Life, 1884-07-31 · page 3 of 16
Life — July 31, 1884 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 59 The page contains three unrelated satirical items: **"Spirituelle"** is a cartoon depicting women in a parlor discussing a young man named X. The joke plays on social pretense—the women praise his health while one admits he's actually a drunk who doesn't wear heels (suggesting he's effeminate or dissolute). It satirizes shallow society gossip masking obvious truths. **"Scylla"** is a brief poem about fishing, seemingly unrelated satirical filler. **"Gone Forever"** presents a dialogue between "George" and "Eveline" about Heaven. The satire targets romantic idealism—when Eveline asks why the poor don't get into Heaven if it's so golden, George has no answer and becomes a cow-boy instead. This mocks both religious platitudes and class inequality. The final item warns of "hidden perils—pins in the baby's clothes," likely safety commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Miss A. Miss B.: Miss A.: SPIRITUELLE. .: JUST SEE HOW ALARMINGLY RED YOUNG X. IS! NO NEED OF ALARM, DEAR; HE IS THE PICTURE OF HEALTH. YES, A HEALTH THAT’S BEEN DRUNK, AND NO HEEL-TAPS! SCYLLA. «¢ J LOVE to fish for men!” she cried, With a lightning flash in her steel gray eye, “But I hate to take them from the hooks, And watch their flurries, while they die.” THE first rose of Summer—shad roes. A BAR sinister—one displaying the sign “ No Trust.” AN BOOTS, the great banker, who does not care for the opera, says he cannot see why there is so much fuss about raising aC note from the chest. He has frequently raised a pile of C notes from his chest, and from other places too, for that matter. GONE FOREVER. “ EORGE, dear,” cried Eveline, “do you suppose Heaven is as nice a place as people say it is ?” “Well, really, Eveline, as I have never been there, I cannot say, but from what I hear, the society there is very select.” “Everything is bright and golden there, isn’t it, George ?” “Yes, darling. The streets are paved solid with gold blocks. Golden bricks make the houses, and only specie payments are allowed.” “Well, then, George,” archly said the maiden, as she nestled closely to her lover, “if everything is so golden, why don't the gilty get in?” But the answer came not. He had gone to be a cow-boy. HIDDEN perils—pins in the baby’s clothes, comicbooks.com