Life, 1915-01-07 · page 9 of 44
Life — January 7, 1915 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**The Main Illustration:** Shows a formal social gathering (appears to be a dance or reception) where a hostess is introducing guests. The caption reads: "Hostess: Mr. Brown, allow me to present Miss Smith; she dances." **The Satire:** This jokes about the limited social accomplishments expected of women in this era. The hostess's introduction reduces Miss Smith to a single trait—dancing ability—rather than intellectual or other qualities, reflecting how women were often defined by entertainment value or domestic skills in upper-class society. **The Two Text Articles Below:** 1. "Guess Again, Cubists!" mocks the Cubist art movement gaining popularity in New York 2. "A Wee Bit Incredible" critiques German academic freedom and university authority The page satirizes early-20th-century social conventions, artistic trends, and academic pretension typical of *Life* magazine's satirical focus.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hostess: . Guess Again, Cubists ! E papers say the Cubists are about to start a new campaign in New York. No harm in that, but it is a dog that will hardly bite this season. With a full line of lunacy working night and day all over Europe, even our sheltered public does not feel this year the need of distractions by the minor crazes, Even votes for women lags a little. This is the day of realities— vast and tragic realities. Nobody who is worth fooling is in the humor to be fooled by jim- crackeries. ‘MR. BROWN, ALLOW ME TO PRESENT MISS SMITH; SHE DANCES A Wee Bit Incredible ROFESSOR HOWARD CROSBY WARREN, of Princeton, writing in the Atlantic, declares that “in German universities academic freedom of teaching has long been a cardinal tenet. The professor of highest rank is free to offer any course whatsoever within the confines of his own branch”. It may be so, but we rather fancy that not a few inhibitions Would beset the path of any professor who should offer a course setting forth in scientific detail the absurdity of the divine right of Kaisers. comichooks.