Life — March 27, 1931 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Poetical Pete" Cartoon Analysis This small cartoon shows a dog next to an empty plate, illustrating a humorous poem about superstitions. The text reads: "Most superstitions leave the cold; They're just a foolish craze; But thirteen at the table—Gosh! That's serious, these days." The joke satirizes selective superstition—people who dismiss most superstitions as nonsense but remain genuinely anxious about the unlucky number 13 at dinner. The dog's empty plate may suggest that Pete (presumably the owner) has dismissed superstitions generally, yet still worries about this particular one. It's gentle social satire about human irrationality and how even skeptical people maintain certain folk beliefs, particularly surrounding dining customs and bad luck.