Life, 1887-05-19 · page 7 of 16
Life — May 19, 1887 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 277 This page contains several brief satirical items and illustrations typical of Life's humor section. **"Polyphonic"** depicts a grammar lesson where a man asks if "woman" is part of speech. The joke turns on the woman character responding that she "isn't any part of speech at all, Jack; she is the whole of it!"—a sexist joke playing on stereotypes about women's talkativeness. **"Beauty and the Beast"** presents a dialogue between an Anarchist and the Statue of Liberty, mocking radical political views. The Anarchist declares everything should be destroyed; Liberty threatens to crush him, satirizing both revolutionary ideology and American exceptionalism. Other items are brief quips about grammar, education, and Shakespeare, typical of the magazine's miscellaneous humor format. The page represents early 20th-century American satirical magazine conventions mixing social commentary with crude stereotypes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SCRAPS. RS. MALAPROP says Har- per's Magazine is “Neat but not Godey.”” * * * \ is said that Andrew [Lang wrote “Auld Lang Syne” and didn’t sign it. * * * NEW collection of readings from Lamb is entitled “Mutton Chops.” * * * A PROPER headline for mar- riage notes would be$Mari- time Notes. * * * UDGING from theS Columbia College Ball Nine’s scores o | and 4, we are inclined to believe she is paying off some old scores. | * * * HAT the depositor wants to know is not that his money is all right, but that it’s all left. * * * POLYPHONIC. CTORS and actresses are like Jack (backward in his grammar): Papa, WHAT PART OF SPEECH IS WOMAN? lovers after quarreling. They Papa (fresh from a verbal engagement with Mamma, in which, of course, he has been badly are always kissing and making up. worsted): SHE ISN'T ANY PART OF SPEECH AT ALL, JACK; SHE IS THE WHOLE OF IT! BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. AN Anarchist who had just arrived in this country came and sat down under the Statue of Liberty. “T have escaped the despots,” he said, “but the world will not go well until all that now exists is destroyed.” “Would you destroy all things?” asked the Statue. “Yes,” he replied. “But J exist,” said the Statue, “and I am LIBERTY: me you can never destroy! Be quiet, or I will put my foot on you and send you down to the father of your theories.” “Soy, Teppy NoLan, And as the Anarchist went away he thought the American girl was too big for him A RED-HOT ONE.” to fool with. EDUCATION IS A GREAT THING. «6 T SEE that a post-mortem examination 1s often made in murder cases. What does a post-mortem examination mean?” asked a young Lewiston wife of her better half. “A post-mortem examination, my dear, is intended to allow the victim to state, verbally, his own testimony against his assailant, and is taken down in writing.” “Thanks, darling; and you won't look down on me, will you, because I haven't your education?” He said he wouldn't. * HAKESPEARE once cried, “Oh, I could hew up Rocks and fight with Flint!" We don't know much about Flint, but we would like to see a man who can hew It comes! up rocks stand up before Professor Sullivan. comicbooks.com