Life, 1885-12-10 · page 12 of 34
Life — December 10, 1885 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 332 - Satirical Content Analysis This page contains four distinct satirical pieces: **"Something Dropped"**: A British visitor (Mr. Blackfriar) complains that American slang is confusing—specifically "big bug" and "drop" letter. Miss Kate's punchline ("I thought it was a drop letter in England") suggests the British actually use similar terminology, mocking his pretentious complaint. **Editor Exchange**: An editor refuses to let a reader borrow *Philadelphia papers* but casually agrees when told what they are—satire on regional newspaper reputation or quality disparities. **Lawyer Joke**: A young lawyer's girlfriend makes a pun on "legal tender," implying his love isn't genuine currency—wordplay mocking lawyers' professional jargon. **"Fables for the Times"**: Two Aesop-style fables with modern morals: one critiques shoddy New York construction (contractor from Massachusetts); another warns against overconfidence. These mock contemporary American failures in building standards and business practices.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WELCOME TO THEM. ENTLEMAN, reading exchanges (to editor): Would you | mind, Mr. Shears, if I took one or two of | these papers home with | me? Editor (dubiously) : Well, I don’t know | about that; I haven't | looked them over my- self yet. What papers | are they? Gentleman: A cou- ple of Philadelphia pa- pers. Editor : Oh, yes ; take ‘em along. 73 ND why do you think that my love is not genuine?” asked the young lawyer, excitedly. “Because you are my beau, ‘Gus,” she answered in legal ten- | der tones. And then | she ran away so fast | that he could not SOMETHING DROPPED. counterfeit. Mr. Blackfriar (just from London): YAWR AMERICANISMS ARE MOST PER- | PLEXING VAW KNOW. WHAT ON EARTH IS A“ BIG BUG,” AND A “DROP” LETTER? | poxer players must YAWR A‘ED OF US THERE YAW KNOW; WE 'VE NO “DROP. ETTERS IN ENGLAND. . Miss Kate: | THOUGHT H WAS A DROP LETTER IN ENGLAND. put up with pot luck. T FABLES FOR THE TIMES. KID standing on the roof of a house railed at a Wolf passing by. The Wolf, looking up, said: ‘ Not you, but the house rails at me,” and he started on. But just then the house fell in, as it had been built by a New York contractor, born in Pitts- field, Mass, Thereupon he ate the Kid without more ado. | RABBIT went into a swamp one day, and, having pro- voked a quarrel with a Hornet, chased the insect into its nest. The Rabbit then determined to blockade his ad- versary, and backed himself up against the door of the nest ; but the next moment he was flying through the woods at a rate that was dangerous to previous records, and accom- panied by a retinue of Hornets. Having reached home, he announced that there was a riot, an earthquake and a prairie- fire down in,the swamp. \ MorAL: Don't hatch your chickens before counting “WHAT IS HOME WITHOUT A MOTHER?" them ; and be cautious about sitting on the nest in the dark. comicbooks.com