Life, 1920-02-19 · page 28 of 48
Life — February 19, 1920 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon ("Wilful"):** Henry stands on a chair in Napoleon pose, attempting to "develop his will" by thinking of nothing for five minutes—a self-help exercise popular in the early 1900s. His wife Marilla interrupts repeatedly with increasingly urgent news: a visitor waits, then an installment man demands payment for furniture. The joke satirizes both Henry's ridiculous self-improvement obsession and his obliviousness to real domestic problems. The punchline arrives when she finally threatens the furniture will be repossessed—the very chairs he stands on—yet he remains unmoved, embodying willful denial of financial reality. **"Resorters" Section:** Humorous observations of wealthy leisure-class vacationers at fashionable resorts (Tuxedo, Newport, etc.), highlighting their affectations and contradictions: actors who "try not to pose," rich men who've "forgotten money," overdressed sightseers. **"Contrasts" Section:** Commentary on American hypocrisy—smoking rooms for women coexist with anti-tobacco campaigns; senators fight in Congress while prize fighters are barred from fighting. **Lower Cartoon:** A servant explains a destitute man tried calculating his income tax without help—contemporary satire on newly complex (1913+) tax law.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: Wilful “" HY, Henry! What on earth are you doing up there?” At first there was no reply from Henry, who was standing on a chair with his arms folded 4 la Napoleon and his eyes tightly closed. When the question was repeated he deigned to answer. “ Hush, my dear; you must not disturb me. | am developing my will, and the book says that I must stand on a chair for five minutes, thinking of nothing How can I think of nothing when you disturb me with questions?” * But, dearie, there is a man in the other room to see you.” “WHAT'S THE ANSWER?” EVERY HOUSEWIFE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW Resorters Tuxedo A ALL boy learning to ice-skate. A fat man attempting to throw a snowball A good lady enjoying a hot nip. A frozen guest trying to look happy. A society reporter conversing with the club steward. Hot Springs A gambler dancing with a lady from the west A fat girl horseback-riding. A head waiter who looks like an ambassador. A group discussing the battle of Gettysburg. An invalid eating a table d’hote dinner. Newport A count counting on marrying a certain heiress. A gardener eloping with her. A sailor wishing he were rich A dowager scolding a servant. A sightseer in yellow shoes and a pink shirt. Southampton An actor trying not to pose. A tennis player holding a tea cup. A little girl biting her governess. A broker ordering orangeade with a wink. A débutante writing poetry by the sea. Lenox A gentleman taking up golf, and much of the green A chauffeur on a joy ride. A man so rich he has forgotten money. An artist artfully advertising himself A butler serving tea on the lawn. Palm Beach A woman with no complexion busy protecting it from the sun, A politician in a suit that resembles a pair of pajamas. A lady looking for someone to thrill her. An elderly husband enjoying the beach. An actress having her photograph taken. “Let him wait. I can’t talk to him, or even you, ¢ the same time think of nothing.” “He won't wait. He says he has got to see you away.” “He will have to wait. Haven't I told you that | am developing my will? When I have done this exercise for ten days I will be on the sure road to success. Now let me alone, Marilla, for I must s this chair and think of nothing for five minutes.” “ B-but, Henry, it’s the instalment man about the fur- niture.” There was no sign from Henry. He had closed his eyes again, and apparently heard nothing. Timidly Marilla went on: says so. “ And—and I simply must tell you this, Henry. He says that if we don’t pay him this very minute, he'll take away all the—the chairs.” Contrasts HIS is evidently a country of violent contrasts. smoking-room for women has been fitted up in Chicago theatre, while at the same time a lady is running for president on an anti-tobacco ticket, and the legislature of a southern state has barred tobacco from restaurants. Two prominent prize fighters cannot secure a place to fight in, but senators may come to fisticuffs, and southern mobs have their regular lynching bees. SSSR ORAL an fi Visitor: AND WHO IS THIS POOR MAN? “A SAD CASE, MUM, HE TRIED TO PIGURE OUT HIS INCOME TAX WITHOUT ASSISTANCE.” comicbooks.com