Life, 1887-01-27 · page 12 of 16
Life — January 27, 1887 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 54: Multiple Short Satirical Pieces This page contains several unrelated satirical jokes typical of *Life* magazine's format: **"Both Hands Busy"**: A racial stereotype joke about a Black man in Alabama accused of theft. The humor relies on dialect and the absurd excuse that he couldn't defend himself because he held chickens in both hands. **Ballet Critique**: A brief jab at a Chicago clergyman who called ballet dancers "inexcusably fleshy"—the magazine's rejoinder suggests they're "saw-dusty" (artificial/mechanical). **Philadelphia Episode**: Satirizes a public health official who defends obviously contaminated Schuykill River water with absurd scientific rationalization, implying corruption or incompetence among politically-appointed bureaucrats. **"The Rebound"**: A class-conscious exchange where two women trade insults about their families' humble origins (boarding-house keeper, hack driver). **"Binks" cartoons** (bottom): Show a man devising a concealed seat device for the exclusive Lenox Library, which backfires when discovered—mocking both social pretension and library snobbery. The page exemplifies *Life*'s satirical approach: targeting hypocrisy, social climbing, and institutional pomposity through brief, pointed anecdotes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
54 BOTH HANDS BUSY. Ae in Alabama was brought up for stealing a pair of chickens, but declared, solemnly, that he “didn’t steal dem ar fowls,” declaring, on the other hand, that the complainant had beaten him. brutally with a club. “But,” said the judge, “ you're twice as large and strong as he is, why didn’t you defend yourself ?” “Why, jedge, see hyar; I hada chicken in each hand, an’ what's two raw chickens agin’ a club?” NE of the Chicago clergymen de- clared the ballet to be “inexcus- ably fleshy.” The reverend gentleman’s knowledge of the ballet is superficial. It is not inexcusably “fleshy ;” it is inexcus- ably “ saw-dusty.”” A PHILADELPHIA EPISODE. OUNG Mrs. B.: Do tell me, Dr. Gruel, in a really scientific way, do you consider our Schuykill water either healthy or fit to drink ? | Dr. G. (who holds a political appoint- ment on the Board of Health): Viewed | in the light of a beverage, its whole- some qualities are abused by many; | but if taken by the spoonful, and properly chewed, I consider it both nutritious and | toothsome. | N the light of recent events, the old | chestnut that “ Britannia rules the | waves” seems a trifle idiyachtic. Binks intends visiting the Lenox Li- brary, and hearing there are no seats in that temple of luxury, he hits upon a device which will add materially to his wife's comfort. THE REBOUND. Mrs. Grudge: WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE POSSESSED MRS. BROWN TO TELL ME YOUR MOTHER KEPT A BOARDING-HOUSE, MRS, PARVENUE? Sally Parvenue (who ts precocious): PERHAPS IT WAS THE SAME REASON THAT MADE HER TELL MAMMA YOUR FATHER DROVE A HACK. It works beautifully, and they begin to feel themselves repaid for all the red-tape required to effect an entrance, when they hear’a footstep in the cor- ridor. In his agitation, he pulls too ‘soon the string for concealing the device, and with the above result. Binks now shares the popular sentiments in regard to the L. L. as an educator. comicbooks.com