Life, 1885-05-21 · page 12 of 16
Life — May 21, 1885 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire on Judicial Corruption This page contains two satirical pieces mocking the American justice system circa the early 20th century. **"Dame Justice and the Oyster"** is a fable attacking judicial greed and corruption. When two men dispute over an oyster, Justice herself seizes it and gives each man only a shell—a direct critique of judges who enrich themselves by settling disputes. The punchline: the oyster was diseased, sickening Justice and leaving her with doctor's bills. The moral sardonically suggests that corrupt judges who prioritize profit over fairness inevitably suffer consequences. The second section appears to reference **Mr. Keiley**, someone who previously acted "flyly" (deceitfully) and uttered a "shrill Rebel yell" (suggesting Confederate sympathies), yet is now "honored so highly" and "doing quite well." This critiques how disreputable figures are rehabilitated by the system. The accompanying sketches—a gaunt "Spring Poet" and a cemetery scene—reinforce themes of hypocrisy and moral decay beneath surface respectability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ical SPRING, PoET FABLES FO. THE TIMES. DAME JUSTICE AND T\'E OYSTER. AME JUSTICE was taking a walk one day, and came upon two men who were disputing about the posses- sion of an oyster, and who at once appealed to her to settle the quarrel on equitable principles. To accomplish this Dame Justice swallowed the oyster and gave each man a shell, remarking, facetiously : “I deck my bower with scalps of fools like you ; Here, take you each a shell, and vanish from my view.” Now, it so happened that the oyster, which was the bone of contention, was an invalid, and had just escaped from a cheap restaurant with a malignant attack of cerebro-spinal meningitis. The result was that Dame Justice soon went to bed with a wild internal commotion, which led to a severe sickness and a heavy doctor's bill. MorRAat: This fable teaches that insatiate greed often bites a wormy peach ; and that when the grave Goddess of Justice DANUM ComBINATION. COMBINATION No. 8. puts too much of the prémiere danseuse in her every day movements, she is liable to tear her skirts on the briers that grow by the wayside. The fable also indirectly hints that when the true Prince masquerades as a morrisdance, he is apt to lose the salutations of the populace. S this Mr. Keiley, Who's acted so flyly And uttered so vilely His “ shrill Rebel yell,” The same Mr. Keiley Now honored so highly ?— Why, bless the old file, he Is doing quite well! MEN who talk much tire easy. THE most beautiful girl has a skeleton. GETTING IN FINE WORK.—The Police Court Judge. comicbooks.com