Life, 1919-05-15 · page 15 of 50
Life — May 15, 1919 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This essay argues that each person's internal mental world is their most important domain—more controllable than external politics. The accompanying cartoons illustrate this philosophy: **Left cartoon** (by Ceswood): Three men in formal dress with the caption "I couldn't have nothin' to do with a woman like that, Frank. Jest the looks uv her would drive a man to drink." This satirizes how people blame external circumstances (women, appearance) for their choices, rather than accepting personal responsibility. **Right illustrations**: Labeled "Beginning of Our Social Customs" and "The First Informal Reception," these appear to depict early human interaction, humorously suggesting that social conventions develop from basic human nature—reinforcing the essay's point about managing one's internal world.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Little World Under One's Hat qT! RE is a little world which each one of us carries onder his own hat, in which, with good luck and good management, there may be peace. For each one of us that In it may always prevail the It can he made safe js the most important world. high privilege of self-determination, for Jemoeracy or any other form of political government ch it can be quite disconnected from the munda without causing more than passing inconvenience to ts ruler and proprietor. it is the really important world, the one best worth pains with; the one in which it is profitable that ¢ of us should do most of his living. If this small, i lual world is in good order, the troubles of the large, “1 COULDN'T HAVE NOTHIN’ TO DO WITH A WOMAN LIKE MAT, F JUST THE LOOKS UV HER WOULD DRIVE A MAN TO DRINK. utside world will be to each of us of only secondary incern, but if this litthe world is seriously disturbed, the and the little world’s hig world may run ever so smoothly master will still be unhappy. These are times in whi each for himself, to maintain tranquillity in the little worlds under our hats, and contemplate the big world's jolts and gyrations without too much dismay. For just now the big world gets a new jolt every day, and the pros- pect is good that it will continue to be butted, pinched, scratched, imperilled and reviled for yearyto come. It is not on the way to peace, but only to the door of peace. The best that can be done for it is to put it in the way of h, especially, it behooves us, ’ D DPE ° THE RACE attaining real peace and regaining material prosperity in the course of a generation or two if it minds its eye and makes wise devices and lives frugally and works hard For the big world is in the hospita the thing imme- diately ahead of it is and a pretty long o ale: so much recovery as co! It is an awfully sick world cence, and of a temper consistent with serious indisposition. It can’t die, and it must get well, but it is an invalid, and is going to h The mass of us are apt to feel t rights. The regulation of it in large matters must he del gated to such experts as the brethren who wrangle at this writing in Paris over the details of peace. What they may do is the best that can be done, so far as we can see. In a general way we must back them up, rejoicing in what- for some time to come. we cannot individually do much to put it to BEGINNING OF OUR SOCIAL CUSTOMS THE FIRST INFORMAL RECEPTION