Life, 1917-02-15 · page 37 of 42
Life — February 15, 1917 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces: **Left side:** A humorous "advice letter" from an illiterate farmer father to his son Adolph about marriage. The satire works through heavy dialect and malapropisms ("ancer" for "answer," "haf jard me" for "have jarred me")—mocking both rural speech patterns and the father's folksy, contradictory wisdom. He warns against marrying young while simultaneously giving permission, and cautions about a cautionary tale: a man named Sam Stross whose Boston wife left him with four children. The humor lies in the gap between the father's rambling concerns and his ultimate indifference. **Right side:** The bottom cartoon titled "Husbands" depicts five figures (two men in formal wear, a woman in a wedding dress, a stout man, and a boy) with a caption joking about divorce. The satire suggests getting all divorces "at once instead of in succession" would be more efficient—dark humor about the prevalence and messiness of divorce proceedings in the era. Both pieces use satirical commentary on marriage and relationships, common Life magazine fare from this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Advice to a Son About to Be Married An old farmer receiving unexpectedly a letter from his son notifying him of the latter's engagement, wrote him the following : Dear Adolph: I thought I would ancer your kind welcum letter but you haf jard me up a little for a wile but I got over it now. By me tinking it over now Adolph if you tink that you air get- ting a good girl that is true to you and treat you nice you marry hur I IFF; dont cair if you better your selve if ), you can but I think you air too young to get married yet you could waided 10 years then you would haf money to stand with. You will be a poor man all your life time but you want to get married you do so if you tink it is the best for you My dear son I noaded som East- THE GREATEST VALUE ern girls would pull you in you air too soft hardet but may doo all write IN JEWELRY AND SILVERWARE we dont know these things. You outa wadet till you was 21 you hat planty time to get in truble yet. If you tink it is the best for you get married if you wanta I dont cair wat you do in marrying. Good by Tue Buve Book Gives Prices my loving son Yours truly father Adolph tink over this marryin you noad Mr, Sam Stross oldes son boy he married in Boston and his wife left him with 4 kids and thay air all FIFTH AVENUE & 37@! STREET with his mother now Dont do this i with me Teant keep them New YORK —The Siren. Make Your Own Weather Forecasts Your weather knowledge can be as author- itative, as faras sudden changes are concerned, as the government forecast if you bave a Tyé0s Baréiteter iGcally le by any one for all et. Fivecinck lacquered beass, fal dial” Eiicientstarts to fore: CHINESE ANTIQUES HUSBANDS 244 Post St. SAN FRANCISCO (Correspondence with collectors Invited WHY NOT ALL AT ONCE INSTEAD OF IN SUCCESSION? GETTING A DIVORCE 18 SUCIT A NUISANCE comicbooks.com ;