Life, 1886-12-02 · page 7 of 16
Life — December 2, 1886 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis **Top Cartoon:** "The Pleasures of Kingcraft" depicts a European prince (left, gesturing dismissively) receiving courtiers who offer him the throne of Bulgaria. The satire mocks the grandiose pretensions of European royalty and the casual nature of political succession among the continental aristocracy—thrones apparently offered like business transactions. **Bottom Section:** A humorous "Philosophico-Clasico-Mathematical Problem" uses three diary entries (1898, 1882, 1886) from a New York tenant to construct mock-scholarly equations. The joke plays on academic pretension: translating a man's complaints about poverty and failed social climbing into mathematical formulas. It satirizes how intellectuals over-complicate simple human suffering through jargon and pseudo-scientific analysis.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
+e re 2 THE PLEASURES OF KINGCRAFT. FANCY SKETCH OF A EUROPEAN PRINCE RECEIVING AN OFFER OF THE THRONE OF BULGARIA. A PHILOSOPHICO-CLASSICO-MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM. BASED UPON AN ANALYSIS OF THREE PAGES OF A DIARY RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN AN UPPER ROOM OF A I HARVARD, June 15, 1878. Vivimus, vivamus! “Are you with us to-night ? ‘There's chance for us all To get gloriously tight. There's to be A small spree At Beck, No. 3.” “Yes, I'm with you, you bet, Though I doubt if I get My degree Of A. B.” Viyimus, vivamus ! I got tight as a drum, And was rather successful In making things hum. But the ‘ Prex” Showed his ex- Cre’ble taste, and did vex Us to-day with an order, That on rudeness did border, Which ejects And dejects Us sick wrecks. Ist equation: —a+5 — x, New YorK TENEMENT. I. New York, Nov. 1, 1882. Vivimus, vivamus ! Retired (2) from college, I flattered myself Of the world I had knowledge. For a awhile, Inastyle That played H with my ‘pile,’ I lived the gay pet Of a vapid set. Yes, a vile Little while. =-© Vivimus, vivamus ! My money now spent, And my fair-spoken friends To the devil sent, With a laugh, Ido quaff At my cups, and loud chaff At hard grinding Care, And that hang-dog, Despair. E’ena half Hearted laugh. -0) and equation :—¢ + d= y, Il. New York, Dec. 31, 1886. “ Vivimus, vivamus 1” I wheeze on my bed ‘Where I soon must lie dead. D—-n that fear Ever near Sneering low in my ear. “Vivimus! Bah! \- ¥ Et sequential ? Rather dear. Your ‘life’ here.” grd equation :— «+ y—z.°. Z—? Ans :— Dono id sursum. Lemons. comicbooks.com