Life, 1915-07-08 · page 18 of 44
Life — July 8, 1915 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of Life's humor: **Top section** honors Charles R. Miller, editor of the New York Times, for receiving an LL.D. from Columbia University—presented straightforwardly as legitimate recognition. **"Celtic Reasoning"** mocks Irish stereotypes through a character "Pat" who endorses a promissory note while openly admitting he knows it won't be paid, finding humor in defrauding a bank. This reflects period anti-Irish prejudice common in American satire. **Bottom cartoons** contrast marital types: the left shows a man interrogating his wife about her appearance and reading habits (satirizing intrusive husbands); the right shows a woman amid domestic chaos (satirizing wives who mismanage households). The captions suggest these represent "the sort" of people who "get" desirable spouses—ironic commentary on poor matches. The page exemplifies early 20th-century Life's blend of social commentary, ethnic humor, and gender satire now considered offensive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Editor Miller, LL.D. COLUMBIA gave an LL.D. this year to Charles R, Miller, editor of the New York Times. Dr. Miller is a good editor. He has a large, sound, hard head, full of contents which he has been gathering since the year 1840, He knows a great deal and is comparatively free from the vice of remembering too much of it at any one time. He has been right from the start about the Great War, and as nearly right as any one about our deal- ings with Mexico, He is also an unusually respectable character for a newspaper editor, and Columbia chose well when she put him in her honor list. Celtic Reasoning “QURE, i'll write me name on the back o! your note, guaranteein’ ye'll pay ut,” said Pat, smiling pleas- antly as he endorsed Billup’s note, “but Oi know dommed well ye won't pay ut. We'll have a laugh at th’ ixpinse of the bank.” characteristic; it is precisely what I in divorce is expected you to say.” “ But—" “One moment,” I continued gently. the “T shall be brief, knowing how valu- able your time is, All I need now is a description of your costume, your favorite authors, what recreations you have, whether you think the increase Germany will and——” sapping our society, how long our coal will last, whether ultimately benefit of woman should jails be hotbeds of luxuries, But Solomon had vanished. the desert waste nothing but heat eddies filled the circumambient at- mosphere. The wisest man of all the ages had refused to commit recover, himself. suffrage, UDGE: Did you have a license to peddle that stuff? Grorce WasHINcTon Jones: Ah sho did, Jedge! When I peddled that stuff, Ah wuz p'fectly licentious. Across GENERALLY SPEAKING THIS 18 THE SORT OF MAN WHO GETS THE BEST SORT OF WIFE THIS IS THE SORT OF WOMAN WHO GETS THE BEST SORT OF HUSBAND