Life, 1885-09-24 · page 11 of 16
Life — September 24, 1885 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 179: Satirical Humor and Cultural Commentary This page from *Life* magazine contains several short satirical pieces typical of the publication's style: **"His Epitaph"** mocks a German piano tuner through wordplay—his catchphrase "I'll see you sooner" becomes the basis for a pun in his epitaph ("He's only gone 'The Sooner'"). **"The Fish a Little Shy"** is a joke about fishing using gambling terminology ("ace full"—a poker hand)—Jones ironically complains his luck was so good it beat him at fishing. **"Accommodating a Landlord"** plays on miscommunication: a tenant offering to rent a large house "in conjunction with another party" is misunderstood as wanting to share it. **"Bringing Out the Blushes"** satirizes maternal propriety—a managing mother boasts her daughter blushes at impropriety, while the admiring suitor notices how "becoming" these blushes are, suggesting vanity. **"Westward the March of Culture"** discusses an America's Cup yacht race between the *Genesta* and *Puritan*, with a dialogue mocking transatlantic pronunciation differences ("stovepipe" vs. "chimney pot").
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HIS EPITAPH. H E was an honest German man, This old piano tuner, And every day he'd always say, “Good night, I ‘ll see you sooner.” And now he’s dead, and o’er his head Some very silly spooner Has wrote this chaff, for epitaph, “ He's only gone ‘ The Sooner.’ THE FISH A LITTLE SHY. ROWN (to Jones, who has just returned from a week's fishing excursion): Did you have } pretty good luck, Jones? | Jones (with disgust): Good luck? I had an ace | full beat twice. | ACCOMMODATING A LANDLORD. «¢ ] LIKE. the house,” he said, “ but it is too | large for my family, and I would want to rent it in conjunction with another party.” | “TI don’t know about that,” replied the landlord, dubiously. “I would much prefer that the house be let alone.” “Very well, then, I will let it alone,” and a little later he was looking at another house. BRINGING OUT THE BLUSHES. | ANAGING MAMMA (to Mr. Featherly): | That is my daughter to whom Mr. De Lyle | is talking. Featherly: Ah, indeed. What a sweet, modest- looking girl she is! Mamma: Yes, Clara is a very modest girl. Even the slightest improper remark will make her blush. | English Cousin : Don'r SAY “STOVEPIPE,” FRED., IT’S SO Featherly (gazing in admiration) ety andi do | VW ipred': WHAT SHALL I CALL IT, THEN, “TILE?” you notice how becoming her blushes are as they Fair Briton (scornfully): WWY, ‘CHIMNEY POT," OF come and go? | course! “WESTWARD THE MARCH OF CULTURE.” On board the Genesta every one was alert, and exactly at | over again all by herself for second place, as she would have 11:11:73 Sir Richard took off his coat and the boat drifted exceeded the seven hour limit by two minutes. backward over the starting point. The Purtfan meanwhile by an industrious manipulation of her rudder took the start- | - ing line sideways and the race commenced. A At first their progress was so slow that the steam yachts | had to back in toward the city to keep up; but a handful of air from Long Island soon bulged the spinnakers of both vessels, and the Puritan forged ahead This was at 12:11: ] 6}. At 2:7:2$ she was still forging in a way that would make D B a Canadian cashier hang his head. From thence on to the finish. which occurred shortly after five o'clock, the Genesta THE FINISH. had the Purttan in her forward wake and was subjected to A: Genesta, B: Puritan, DD: Finish line. a hard struggle for second place. Had she been thirty Thus ended the first trial. minutes later, the English cutter would have had to race The second trial on Wednesday showed the Genesta in comicbooks.com