Life, 1886-03-04 · page 3 of 16
Life — March 4, 1886 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The main illustration depicts a social scene where someone is explaining dried apples to guests—captioned "BY THE INDUCTIVE METHOD." Below, the dialogue "A GOOD DEAL BETTER THAN A PLEDGE" shows Smith questioning Jones about eating dried apples, with Jones making increasingly absurd justifications for consuming them despite their unpalatability. The satire targets someone's argument that dried apples are acceptable food because they produce desirable effects (supposedly making one drink less water). This appears to satirize faulty logical reasoning—using a poor solution to justify accepting an undesirable situation. The smaller verse items below mock trivial social observations about dogs and a woman's domestic education. The humor relies on absurdist logic and social observation typical of *Life* magazine's satirical style, though the specific real-world reference is unclear without additional context.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BY THE INDUCTIVE METHOD. Miss Lucy: US FROZE AN EAR, It was B/TTER COLD COMING HOME; I DROVE DOWN THE AVENUE WITH HORATIO IN A CUTTER AND EACH OF All Present (interrupting in chorus): OW, YES! THE OUTSIDE EAR! A GOOD DEAL BETTER THAN A PLEDGE. '‘MITH : “What on earth are those things you are cat- ing?” Jones : “ Dried apples.” : “ Do they taste good ?” No.” 5: “Aren't they indigestible?” +t Yes= : “ Then what the deuce are you eating them for?” : Doesn't Jack give us his ante-nuptial, farewell bachelor dinner to-night ?” ° S: ‘Is that why you are filling up with withered vegetable matter now ?” J: “Slower, my boy; let me whisper a word to thee. Would n't I be apt to drink more than is strictly advisable ?” S: “It has been done.” J: “Ah! now you have the combination. Dried apples swell when they are wet, don’t they? If I drink I'll be apt to wet them, won’t 1? It would be deucedly unpleasant to swell up like a toad-fish—to explode, perhaps, like a toy bal- loon, wouldn't it? Then I probably won’t drink, will 1? And my head will feel perfectly comfortable in the morning, and I'll be able to eat something more nourishing than ice water for breakfast, and I ‘ll be down at my office at nine o'clock, and my eyes won't be red. “It’s a good idea, old fellow. I’m going to mention it to the Society for Prevention of Crueltyto Animals. It 's away ahead of their Free Ice Water Fountains. CR. H. N ex-bank officer writes home that “Canada has’ no rival.” He has overlooked Sing Sing. HE approach of the dog days may always be noted by watching the phenomena of the skyes. HE once was washing dishes, But her papa ‘mid the fishes— "Mid the “suckers” down in Wall street struck a snap, AndSh€ now wears silk and satin, And is studying French and Latin, With a poodle dog a-nestling in her lap. comicbooks.com