Life, 1917-10-04 · page 16 of 44
Life — October 4, 1917 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces from *Life* magazine, likely from the early 1900s: **"Sauce" (left):** A humorous poem by Arthur Guiterman celebrates culinary sauces as solutions to wartime food shortages. The cartoon shows people dining on meager rations—apparently mastodon steak—starving for days. The satire suggests that elaborate French sauces can mask or elevate poor-quality or scarce food. This likely reflects WWI-era rationing concerns, where ordinary ingredients required creative disguise. **"The Tragedy of Mortal Mind" (right):** This satirizes Christian Science by presenting a supposed paradox: a Christian Scientist woman who healed herself through faith lost her social excuse for declining invitations (illness, headaches). The joke is that her "cure" became burdensome—she could no longer avoid social obligations she previously dodged by claiming ailments. The satire mocks both Christian Science practitioners and their hypocritical use of health claims for convenience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ WAITER, IS ONE PORTIOD ., IT OUGHT TO FE, UNLESS OF MASTODON STEAK ENOUGH FOR TWO E AIN'T HAD NOTHIN’ TO EAT 1N TWO OR THREE DAYS.” Sauce YE Gastronomic Epicures, Cheer up and cease repining! Though much the Patriot abjures, There still is joy in dining. And if ye bear with fortitude Your culinary losses, . The Chef will salve the tasteless food By dressing it with sauces. With brown sauce, white sauce, sauce Espagnole, Orange sauce, anchovy sauce, mush- room sauce, Créole, Olive sauce, tartare sauce, sauce bécha- mel, Butter sauce and lobster sauce, maitre d’hotel. With sauces one could eat a snake, A cat or dromedary ; And goat is much like venison steak When cooked in port and sherry. And even veal can mask as game In wine with stock to thicken; While chanticleer, in sauce supréme, Resembles guinea-chicken. Egg sauce, mint sauce, sauce hol- landaise, Currant sauce, curry sauce, sauce mayonnaise, Shrimp sauce, oyster sauce, sauce ma- telote, Russian sauce, onion sauce and sauce ravigote. Béarnaise exalts the humble scrod, And all the daily papers Declare that shark surpasses cod When likewise served with capers. And liquids yellow, brown and red, Combined with rites auspicious, Transform a pudding built of bread To something quite delicious With hard sauce, vanilla sauce, sauce apricot, Foamy sauce, brandy sauce, sauce ber- gamot, Thick sauce, thin sauce, sauce vinai- grette, Sauce piquante, tomato sauce and creamy sauce poulette. Arthur Guiterman, The Tragedy of Mortal Mind HEN we met him he seemed sad, which surprised us greatly. “What can be the matter, old man?” we asked, joyful, seem cast down.” He shook his head mournfully. “You, who are usually so he murmured, “it is my dear wife who troubles me. My heart aches for her.” This surprised us all the more. “How could such a thing be possi- ble?” we exclaimed. “Isn't your wife a Christian Scientist?” “Oh, yes; that’s the trouble.” You see, it's this way. When she first took to Christian Science, she was one of the most popular women in the community—as, indeed, she is now— but she made the fatal mistake of tell- ing everybody what she had done. The result is that she is now permanently disabled—knocked out—all in.” “What can you mean?” we asked in astonishment. And he sighed deeply as he replied: “Why, don’t you sce that she had no excuse for not accepting invitations? When anybody called her up and asked her to play bridge or go to a luncheon party or take dinner or walk ten miles or go to a conversazione she could not plead that she was sick, that she had a bad headache, or in fact, that there was anything on earth the matter with her. Being a Christian Scientist, she had to admit that she could go any- where and do anything.” Pressing his hand in silent sympathy, we left him alone. A DINNER DANCE comicbooksieaay