Life, 1914-08-06 · page 7 of 40
Life — August 6, 1914 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three brief satirical pieces about American society and gender differences. **"A Mean Man"** mocks a man with a poor sense of humor who experiences embarrassment at social gatherings. **"Diffusion with a Difference"** jokes that while old Normans conquered territories without women, modern Americans conquer Europe but leave their wives behind—reversing traditional gender roles. It suggests American women are more independent travelers than historical counterparts. **"No Sincere"** critiques education theory, comparing it unfavorably to a "crotchety professor" with harsh truths, versus soft, comfortable but dishonest instruction. The large cartoon below depicts **"The Iron Monster Thundered Forth"**—likely an early locomotive with passengers visible in windows, shown about to strike a person lying on the tracks, illustrating the dangers of rapid industrialization and modern transportation technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Mean Man T certainly is very queer; His fund of humor is immense; And yet we scarcely ever hear He's witty at his own expense! Diffusion with a Difference TEN the old-time Normans went a-conquering they went, as a rule, without women, If they con- quered they stayed on, and selected spouses where they were. Conse- quently the Norman blood got well diffused. Our American men do not much go a-conquering, but our women do. They go to Europe, and usually they leave their men behind. And where they conquer they choose spouses. And so the American blood gets dif- No Sinecure HE man who wants a soft berth must not look for it in a court- ship. O*’ theory of education is that it is a deposit, like a pearl, in the soft tissues of crotchety professors with hard, rough shells, who secrete truths and are rather disposed to hide them, “THE IRON MONSTER THUNDERED FORTH. ONE MOMENT 4ORE——" comicbooks.com