Life, 1886-10-28 · page 12 of 16
Life — October 28, 1886 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explaining This 1886 Life Magazine Page **The cartoon** (top left) depicts two men in a cornfield—one appears to be a farmer showing another a large hole in corn stalks. The dialogue, written in exaggerated German-immigrant dialect ("Dot's queer," "Bumpkin"), makes a crude joke: the larger farmer has apparently squeezed through a small opening, defying physical logic. It's a simple visual gag mocking immigrant speech patterns, common in 1880s American humor. **The letter section** includes satirical editorial commentary on contemporary politics (the mayoralty race, mentions of Roosevelt, Hewitt, George) and a bitter letter mocking General Sherman and Civil War survivors—expressing darkly ironic views about compensation for war injuries. **"He Was in Clove-R"** is a mild theatrical joke playing on the phrase "in clover" (living luxuriously)—implying the woman gained satisfaction during intermission. The page demonstrates Life's mix of lowbrow visual comedy, ethnic stereotyping, and sharp political commentary typical of 1880s American satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OUR LITTLE CLASSICS. By GRacious! Dot's QUEER. Wor's Queer, Dutcny? How DID DOT BIG BUMPKIN GIT OUD DOT LEETLE HOLE? WORTHY OF CONSIDER- ATION. BELLVILLE, ILL., Oct. 14, 1886. DITOR LIFE:—Your very just statement that Gen. Sherman ought to have been hung long ago for his services, is an indication that the educated classes are grad- ually acquiring a just concep- tion of the late war for inde- pendence. We may soon hope that the persons who survived Andersonville will be compell- ed to pay board for the time they remained at that place of entertainment, and that some just per capita tax will be laid upon those misguided men who are now unable, by reason of participation in that conflict, to show the customary num- ber of limbs. Yours very truly, CuarLes W. THomas. HE WAS IN CLOVE-R. HE (at the beginning of the third act) : How spicy theplay is getting ! SHE (who sat alone between the acts) : 1 should say so! the time of the court with your silly, red-blooded assertions., 1 feel inclined to hold you for contempt. But go, and quickly, Learn that merit will never give you a place in Burke's.” Chauncey M. Depew, J. Edward Simmons and Henry E, Dixey were then appointed a committee to sift the evidence, and report to Mr. Field. They were absent but five minutes. “ We find as follows:” said Mr. Depew. “ Mr. Dixey was in London this year and asked the Prince of Wales for full particulars of the ice episode which Mrs. Langtry has related. The Prince simply replied with a stony glare. Mr. Simmons and myself, who were also in London this year, and are inti- mately acquainted with the Prince, whom we saw as close as three yards off in Hyde Park one day, are inclined to think that if Mrs. Langtry’s story were true, he would have con- fided in Dixey. So much for Mrs. Langtry, The prize rests between Miss Cameron and Miss Fortescue. Your Commit- tee decides in favor of the former,-inasmuch as we have the Earl of Lonsdale marked as an exhibit The meeting was then adjourned. Mrs. Langtry furiously declared that she would subpeena the Prince of Wales as a witness and take the case to the court of St. James; Miss Fortescue fell in a fainting-fit, and may be there now for all I know to the contrary. : Alan Date. OUR POSITION. AN inquisitive correspondent writes to ask how LiFe stands on the Mayoralty question. ‘We don't stand on it at all. sit on it. Mr. George’s followers won't permit us to shout for the more or less great theorist who heads their ticket because we don’t happen to be laboring men. We are nothing but capitalists who publish a weekly journal, and as Mr. George remarks of Mr. Hewitt, if we went into the fight we would doubtless be used as a cat’s paw to pull Puckerings out of the fire, and we don’t propose to go into that business. We cannot support Mr. Hewitt, because we are not united Dem- ocrats. As Mugwumps we hate Tammany Hall, and as Tammany men we thoroughly despise the County Democracy. Besides, we don’t believe Mr. Hewitt would give us the City Record to print, even if we did lend him such shoulders as we have to spare to boost him down to the position to which he, as a member of Congress, desires to descend. Mr. Roosevelt we admire on account of his personal beauty, but we don’t believe in the cowboy in politics. Mr. Roosevelt is a most polished cowboy and an erudite cowboy, but we think that was a sensi- ble old proverb that said: Cowboy, stick to your ranche. As for the Prohibition candidate, we cannot advocate the election of any man whose fundamental principles are inseparably linked with the new aqueduct, which, if report speaks truly, is the most corrupt flume that was ever constructed. We are going shooting on election day, and if we can bag a few of our next mayors we shall not be sorry. This is how Lire hovers over the Mayoralty question. We spend most of our time trying to comicbooks.com