Life, 1916-08-03 · page 38 of 38
Life — August 3, 1916 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes upper-class affectation and hypocrisy about rural life. The "Rural Ruffles" section mocks wealthy urbanites who romanticize countryside living while actually despising it. Key targets include: - **The Country House Party**: Bored rich people pretending to enjoy nature - **Replaced traditions**: Old barns/orchards replaced by polo fields and boathouses—genuine farm life erased for leisure - **The Summer Colony**: Residents deliberately avoid each other despite sharing the same space - **The Fake Telegram**: A polite excuse to escape boring house parties The cartoon below satirizes séance culture: a man claims he won't "start anything" when supposedly contacted by his dead wife's spirit—suggesting marital discord so severe he fears communicating even with her ghost. Both pieces ridicule the pretense and unhappiness underlying wealthy American social life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Of course, they wear out—but not until their service has more than justified their cost. "SURE-GRIP™ @TirRresS=— Moximum utility assured because of heavy tread construction. Guaranteed—$,000 miles. Hardman Tire and Rubber Co. New York Office, 1904 Broadway General Sales Agency 149 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CON sath Rural Ruffles COUNTRY HOUSE PARTY—A collection of bored people, none of whom have any tastes in common, and all of whom detest the country. The Old Homestead—A vulgar old ramshackle, long since replaced hy the gardener’s cottage. The Farm—A once visible collection of sheds, animals, vegetables, barns, etc., now sufficiently removed from sight, and never mentioned in polite society. The Old Oaken Bucket—A very crude means of carrying water which was at one time drunk in great quantities. The Rustic Lane—Formerly a wretched pathwa: planted by the well-kept boulevard with cement pav A Stroll in the Country—An obsolete form of recreation no longer practiced by the beau monde. The Orchard—A silly old theory of raising fruit. Long since exploded. Replaced hy the polo field. A Country Club—An organization, none of whose mem- bers know one another, and whose principal room is the bar. A Picnic Lunch—A messy meal served out of doors but never eaten. The Dinner Gong—An antiquated custom, though some- times still employed to awake the late sleepers. An Informal Country Dinner—A nine-course meal, served about cight-thirty, at which everyone wears full evening dress. The Log Fire—A ridiculous old method of getting warm, now supplanted by dancing, brandy and risqué stories. The Old Mill—An unsightly old shack, long since de- stroyed and replaced by the boathouse. The Milk-Maid—Female, superseded by the cocktail shaker, A Summer Colony—Groups of unsatisfied people who occupy their time by avoiding one half the residents and being avoided by the other half. The Fake Telegram—Well-known method of politely escaping from a house party. The responsible families of. America oe have White Rock water t/ Alon their tables Medium: we are NOW IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE SPIRIT OF YOUR DEPARTED WIFE, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO HER? “YES, BUT 1 AIN'T GOING TO START ANYTHING.” ‘VeTem J. CAREY, PRINTH®