Life — March 29, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Puritanical Solution" This page contains a satirical illustration and accompanying text mocking a Puritan's moral hypocrisy regarding smoking. The illustration shows an elegant social gathering—likely a fancy ball or party—with well-dressed attendees in formal attire. The caption presents dialogue between a woman and man: she'd "rather dance than eat," he responds "I think I eat best." The accompanying article describes a Puritan who struggled with smoking's pleasures, eventually deciding the habit was sinful. Unable to quit smoking outright, he found a compromise: chewing tobacco instead, reasoning that anything adding to life's enjoyment must be wrong. The satire targets rigid Puritanical morality—the absurdity of someone convinced that pleasure itself is sinful, leading to self-deluding "solutions" that preserve the vice while changing its form.