Life, 1915-07-22 · page 31 of 44
Life — July 22, 1915 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks progressive reform movements of the early 20th century through a conversation between two babies. The older baby—educated, examined by child psychologists, and exhibited at mothers' meetings—represents the new generation shaped by modern scientific and social reforms (eugenics, suffrage, women's education). The younger baby represents traditional childhood. The satire targets the irony that all these reforms ultimately produce only "colossal errors": war, business failure, and human misery. The babies' proposed "protest" threatening mass suicide via grape juice substitution for milk is absurdist humor mocking the earnestness of reformers. The final joke—that mothers are perpetually absent at "hotels"—adds social commentary on neglectful, pleasure-seeking modern mothers, suggesting that even well-intentioned reform cannot overcome deeper social dysfunction. Life magazine uses this to critique both progressive ideology and contemporary social behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
From left to right: HOOKAIRS E In background: The Young Reformer (Or How Mother Learned the Fatal News.) HE two babies had not met for so long that they were really glad to see each other. “T can’t get over all the things that have happened since I saw you last,” said the first baby. “ Let’s see! Eugen- ics, dancing, woman suffrage and the big war. I wonder what next?” “What interests me,” said the second baby, “is that we are the basis for the whole trouble.” “T don’t quite follow you.” “Well, don’t you see they couldn't have any of these things unless they had us? The trouble with you is that you can’t view matters from any other standpoint but your own, You look at the whole world through the hole of a rubber nipple. Why, you're a mere child.” “But I'm three weeks younger than you,” protested the first baby, “and MISS CHACI |, MRS, SAYMOLD BLUFF AND MR. J. DODGE WORK MR. FREDERIC LOAFINGWELL AND MISS PATRICIA DOLLAR ON THE TERRACE AT DRYNKMORE. MA: BARON HOHENZWEITZER, IWEIGE I haven't had your advantages. You've been to kindergarten, have been per- sonally examined by a child psycholo- gist, have been used as an exhibit at a mothers’ meeting, and, in fact, you've seen the world.” “That's true. Life has little left for me now. I’ve nothing to do but grow up, go to war, enter business or be some sort of a human failure. The fact is, my dear chap, we simply fur- nish the raw material for colossal errors, What we ought to do is to register a protest.” “What would you suggest?” “Well, something like this: Wakrnixc. As representatives of all the babies in the world now present, or about to be born, we desire to give notice that no more experiments are to be made upon us in the name of science, nature, humanity or progress. In case any further attempts are made upon us, we will immediately make away with ourselves by substituting grape juice for milk. MRS, FOX TROTTER, MRS, “How's that?” “Fine!” “Well, then, we'll get up a monster petition, to be signed by all the babies in the world. Sign here on the dotted lin “But how abroad?” This made the second baby guffaw. “My, but you're an innocent! Through mother, of course. You don't know her? Naturally. Well, she is a mysterious person who spends her entire time in spreading news. I've never seen her, but I believe the nurse has. We'll give it to the nurse, and the nurse will——" “But how will the nurse get at her? You know, boy, pretty busy. Has a love affair on of some sort. “That's easy. I'll just ask the nurse to mail it to the hotel mother is stay- ing at. That's where mothers nowa- days can mostly be discovered, you know will we get it spread my she’s comicbooks.com