Life, 1922-11-16 · page 7 of 36
Life — November 16, 1922 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a satirical poem by R. Le G. celebrating "the best wife is a cheerful liar." The poem ironically praises a wife who uses deception to maintain domestic happiness—lying about her husband's faults, hiding financial troubles, and using humor to dispel gloom. The illustration depicts a boy at a window speaking to someone inside, proposing to skip school by claiming illness ("I'll let ye have the measles cheap"), a crude transaction of dishonesty. Together, text and image mock both domestic deception and youthful dishonesty as normalized social practices. The satire suggests early-20th-century anxieties about integrity in marriage and child-rearing, while humorously endorsing small lies as pragmatic solutions to life's difficulties.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ballade of the Cheerful Liar. f at last you, as comes to all, Or wise or foolish, soon or late. Have heard the old predestined call, And seek a matrimonial mate; Before you rush upon your fate Into the Land of Heart's Desire, Upon this counsel meditate:— The best wife is a cheerful liar. Let her be short, let her be tall, Whatever be her darling weight, However large her eyes, or small Her fairy feet, I beg to state, That for a life-long téte-a-téte, To keep alive the sacred fire The wisest will corroborate: The best wife is a cheerful liar. Best friend on this terrestrial ball, How oft you lied the crooked straight, Lied back the sunshine, raised the pall, When things were dark and desperate, With lies that laughed our hearts elate, Of gloom the resolute denier, Such lies the fairest truth create: The best wife is a cheerful liar. Envoi Princess, whose mercy wise as great, With gentle lies that never tire, Hides all my sins—well may I say it: The best wife is a cheerful liar. SSSAWUNEY | PAWS R.LeG. Boy in Window: Say, Bobbie, if ye wanta stay away from school for a while, I'll let ye have the measles cheap. comicbooks.com