Life, 1886-10-07 · page 7 of 16
Life — October 7, 1886 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 211 The page contains several short humor pieces rather than political cartoons. "Awful Possibility" depicts a domestic scene where a baby cries while parents discuss naming their child "Charles Augustus." The joke hinges on the mother's concern that a French name might make the child French, which she finds objectionable—reflecting early 20th-century anti-French sentiment or xenophobic attitudes of the era. Other sections include brief comedic anecdotes ("The Best Talisman," "Literary Quibblings") and a poem titled "A Mendacious Miss" about a woman named Katherine who was called "Prognosti Kate" for her exaggerations. The humor relies on wordplay, puns, and domestic comedy typical of Life's satirical style during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SCRAPS. O, Achilles, the Irishmen, so frequently seen in P—ch, do not belong to the Opper Ten. In our opinion, they should be put in the category of mathematical impossibilities. * * * MATEUR ACTOR: Miss Charlotte, they say that it was no less than paganish of you, to assume the ré/e and costume of | a man, at our last performance. Miss CHARLOTTE: Ah, indeed, and why? AMATEUR ACTOR: I don't know, presumably because you were a he, then. * * * HARLES McDONALD VERIPHAST says that the | “Black Crook” reminds him of a well-filled synagogue, because you | can see a good many she-knees at | both. | * * «<¢ TT may seem paradoxical,” said | the drummer, “but I’ve} found out that the waiter must get feed properly by you, in order that you may obtain feed, properly, from him.” AWFUL POSSIBILITY. Baby; A-BWA, A-BWA, A-BWA. Mother : BOIRE, BOIRE; WHAT CAN CHARLES AUGUSTUS MEAN ? Father : HE'S GOING TO BE A TOPER, ANGELINE. BOIRE IS FRENCH FOR DRINK, Mother (anxiously): OH, WOULDN'T IT BE DREADFUL IF CHARLES SHOULD TURN OUT TO BE A FRENCH BABY, AND WE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD HE SAID! THE BEST TALISMAN. | ““ LL the heroes ain’t dead yet,” said old Bugley, laying | down the paper to moralize. “ Itdoes my heart good to hear these brave men went safely through Niagara Falls —and did it in a barrel, too. That's the most surprising part of it all.” “There's nothing surprising about that,” corrected his mis- chievous young grandson. “ There ain't, eh?” sneeringly replied the old man. “How | do you make that out, my little shaver ?” | “Easy enough, gran’pa,” answered the little boy. “In this world a man can go anywhere if he has a ‘bar'l.’” PRETTY slim board—A shingle. LITERARY QUIBBLINGS. “ ISS MELINDA'S Opportunity.”— Leap year. “In Peril of His Life” — The baseball umpire. “A Strange Story” — ‘ Time, 2.09.” “ Ivanhoe” — New agricultural implement. “Ten Years of His Life” — Messenger boy delivering a message. “A Dreadful Temptation” — Free beer. “The Cost of Her Love” — An ice-cream. 2 A MENDACIOUS MISS. ER name was Katherine ; she knew — Or thought she did— things small and great, And so, with this conceit in view, She called herself Prognosti Kate. But she would palter much with truth, Politely called exaggerate ; And some for this called her, forsooth, Mendacious Miss Prevari Kate. She treated all hypothesis, As data, known, determinate ; Or vice versa, and for this The critics called her Alter Kate. Still, as a lexicon she could A deal of information state ; And for this lot she understood She was yclept Miss Indi Kate. She took the rostrum after while, And got to be renowned and great ; Made reputation from her guile, And joined a lecture syndicate. E. M. Snyder. comicbooks.com