Life, 1886-06-17 · page 4 of 16
Life — June 17, 1886 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 340 This page contains several brief satirical pieces typical of early 20th-century Life magazine humor: **"The Romance of a Poor Young Man"** mocks a husband's excuse for poverty—claiming champagne tastes despite having "few skeletons." His wife sarcastically calls his spending on "bar-room loafers" and alcohol for votes "political economy." **"Not a Home Run"** features a woman seeking to charge her third husband with desertion. The magistrate's dry response that she should pursue her "first husband" is the joke—implying she's a serial wife. **The illustration** (signed, appears to be by a cartoonist) depicts this magistrate scene, showing the woman before officials. **Right-side items** are brief gossip-style notes about Chicago refinement, tomatoes in Cannes, market prices, and military news—typical filler content mixing social commentary with trivia.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE ROMANCE OF A POOR YOUNG MAN. YOUNG fellow quite fond of champagne, Could a case or two easily dragne ; But the barkeepers knew That his shekels were few— So he generally had to abstagne. * . . “ Y dear,” said an anxious wife to her husband, who is running for office, “we must economize in every possible way.” “I do economize,” he replied. “Yes,” she said, bitterly, “ you spend ten or fifteen dollars a day in treating a lot of bar-room loafers to beer and whisky just to get them to vote for you. Do you call that economy?” “Certainly; that's political economy.” . . . NOT A HOME RUN. OMAN (to magistrate): Me husband has left me, sorr, an’ I want to make a charge agin him for de- sartion. Magistrate: That is the proper course to pursue, madam. Is he your first husband ? Woman : No, sorr; he is my third. Magistrate (who spends his afternoons at the Polo Grounds): Ab, yes, I see; got left on third. QUESTION. Officer: HYUR, MISTHER, DOGS NOT 'LOWED AT LARGE. Algernon (with’ some feeling): He's NAWT AT LAWGE, SAH! Don't you see I HAVE HOLD OF HIM? MAKING RAPID STRIDES. OSTON YOUNG LADY (visiting in Chicago): I am very agreeably surprised in Chicago. I had no idea that it was a city of so much refinement and culture. Chicago Young Lady: Oh, yes; we are making Chicago a very dizzy place for cult. . . ° AY the profits of a crematory be derived from its gross urnings ? * e . FOREIGN MARKET NOTE. FAR tomatoes may now be had in Cannes. * . . AT THE MARKET. OUNG HOUSEKEEPER (timidly) : I will take some lamb to-day. Obsequious Butcher : madam ? Y. H. (with more assurance): I think that is rather much for our family. I'll take a’three quarter. . . . HE Paris Séec/e notes with pride that a French-Canadian grandmother recently died leaving 519 children and children’s children. From this, our contemporary avers, it is seen that before many years “‘all of Canada and the north- eastern provinces of the United States will be French.” We hope this will include New York State. A Board of Aldermen composed of Irishmen with French grandmothers would be an innovation most welcome. . * * RIEND (to ex-Alderman): Your trial comes off very soon, now, does n't it? Ex-Alderman: Yes. Friend: Well, what do you expect to do? Ex-Alderman: I don't know. I may plead guilty or I may bring suit for libel. I can’t tell yet. . . . Will you have a four quarter, HAT villa at Sing Sing seems to be growing in favor as a resort for New York celebrities, Messrs. Fish,- Ward, Jaehne and Buddensiek are so delighted with it that their friends are unable to get them away. Such is fashion. How surprising! The other Aldermen have fled and we only gave them three weeks’ notice. . . . FORCE OF HABIT IN A MILITARY GOVERN- MENT. FRENCH newspaper gives the following item of news: “An eruption of Mount tna is deemed in- evitable. Troops have been sent to the spot with orders to quell all disturbances.” ;