Life, 1916-11-16 · page 12 of 46
Life — November 16, 1916 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This *Life* magazine page contains three separate satirical pieces: 1. **"Temptations of the Grocer's Wife"** (main illustration): A domestic scene showing what appears to be a grocer and his wife at a table, likely depicting marital temptation or infidelity—a common Victorian/early-20th-century comedic trope. 2. **"Evolution of Thanksgiving"**: Satirizes how Thanksgiving observance changed from ancient pagan sacrifice through Christian fasting to modern secular celebration—critiquing the shift from religious meaning to commercialized tradition. 3. **"Midnight Oil"**: A joke about college students burning "midnight oil" (studying late). Modern usage has changed it from studying to other activities—here portrayed as burning oil for practical purposes instead. 4. **"All He Could Do"**: A clergy joke about forgiving enemies by strategically positioning them to be sympathized with rather than forgiven.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Evolution of Thanksgiving 'HE prehistoric people collected the excess population and sacrificed it to the sun as a mark of their gratitude for favors received. The ancient pa- gans became beautifully intoxicated and chased unclad maidens with vine leaves in their hair. The old Hebrews were too busy wrangling over real es- tate privileges in the promised land to give any thanks at all. The early Christians rendered thanks by fasting, prayer, and wholesome persecution of each other. The modern Christians change fasting to feasting, add a mini- mum of prayer, make the persecution verbal and unwholesome, and call the mixture the national institution of Thanksgiving. TEMPTATIONS OF THE GROUCH’S WIFE Midnight Oil HE midnight oil of days gone by Was used by men in college In poring over volumes dry Assimilating knowledge. But midnight oil has changed its mode Of making students pallid: ‘Tis used in burning up a road Or mixing up a salad. All He Could Do INISTER: And do you forgive your enemies? went: Well, I can't say I exactly forgive them, but I do my best to put them in a position where I can sympathize with them, “THIS IS 'ORRIBLE, BILL “AW, THIS AIN'T NUTHI ", OLD TOP. WHY, I USED TER PLAY ON AN AMERICAN FOOTBALL TEAM,” comicbooks.com