Life, 1886-05-27 · page 4 of 16
Life — May 27, 1886 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 298 This page contains several brief satirical items and a cartoon rather than a single coherent political statement. **The cartoon** depicts two men in formal dress with the caption "First Stranger: Slow, isn't it? / Second Stranger: Yes, very. / First Stranger: Let's go home. / Second Stranger: I can't, I'm the host." It's a social humor piece about the awkwardness of a dull gathering. **The text items** mock various contemporary subjects: Chicago anarchists' legal proceedings, Jersey mosquitoes, Jefferson Davis and Henry Irving, Ulster Presbyterians' political stance, and a gentleman purchasing expensive art. **"Fashion Item"** discusses men wearing plain collars with fancy shirts—apparently initiated by Albert E. Wales—as social commentary on class performance and appearance versus reality. The page is primarily *social satire* rather than hard political commentary, targeting manners, fashion pretension, and everyday absurdities of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
, SIGNS OF SPRING. OW do we know that spring has come ? _ T hear the bumble-bees gaily bum, And the shaded nooks of the picknicker's pants Serve as promenades for migrating ants, And the dudes on the corners again we see, Pursuing their studies in hosieree, As the maiden trips through the yielding mud, To the drug store to get some stuff for her blood ; Aye, everything that we see and hear Seems to tell us that spring is somewhere near. * . . NE of the arrested anarchists in Chicago said he would leave the country on the next train if the police would release him. The majority of the red-handed fiends will leave on the neck strain when the proper time comes. * * * T will soon be no longer necessary for the Jerseyites to go to Paris to be inoculated. The coming mosquitoes will be able to fill all orders. . . * HERE is no truth in the rumor that Jefferson Davis and Henry Irving's legs were on a spree together last First Stranger : Stow, 1s N'T 10? Second Stranger: Yes, VERY. First Stranger : Let's GO HOME. Second Stranger: 1 can't, I'M THE HOST. OVERHEARD ON THE AVENUE, LD CHAPPIE: Ah, here comes De Peters, and weally, Chawles, you must excuse me, yerknow. He's a nice fellow and all that, but he wears such a beastly old- fashioned collar and always carries his gloves with the fingers in front instead of behind, that weally, yerknow, I am ashamed to walk with him. * . . “cs ENELOPE,” said a New York lady to her little Bos- ton niece, “ will you see how high the thermometer is, please ?” “Yes, auntie, it is just even with the mantel-piece.” “ Thank you,” said little Penelope's aunt, who was equal to the occasion; “and now will you see how high the mer- cury is?” “ Seventy degrees, Fahrenheit, auntie,” replied the Boston miss. . . . HE: I notice that the daily papers are publishing wood- cut pictures of Herr Most. He: Yes, and he has not yet been convicted. giving every man a show. . * . HE Ulster Presbyterians are bidding for American sym- pathy. It is theirs, but our money is risked on Home I believe in Rule. * * . ENTLEMAN (to picture dealer): I don’t want such expensive paintings. My house is small, and—— Picture Dealer : Oh, I beg your pardon, sir. I understood you to say that you were furnishing a bar-room. (To clerk.) James, show this gentleman that line of two-dollar chromos, . . . FASHION ITEM. HEN you see a man wearing a fancy shirt with a plain white collar attached, do not judge him too hastily. We grant that he looks like an ass, but there is always one chance ina million that he isn’t. He may bea very intelligent citizen, and is merely deficient in taste. If the effect of a paper collar on a real shirt is agreeable to him there is no reason why he should not be allowed to dress in such a manner as produces that effect. The origin of the fashion was this: Mr. Albert E. Wales ordered some fancy shirts, and the material giving out, his frugal mother utilized a few of his plain collars and had them stitched on. Albert objected, but his mother was firm; the fashion was set, and to this day we occasionally see this sweet combination. It gives a man the appearance of wanting to borrow some money to go to a dog fight; but then, don’tcherknow, you can’t always tell. comicbooks.com