Life, 1915-12-02 · page 57 of 100
Life — December 2, 1915 — page 57: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon mocks wealthy, aesthetically-minded women who embrace progressive ideals superficially while remaining detached from real-world consequences. **The setup:** Hermione is a self-absorbed socialite who claims her sensitive soul needs "Mystic Beauty" and cannot bear ugly realities. Aurelia, her friend, belongs to an "advanced thinkers" circle studying social problems like poverty and Sociology—they visit tenements to ask poor people "why they were so dirty." **The irony:** When Aurelia suggests Hermione engage with modern problems, Hermione recoils. Later, Hermione admits she owes people money and must "sell herself in the market-place"—which horrifies her. Her "solution" is performing a concert (adding to her discomfort). **The satire:** The cartoon exposes how privileged women adopt fashionable progressive causes while remaining willfully ignorant of actual suffering, and how their own financial troubles suddenly make the "Ugly World" they've scorned uncomfortably real. Their intellectual posturing collapses when self-interest emerges.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Life would always giggle just as the Sub- conscious Mind was asserting itself — Hermione (with a shudder): common! Please don't tell me any of the frightful details, love—a thing like that spoils my day. I am like a harp. Aurelia love; my soul must vibrate in harmony with Mystic Beauty, or I suffer. If the Ugly World strikes dis- cords from me, how I suffer, suffer! Auretta (a little rebuked): For- give me, dear; I should have remem- bered. Sometimes I wish you would join our little circle of advanced think- ers and take a Serious Interest in some of our modern problems—mix in the world more, Hermione dear, and not shelter your soul too much. Hermione (with a gesture of dis- taste): Socialism, and all that sort of thing, you mean? Auretta (a little vaguely Well, maybe not just Socialism to start with, How “IT CAN'T BE DONE” darling, but—er, Sociology, you know Herstione (dreamily choosing an- other cigarette): But I thought they were just the Aurea (bri; Oh, dear, no! We have hem Up, both of them, at different times—our little circle of advanced thinkers, you know When we took up Sociology we went down into the tenement districts and asked the poor people why they were so dirty, you know. Hermione (languidly I should think it would smirch one’s spiritual garments—contact with all that strug- gle and discontent, dear. Avretia (complacently) make these sacrifices, sweet a Social Conscience. Hermione: You are so unselfish, love. You make me feel quite use- less. Won't you have a little more rum in your tea? One must if one has Thank you, love, just a AURELIA? You, useless, beside me, drop. love, when everyone knows what your in her voice): It's going to be a Soul without a body, I’m afraid, love, before very long know how impractical I am, and unable to cope with the Ugly World. AURELIA What's the matter, dear? Hermione: Oh, I don't know the frightful details! With my tempera- ment, how could I bear to learn them? But it scems (vaguely) that | owe peo- ple money . . . and that means T must sell myself in the market-place. Avretia (rising; more shocked than ever): Hermione! Hermione: Oh, a concert, you know how I hate to give con- you (shocked, alarmed): comicbooks.com