Life, 1885-05-28 · page 3 of 16
Life — May 28, 1885 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "Life" Magazine Page 297 This page contains a satirical illustration titled "Florida in May: Thermometer, 84°" depicting three men in tropical Florida heat. The caption's humor hinges on contrasting attitudes toward summer climate: an older gentleman insists on staying in sweltering Florida despite friends departing north, while a younger married man seeks cooler locations with his wife. The illustration shows the young man appearing uncomfortable in the heat, while the older gentleman seems unbothered—suggesting masculine pride or stubbornness about enduring discomfort. The text below includes philosophical quips about human nature and gender differences ("Boys will be boys"). The satire mocks both masculine vanity and social class distinctions regarding leisure travel—a contemporary concern for early-20th-century American readership familiar with seasonal migrations among the wealthy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FLORIDA IN MAY: THERMOMETER, 84°. YES, 1f IS TOO HOT FOR COMFORT; ALL THEIR FRIENDS HAVE GONE NORTH, AND YET THEY LINGER. THE OLD GENTLEMAN HAS MADE UP HIS MIND TO REMAIN ALL SUMMER, IF NECESSARY. Bur way DOES NOT HIS CHARMING YOUNG WIFE GO TO A MORF. REASONABLE CLIMATE ? A, Ha! : IF YOU LOOK AT THIS PICTURE CAREFULLY YOU WILL SEE A YOUNG MAN SITTING NEAR AT HAND. SHE CAME VERY NEAR BEING ENGAGED TO THIS GENTLEMAN ONCE. THE OLD MAN KNows IT. r AND HE THINKS HE CAN STAND THE HEAT BETTER THAN THE YOUNG ONE. “Many hands make light work ;"" and the heavy work is always left for the few. MEN OF THE WORLD. HEN egotists do loudly boast, And in your ear oft din it ; That they have knowledge of the world, “ Boys will be boys ;” which is, upon the whole, less con- They mean the rascals in it. fusing than if they insisted upon being girls. FORE-WARNED is forearmed; and consequently four- “ NECESSITY knows no law;” and like lawyers in a simi- handed. lar case, devotes itself to hatching invention. comicbooks.com