Life, 1914-07-02 · page 27 of 44
Life — July 2, 1914 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contrasts American culture across roughly 140 years through two satirical lists: "Spirit of '76" (Revolutionary era) versus "Spirit of '14" (1914, the magazine's present). The left list invokes founding ideals: Paul Revere, Valley Forge, George Washington's honesty. The right list mocks modern 1914 equivalents: racing driver Barney Oldfield, the maxixe dance, stenographers, and Theodore Roosevelt ("Liar!"). The satire suggests American values have devolved from noble revolutionary principles to frivolous modernity—fast cars, jazz dances, and office workers replace patriots and virtue. The top illustration shows "Constable Pratt's Labor-Saving Device," apparently a farming contraption. The bottom cartoon depicts two women; the dialogue jokes about bathing suits, likely mocking contemporary fashion or gender relations. Overall, the page employs nostalgic contrast to critique 1914 American culture as shallow and materialistic compared to the founding era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Spirit of '76 Paul Revere The minuet Powdered wigs Goose-quill pens Stagecoaches Black slaves Thirteen stars in the flag The spinet “The Sign of the Cat and Racquet” Blue-and-buff “ Yankee-Doodle-Doo!"” Forefathers Valley Forge Triplets “T cannot tell a lie."—G. W, CONSTABLE PRATT'S LABOR-SAVING DEVICE Spirit of "14 Barney Oldfield The maxixe Colored hair Blonde stenographers The New Haven Railroad White ones Forty-cight—at this writing The phonograph The lobster palace Taupe, mais and tango “Oh, oh, Kid, you're tick- ling me!” Descendants Newport Poodles “Liar!"—T. R. Specialties A SPECIALTY is something which somebody docs better than somebody else. A specialty ought to be something which somebody does better than anybody else. However, such not being the case, specialties have degenerated into something which somebody can do a little better than they themselves can do anything else. “1 LOVE TO SWIM UNDER WATER” “sO WOULD I IF I Wo E A BATHING-SUIT LIKE comicbooks.com