Life, 1916-11-09 · page 25 of 40
Life — November 9, 1916 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** A domestic scene where a husband asks his departing wife whether to tell the waitress to come before or after dinner. The joke satirizes marital dynamics and servant hierarchies of the era—the husband's casual assumption that a waitress might be summoned for unclear purposes reflects period class attitudes. **Bottom Cartoon & Article:** "The American Ostrich" cartoon pairs with "Advice to Infants," which sarcastically suggests babies should carefully select their mothers. The ostrich reference (symbolizing willful blindness) implies society ignores an important problem. The satire targets parental irresponsibility—that people reproduce without considering whether they're fit parents. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about eugenics, child welfare, and social responsibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Advice to Infants GRe*r care should be taken in the selection of a mother, At pres- ent, however, little or no thought seems to be given to this grave prob- lem by the majority of infants. When one reflects upon the impor- tance of choosing a_ satisfactory mother it is hard to understand the lack of judgment shown by many in- fants in this matter. A word to the wise infant should THE AMERICAN OSTRICH suffice. comicbooks.com