Life, 1920-11-25 · page 14 of 45
Life — November 25, 1920 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes racial attitudes in early 20th-century America. An unmarried Black man in Kentucky is questioned by a white woman about why he's never married. His response—"Me, suh! I ain't 'sposod to matrimony'"—reflects the deeply racist social norms of the era that discouraged or prohibited interracial relationships. The "exception" in the title appears ironic: the woman seems surprised he hasn't married, but his reply suggests he accepts the racial barriers preventing him from doing so. The cartoon mocks both the absurdity of these prejudices and the resigned acceptance of them. The illustration's style and patronizing dialect reinforce the racist stereotyping typical of period publications, even in supposedly sophisticated satirical magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
N expedition, sent out by the Museum of Natural History, has traveled to Asia, and will remain there five years in search of the missing link between ape and man. Why go all the way to Asia, when Washington is so easily accessible ? A cat may still look at a king, but recent reports from Europe indicate that the cat had better hurry up about it A Philadelphia judge advocates punishment for women who don't read the newspapers. How about making them read the Woman's Page? soe Five hundred and fifty missing persons are being looked for in Philadelphia. Won't somebody do something for the regular in- habitants ? “Good morning.” says one crook to another these days. “ Did you have a nice crime last night?” A superintendent of the Towa Society for the Friendless says many ex-service men are living by their wits. Well, you could hardly expect them to live by the wits of the Federal Board of Vocational Training. The salary of an assistant professor at Cornell has been raised to $2,630 a year; but matters aren't so bad as they might be. Pro- fessors who work hard and pay strict attention to their duties, it is understood, are to be promoted to the post of janitor in a dormi tory Efficiency experts are to take charge of the mail service. So everyone who thought that the service couldn't possibly be any worse will now have a chance to guess again. oe. The price of sugar is going down, and the Amalgamated Order of Housekeepers will now join gratefully in the singing of “ Sweet and Low.” A group of flatdwellers in New York recently presented their landlord with a loving cup. It is our guess that the gift contained some of the same solution that was in the cup which the Athenian people presented to Socrates. The American Legion made the sensible announcement that they intended to steer clear of all political controversies and in trigues, and then, almost in the same breath, issued a second an- nouncement to the effect that they would take a definite and decisive stand on the question of Japanese immigration in Cali- fornia To which the country at large replies. “ We think we heard you the first tim It has recently been computed that in the United States there is one death due to automobile accidents every thirty-one minutes during the sixteen allotted waking hours. Every year now you have one chance in ten thousand of being run over and killed. But do not be discouraged. Next year it ought to be one chance in nine thousand. And if you are still alive in ten years, you will be dead before you know it. Progress is our watchword. PLACING HIM “au! so you’RE A FARMER! HOW JOLLY! TELL ME—HOWw’s YOUR HAY?” “BEST CROP IN YEARS, YOUNG FELLER—NO NEED FER YOU TO WORRY ABOUT FOOD THIS WINTER.” An Exception? VISITOR in Kentucky came across that rare specimen, an unmarried colored man. The negro was a quiet elderly person, not shiftless, but quite industrious, so the Northern man felt curious and determined to find out why he had remained single. “Uncle Jim, how does it happen that you are so opposed to matrimony?” The old fellow looked up with a grave face, but there was a twinkle in his eye as he replied Me, suh! 1 ain’t erposed to matrimony.” “Well, why is it that you have never married,” his inquisitor continued. “Haven't you seen anyone you liked?” “Lawd! yessah—but you see it’s thisaway: [couldn't resk my judgment.” “CAN'T YE MAKE THE BANDAGE LARGER, MOTHER? THAT WON'T SHOW HARDLY AT ALL” comicbooks.c@mug