Life, 1921-09-01 · page 5 of 35
Life — September 1, 1921 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine features a "Morality" section with philosophical verses about virtue and right conduct, accompanied by a domestic cartoon. The illustration depicts a mother and children in what appears to be a bedroom or nursery. The caption reveals the humor: the mother asks the children to stop quarreling, and the daughter (Kitty) responds that she wishes the mother would speak to Willie—who wants to bring his caterpillar to bed with him. The joke is a gentle domestic satire about sibling conflict and childhood logic. Rather than addressing the actual quarrel, the children redirect blame to Willie's eccentric desire to keep an insect as a bedtime companion. It's mundane family comedy reflecting early 20th-century domestic life, illustrating how children deflect responsibility—somewhat ironically placed beneath verses about morality and virtue.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life Morality F sin were only black as ink, And virtue just as white as snow, 'Twould help us all a bit, I think, To know the things we wish to know. If wrong would only stay just wrong, Perfection then our life would be, And never wear a strange disguise, As in a nice, straight line ’twould go; That takes it, unrebuked, along Marked thus—in signals plain to see: The road where right so often lies: Dead right—dead wrong—dead slow! Jessie A. McGriff. Mother: Can’t you two stop quarrel'ng? Kitty: Well, mather, I wish you'd speak to Willie—he wants to bring his caterpillar to bed with him. comicbooks.com