Life — May 8, 1919 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Touched" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes financial hardship and male vulnerability. The top cartoon shows a couple in intimate conversation, captioned "How the Soulful Lovers Expect to Spend Fifty Years of Matrimony"—mocking romantic ideals. The main story "Touched" depicts a businessman accosted by a highwayman demanding "Hands up!" The victim complies while recounting his financial disasters: lawyer bills, increased rent, decreased salary, and a vanished bank account. He laments being robbed repeatedly by legitimate institutions before the highway robber appears. The bottom illustrations contrast this with the old saying "You can lead a horse to water—but!" The satire's point: the victim is already so thoroughly financially "touched" (robbed) by modern life that an actual highwayman seems almost redundant.