Life, 1918-03-21 · page 37 of 56
Life — March 21, 1918 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece from Life magazine depicts a domestic drama at a National Service Club. The main cartoon shows a man confessing to another that he intended to seduce his wife and break up his home—a stock scenario of seduction narratives—but is calling it off because the husband refused to react with the expected tragedy and anger. Instead, the husband treated the situation with humor and talked too much, rendering the affair "ridiculous" rather than tragic. The satire mocks both masculine honor codes and seduction narratives of the era. By refusing dramatic outrage, the husband inadvertently defeats the seducer's purpose. The smaller "Camouflage Front and Rear" cartoons suggest the theme of deceptive appearances versus reality. The joke's deeper point: humor and casual speech undermine the seriousness that affairs require to seem consequential. The story credits "T. L. M." as the author.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AT THE NATIONAL SERVICE CLUB “WHAT'S THE TIME, MATE? WE MUST BE GOING.” WHAT'S YOUR HURRY? 11'S EIGHT BELLES AND ALL SWELI.” “Look here! I did love your wife, and I was pre- pared to break up your home in the usual way. But I'll be hanged if I'll do it. You can tell her that the whole thing is off.” “Why?” “Well, somehow or other, your attitude has made me see , things in a different light. Instead of taking the thing tragi- cally, as you ought to have done, you have made it appear ridiculous.” “But my wife will be disappointed. What shall I tell her?” “Tell her I'm sorry. Convey my humblest apologies.” “Nothing I can say to make you reconsider?” “Nothing. I'm through. My decision is irrevocable.” He disappeared. The husband sat for a long time, star- ing moodily at the opposite wall. “I might have been all right,” he said at last, “if it hadn't been for two things: I had a sense of humor, and I talked too much,” T. L. M. 477 mi Hut Ht I HA CAMOUFLAGE FRONT UND REAR