Life, 1922-08-24 · page 11 of 36
Life — August 24, 1922 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a single cartoon depicting two men in an elegant study. One older man stands with his back to the viewer near a fireplace; a younger man sits in a chair. A small dog is present. The caption reads: "When I was your age I had no thought of taking a wife." / "But I don't want to take a wife; I want one of my own." **The Joke:** This is a play on the phrase "take a wife"—the older generation understood marriage as acquiring a wife (passive possession), while the younger man jokes he wants an *independent* woman he'd choose for herself, not one given to him. It satirizes changing attitudes toward marriage and women's agency, suggesting generational conflict over outdated marital concepts. The cartoon mocks old-fashioned patriarchal assumptions about marriage as a transaction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“When I was your age I had no thought of taking a wife.” “But I don’t want to take a wife; I want one of my own.” hass got her backs to der vall.” Anoder guy says, “Lafayette, here ve iss.” Und anoder guy yet says, “Dey shall not pass.” All tree guys vas right. Mealing in Paritz iss not such a pleasure as it iss cracked up to be. All I got of my efforts for changing der diet is rausberries, mitout cream. Und der more I ponder on der brainstorms of der human appetite, der more I decides dot home cooking iss der best. Paritz pastry iss all right now und den. But try und get it, as der smart writers says it. Chapter VII. Vell, friends, it’s der poor slogan dot don’t vork both vays. Bismarck, he used to say, “Willie, my poy, don’t never start noddings you can’t finish.” Und dot’s der vay it vorked out. Der Hohenzollerns, dey started der empire. Under der Hohenzollerns, dey finished it. Chapter VIII. Der Berlin und Bagdad railroad vas der right idea, but der wrong direction. Der trouble vas dot I’m a guy vot has got a four-tracks mind. I like to put through der franchises qvick und regardless. Der Berlin-to-Doorn railvay iss a shorter und uglier route, but ven I took it back in 1918, it couldn’t be too short to make me sore. Me und der whole Potsdam family arrived safe und sound, as der tourists say it. Der alienists claim I vas not so sound und der socialists claim I vas not so safe. Dey both can’t be right—or can dey? Chapter IX. Der vise crackers can say dot as a var lord I vas der flop, but dey must admit I changed der course of vorld history. Among der great triumphs I compliment myself I achieved vas dot I made ‘um call sauerkraut liberty cabbage. Dot's someding. I made.’um call St. Peters- burg Petrograd und I made ’um call der Jmperator der Berengaria. Dot's a little someding, too. Und ven ve sent der submarine boat to America, ve put der Deutsch- land unter alles. Dot’s vot you call a nifty! Chapter X. In conclusions I vould say, to justify myself, dot you can’t haf your cake und eat it, too. Und I take my stand in der sun as a cake eater. Chapter XI. Vell, I should worry. comicbooks.com