Life, 1915-04-22 · page 7 of 44
Life — April 22, 1915 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces of social satire: **"A Little Problem"** presents a mathematical equation mocking American foreign investment in Mexico, sarcastically asking how many soldiers should be "sacrificed" to protect investors' interests. **"Compensations"** lists supposed trade-offs for women with various temperaments and qualities—a tongue-in-cheek catalog stereotyping female behavior (extravagance paired with charity, quick-temper with lovability, etc.). The cartoon below illustrates the latter, showing an elderly woman scandalized by young girls' short skirts at what appears to be a public venue. The caption "Land sakes! What spectacles the girls make of themselves with these new skirts!" reflects generational anxiety about changing women's fashion and morality—a common theme in early 20th-century satire. The humor derives from the old lady's prudish shock contrasting with modern fashion liberalization.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Little Problem Lt X equal the number of American dollars invested in Mexico, Then let Y equal the number of Amer- icans down there who have been warned to leave. State in terms of altruistic benevolence and yellow-journal patriotism how many American soldiers we should be warranted in losing, and see how much American property we should sacrifice in defense of said adventuresome investors. Compensations IF a woman is extravagant, she is also charitable. If she is quick-tempered, she is also lovable. If she lacks style, she has a conscience. If she is homely, she is a good nurse. If she is literary, she is often absent. If she is musical, she is too supreme to bore you with it. If she is talkative, she is (we give it up) HAL*Byrnows, Short-sighted Old Lady: LAND SAKES! WHAT SPECTACLES THE GIRLS MAKE OF THEMSELVES WITH THESE NEW SKIRTS! comicbooks.com