Life, 1885-10-08 · page 3 of 16
Life — October 8, 1885 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Not Superstitious" - Satire on Social Superstition This cartoon satirizes the persistence of superstition among educated society. The scene shows a formal dinner party where the hostess anxiously counts guests—there are thirteen present, traditionally considered unlucky. The humor lies in the contradiction: the guests insist they're rational and "not superstitious," yet they're visibly anxious about the number thirteen. The hostess awkwardly notes that only twelve plates were laid, attempting to rationalize away the bad omen by claiming one guest was "forgotten"—a transparent and absurd solution that undermines their claimed rationality. The satire targets Victorian-era society's simultaneous embrace of modernity and education while remaining bound by old folk superstitions—revealing that enlightenment was only surface-deep.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NOT SUPERSTITIOUS. Hostess (excitedly, as guests are about to take their seats): MERCY! THERE ARE THIRTEEN HERE! Chorus: NEVER MIND! DON’T BE AFRAID! DON'T BE SUPERSTITIOUS! Hostess; OH, 17'S NOT THAT. BUT THERE ARE ONLY TWELVE PLATES LAID. HOW AWKWARD! But there is little harm done, as none of them know who was forgotten. ANIMAL ANIMOSITIES. I never seek the stable yard But have occasion soon to flee ; . ., 5 's si i hard ’ WAS ever thus, from childhood's hour, eae pce nara, ri ive skipped aha the verdant lea, When e’er I drive her, strange to tell, With some cow's brother, wild and sour, She views each stone with darting eye I Soe, oes ane aia I would that she was Moore's gazelle, 4 For then she ‘d never, hy. But find that brindle bully nigh ; OF HER ANEL CEN SOENEL An), 1 would that he was Moore's gazelle, a For then he would be sure to dic. A BAD O MEN—Getting in debt. A WAIL FROM WAY-BACK, comicbooks.com