Life, 1916-10-26 · page 10 of 46
Life — October 26, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main illustration depicts a man in a suit and hat standing atop a tall building overlooking a cityscape, appearing to contemplate suicide. The caption reads: "ARE YOU MARRIED, JOE?" / "NOT ON YER LIFE, MIKE. I'M A NERVOUS MAN AND I'VE ALWAYS BIN KIND O' SCARED TO TAKE CHANCES." This is dark satirical humor about marriage. The joke inverts expectations: a man standing on a building ledge—typically suggesting suicidal despair—claims he avoids marriage because he's "nervous" and fears "taking chances." The satire mocks marriage as more dangerous than literal suicide. The accompanying text discusses "Wallstreetitis," describing an epidemic of mental illness affecting businessmen during financial volatility, with symptoms including high fever, delirium, and impulse-driven behavior—likely referencing 1920s stock market volatility and its psychological toll.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
704 No Illness at Life’s Farm TH infantile paralysis panic sadly interfered with the work of Lire’s Farm last summer. It came early in the season, when the work was thor- oughly organized, and we had incurred a large part of the standing expense for the whole year. Not only because the quarantine made it impossible for children to reach the Farm, but be- cause we did not care to take even a remote chance of any child under Lirr’s care contracting the disease, we were obliged to keep the Farm in idle- ness during a good part of the season. We are happy to state that no ill- ness developed among the children who did come, and that the closing of the charity for part of the summer enables us to carry over a substantial balance for the future work of the Fund. We append the annual statement: INcomeE Balance forward from 191 + $937.92 Contributions .... Marion Story Fund. Interest Repairs Miscellaneous Ex Reserve Fund... Balance forward .. Season opened, J n closed, July 27th. Children entertained, 412. “IS your candidate for Congress in favor of preparedness?” “Sure. He is a real minuteman. He's prepared to take any side of any issue at any time.” Wallstreetitis N epidemic of wailstreetitis is now sweeping over the land. This is one of the most dangerous scourges known to pathological science. The chief symptoms are a high fever in the imagination, a strong craving for gain, a loss of all sense of proportion and an abnormal excitation of all the fiscal nervous centers. The patient soon becomes delirious or semi-delir- ious and shows an inclination to act almost entirely upon impulse. After running its course, which va- ries in duration, the disease develops into one of two conditions, according ‘LIF * “ARE YOU MARRIED, JOE?” oS seven “NOT ON YER LIFE, MIKE, I'M A NERVOUS MAN AND I'VE ALWAYS BIN KIND 0" SCARED TO TAKE CHANCES.” to whether the patient’s incidental fi- nancial operations have been success- ful or otherwise. Either result is ex- ceedingly injurious to the patient and often fatal. If his operations have been unsuccessful, the patient is left with a weak heart and a weak pocket- book. If successful, the patient is left with a weak character. That the present epidemic will soon be over is the earnest hope of all but the stock brokers. . Se a