Life, 1915-01-14 · page 11 of 44
Life — January 14, 1915 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon satirizes social pretense and false politeness in upper-class gatherings. The illustration shows a crowded parlor scene where guests appear to be receiving refreshments, with the caption suggesting a hypothetical scenario where everyone agreed to something (likely an uncomfortable request or proposal). The accompanying text snippets mock various social hypocrisies: a vendor hawking old chickens as fresh goods, a shop assistant refusing to stock vanilla ice cream while offering inferior substitutes, dismissive remarks about homemade decorating, and insincere condolences. The cartoon's title and these vignettes work together to satirize how Americans accept falsehoods and poor treatment rather than demand honesty—a critique of both consumer culture and social courtesy masking dissatisfaction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
been given it. No; we Americans don’t care enough for efficiency to pay the top price. We can stand a burst of it for a special purpose. We stood it to have a soldier build the Panama Canal with autocratic efficiency, but we had the country run by business men and did not like it and took it away from them. We balked the’ trusts and hindered the railroads and put Mr. Wilson in the White House, all because there is a bigger thing than efficiency in life and we smelt it out. E. S. Martin. If They Told the Truth a Ge you Iend me a couple of hundred, old chap? I never ex- pect to pay it back.” “Yes, madam, those chickens are all cold storage. Killed about four years ago. Sell ‘em to you four cents a pound above market price, and I'll IF THEY HAD ALL SAID “ YES guarantee not to charge for more than two pounds overweight.” “ One vanilla ice-cream soda, did you say? Sorry, but we don't keep it. I can, however, let you have a concoction of frozen lard, sweetened, and covered ir; that suit is made out of a real mixture of cotton and wool—less wool than cotton—imported from New Hampshire, and if you're careful ought to last you about six weeks, But I warn you it will begin to look seedy in three.” “ How fortunate that your uncle died just when he did! It must be a great relief to you.” “So you really decorated this house according to your own taste? How awful!” “Well, good-bye. I'm awfully sorry to have met you. Hope we may never meet again some day.” “SAFETY Fixst!”