Life, 1923-09-06 · page 27 of 40
Life — September 6, 1923 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces mocking early 20th-century attitudes: **"The Social Conscience"** critiques performative intellectualism. A woman justifies every activity—symphony attendance, tennis, reading Anatole France in French, cooking—as serving some higher social purpose rather than personal enjoyment. The narrator's innocent question—whether she does *anything* simply because she likes it—offends her, exposing the absurdity of constantly moralizing one's leisure. **Top cartoon** appears to depict economic anxiety: a well-dressed woman with children asks why the younger child cries; the response "He can't talk" implies he cannot express his distress—likely satirizing adults' obliviousness to children's (or the poor's) actual suffering. **"Liberte, Egalite"** jokes about French divorce laws being a convenient escape ("taking French leave"), sardonically suggesting modern France grants divorces too readily. **"A Bricklayer of the Near Future"** (bottom) shows domestic role reversal—apparently satirizing anxieties about changing gender roles or economic disruption. The overall theme: social hypocrisy, economic uncertainty, and cultural anxiety in the interwar period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHAT'S YOUR LITTLE BROTHER CRYING FOR?” The Social Conscience AVING discovered a large num- ber of common interests, we were in a fair way to become fast friends. We first met at a symphony con- cert, and when I asked if she attended them regularly she replied: “Yes, in- deed; they have great educational value.” Later, when I complimented her on her tennis, she said: “I play a great deal. It is such splendid exercise.” I was delighted to find the works of Anatole France, in the original, on her library table. She said she read them to keep up her French. Surprisingly, she was an excellent cook, This, it seems, was because she had an idea that a woman owes it to society to cultivate the household arts So our friendship progressed fa- mously, until— 11 me one thing,” I inquired. “Is there anything that you do simply be- ¢ you like to?” Now, why on.earth should she have heen offended at that? Autumn Alternatives 'O try the boy in college again and fear he is no good or to take “HOW DO I KNOW? HE CAN'T TALK.” To make last year’s suits do and worry about them or to exhaust the bank balance and worry about it. To go hunting or to rest on the story surrounding last year’s pair of bartered antlers. Liberte, Egalite— they're granting divorce es both grave and naive; at odds, this of course is A neat way of taking French leave. him into the business and be certain. A BRICKLAYER OF THE NEAR FUTURE comicbooks.com