Life, 1887-03-31 · page 11 of 16
Life — March 31, 1887 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 181: Satirical Humor and Social Commentary This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of 19th-century American humor magazines: **Top cartoon:** A courtroom scene mocking racial justice. A Black defendant is accused of assault with a razor; the judge dismisses the case, joking the prisoner should only be discharged if he tries to "shave" the complainant. The satire targets judicial indifference to violence against Black people and racist stereotypes portraying Black men as razor-wielders. **"Real Charity":** Satirizes performative benevolence—a wealthy woman opens doors to the poor not from genuine compassion but to let warmth escape her house for them, viewing charity as mere window-dressing. **Other bits:** Include puns on French phrases, jokes about scientific transplantation, and a romantic vignette mocking a missed romantic encounter. The humor relies on wordplay, absurdist logic, and social observation typical of late 19th-century American satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Justice: IS THAT THE WEAPON WITH WHICH THE PRISONER ASSAULTED YOU? Complainant: Yas, Boss, DAT’S DE SAME RAZZER. Justice: PRISONER 18 DISCHARGED. DON'T COME HERE AGAIN UNLESS HE TRIES TO SHAVE YOU WITH IT. | what does this mean?” 184 LITERAL TRANSLATIONS. Faux pas: Pass the forks. De bene esse: An Essay on Beans. Je ne sais pas: \ ain't sayin’ nothin’, De mortuts nil nisi bonum: \t is not nice to bone the dead, z.e.—Body snatching is not a genteel profession. Al fresco: Allpainted up. We may speak of an actress as being a/ fresco. Amor patrie: After more country. The French, German and English are especially distinguished for this quality. Amour propre : Propped up by love. Ancien régime: The Old Guard. Au reste: Do be quiet. REAL CHARITY. YOUNG woman, all goodness, threw open every door in the house and sat shivering. A friend came in, and said: “Why, my dear, The chatter- ing answer was, “ why,—why,—why— it’s so very cold out of doors, and so warm in the house, I thought I would let a little out for the poor.” THE PREDOMINATIN ANIMAL. RS. BASCOMB: “Emerson says that when we are asleep the ani- mal in our nature predominates. What does he mean?” Mr. Bascom: “The .night-mare, probably.” OSTON claims to have successfully transplanted a rabbit's eye into a human socket. Sheep’s eyes in human heads have long been noted, but it is believed that no rabbit ever ‘wore spectacles before. N addition to the four concerts ad- | vertised in Mexico, Patti has kindly | consented to give a Patti “benefit.” | Patti will do anything almost to please the public. LOCAL WORTH. ASTERN MAN: Does this kind of a breeze circulate around here much? ‘WESTERN MAN: No. It’sadarned counterfeit—the only th'+y thatepasses in this locality isa gem ¢ Blizzard. HIS LADY LOVE, SALUTE, | JONES, YoU MUST UNDERSTAND, HAD WRITTEN TO WHO LIVES IN THE COUNTRY, THAT BUSINESS WOULD CARRY HIM THROUGH HER VILLAGE. SHE WAS AT THE STATION TO GIVE HIM A PASSING BUT JUST BEFORE REACHING THE STATION THE ENGINEER PUT ON A FULL HEAD OF STEAM. THE ABOVE GIVES A FAIR IDEA OF THE GLIMPSE JONES GOT OF HIS DIVINITY. comicbooks.com