Life, 1883-09-06 · page 7 of 16
Life — September 6, 1883 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The main illustration depicts a rustic figure (likely a farmer or country laborer) carrying baskets, with a caption in heavy dialect mocking his speech: "Goramity! who frew dat onto my vi!" The exaggerated dialect and rough appearance represent rural, working-class "yokel" stereotypes common in early 20th-century American humor. The poem "Vacation Vows" by Wallace Peck, illustrated with moon phases, romantically describes a couple's moonlit countryside romance and subsequent vows—a sentimental counterpoint to the crude cartoon above. The "Answers to Correspondents" section provides humorous advice responses to reader letters about topics like athletics and future prospects. Overall, this page contrasts crude rural stereotyping with genteel romantic sentiment, reflecting period attitudes toward class and rural life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Goramity ! WHO FREW DAT ONTO My vi! (Sees the offender.) LOOKER H’YAR, Mars GAWGE, YO’SE MIXIN’ YO’ GOBS ER MUD WID DE WRONG CULLER! JESS YO’ WAIT TWELL I TRICKLE DESE YAR LEAVINS IN DE TROFF AN’ SCRAPE DIS BOLUS OFFEN MY YI, AN YO'LL TINK DAR'S A YARTHQUAKE FANNIN’ YO! ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. BENJAMIN. Boston.—Do you think you are going to have a boom? Certainly. ‘The biggest boom, Benjamin, ever seen, known or heard of. Have you never heard of Casabianca and the boom Ae got? A touching tale, Benjamin, and oh, so foreshadowing ! J. M., author of ‘* Coincidences,” and E, A. C., address us, S.J. T., Greystone.—1. No, the fo'ca’sl is not the apparatus by which a ship is steered, nor is it advantageous to a ship to be able to ‘ clew up the bilge in case of a squall.” 2. There is no need of our announcing that you love athletic sports. Mr, Dana has kindly acted as your advance agent. MAHONE, Virgina.—Can you not be spoken of as ‘a man with a future?” Certainly. You have a future before you. A great, long, red hot future, too. 113 VACATION VOWS. WHEN the moon was in the skies, At its crescent (quarter) size, Suddenly it seemed to me In the country I should be. When the moon was in the skies, Grown to half its regular size, I was in the land of yarbs, ‘Taters, corn, and homely barbs. Then my fancy ’gan to stray Towards a maiden, strange to say. (If you 'd know how she was dressed, Scan Bazar and Demorest.) When the moon was in the skies Grown to number thirteen size, I was in a lover's whirl, With that rosy, rosy girl. Oh, that night! that royal night ! When the moon was at its height, Flooding hill, and flooding glen, Lighting moor, and lighting fen, With its mellow, yellow sheen, Making earth a fairy scene. We were here, and we were there, Love and moonlight everywhere, Hill and lake, and glen, till late, Then a postscript at the gate. We made vows—indeed we did (Who would not, if. Cupid bid?). When the moon was on the wane, I embarked in R. R. train. Oh the sighs, the sighs, the sighs ! When I last beheld those eyes. Oh the blues, the blues, the blues ! When I waved my last adieus. We had vowed we 'd e’er be true, As vacation lovers do. When the moon was on the wane, Iwas at my desk again. Quite forgotten was the maid Mid the whirligig of trade. WALLACE Peck. comicbooks.com