOW? ME LITTLE SISTER CAN'T RUN ANY FASTER ‘COS SHE'S JUST HAD DINNER” ing would peter out. People of ability with livings to earn would be loath to apply themselves in an industry in which they could not climb. A lottery with no big prizes—the kind where the lucky ones get back what they put in and the rest lose—never won the favor of the public. That sort of a lottery is what a good many contem- porary agitators wish to make of life. They want everybody to wear spurs whether they can win them or not. They want not only to abolish privilege, but to cancel the value of reputation. All men being born theoretically equal, they wish them to remain actually equal, and they object to letting thrift or talent or achievement give them an advantage. But that is not the plan on which this world progresses, and in the lit- crary line, as in other lines, when you knock the ball over the fence you not only make a home run, but bring in all the tales you have on the bases. ANOTHER VERSION E. S Martin. ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S EVE comicbooks.com