Life, 1885-02-19 · page 12 of 16
Life — February 19, 1885 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page Analysis This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of early Life magazine's humor: **"Le Roi S'Amuse"** (poem by Gil. Van Tassel): A romantic poem contrasting a lovesick woman awaiting her suitor's message with a man at a revel casually bragging about flirting with a woman on a train days prior, then forgetting her. The satire mocks male inconstancy and the disposability of romantic attention. **"A Luxury"** (dialogue): A child's logical rebuttal to his father's definition of luxury—if luxuries are things we don't need, then mosquito-nets in winter qualify, since mosquitoes don't exist then. It's gentle humor about faulty reasoning. **"Near Sighted Darky"** cartoon: Uses a racist caricature (typical of the era's offensive humor) for a visual punchline about mistaken identity. The page also includes brief quips mocking Harvard Club pretension, bachelorhood, and bureaucratic incompetence. The overall tone is light satirical commentary on courtship, class, and human folly.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*-LIFE-: , LE ROI S'AMUSE. REMBLING athwart the slope Of the grey mountain steep, Softly the shadows deep Fade into night. Tell me, dear Messenger, Winging thy way so fleet, Art thou no token sweet Bringing to me? Never a true love knot Binding a ribbon blue Close round a billet doux, Surely he promised. Can he forget so soon All that he whispered low, Only three days ago, Looking at me? Laughter and jests go round, Redly the wine cup glows, Wilder the revel grows, On through the night. “ Here ’s to the pretty girl That I, the other day, Passing the time away, Mashed on the train. “Felt rather soft myself— Get over that, I guess, As I did all the rest. Here's to the toast.” GIL. VAN TASSEL. A LUXURY. 6¢ TQ ATHER, what is a luxury?” asked little Johnnie the other night as he wrapped himself round the parlor stove. “A | luxury? Why, it’s something we don’t really need, you know—a thing we can do = —— A without.” Near Sighted Darky: Dat “Well, then,” replied the logical youth, | WOMAN'S AN OLE FOOL. I'LL jes’ | “Wa? a luxury a mosquito-net must be in RUN IN TER HER AN'—— winter!" HARVARD men will be interested to know that the | DEFINITION (by a confirmed old bach.)—The proper regular annual dinner of the Harvard Club is an- study of mankind is a room womankind can 't get into. nounced to take place at Delmonico’s, Saturday evening, February 21st. More than the customary number of speak- ANATHEMA OF THE EasT SIDE HEALTH INSPECTOR. ers are promised, and wine and music sufficient to make the __ A plague on all your houses.” affair, if possible, more successful than ever. oes LETTERS ONE WOULD RATHER NOT WRITE—I. O. U. A QUICK RETORT—The crematory. comicbooks.com