Life, 1887-06-09 · page 4 of 16
Life — June 9, 1887 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 318 The main illustration depicts "A Consistent Convert"—a dialogue between a "First Uncommercial Trader" and a "Second Sitte" (possibly "Second Site"). The cartoon satirizes ideological inconsistency: someone who claims conversion to a cause while maintaining self-serving motives. The trader boasts of conversion, but when asked "to what?", reveals he's merely adopted Henry George's land-ownership theory to "get rid of all I own"—suggesting he's using radical ideology as cover for avoiding financial responsibility rather than genuine belief. The surrounding text snippets are typical Life magazine commentary on contemporary matters: observations about absence, water supply, motor mechanics, theatrical tastes, and nervous actors. This reflects Progressive Era debates about economic reform and whether converts to movements acted from principle or convenience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TO SIR WALTER SCOTT. “HO loves not more the night of June Than cold December's gloomy noon?” Well, he who hath but flannels thick, With ne'er a chance to live on tick ; The man who owns toboggan chutes ; The vender of the rubber boots ; The mortal who by selling skates His lack of lucre mitigates— All find your sentiment at fault, Sir Walt, And dub it rot, Great Scott! * * * T is very evident from Dr. McGlynn’s behavior, that as between the two archies, anarchy and hierarchy, the eminent divine does not prefer the hier. * * * EN invariably decry the horse-cars for their lack of speed, until it becomes necessary to run for one. It is astonishing how small things change one’s opinions. * * * PHILADELPHIA man shot a woman “ just in fun!” Ha, ha! pretty good joke that was. Now, let us get up some joke on the assassin. Whata witty thing it would be to hang him! * * T° youths about to embark on a literary career we commend Davy Crockett’s motto: “First be sure you write, then go ahead.” * * * O, Gladys “ostracism” does not come from ostrich and schism, but when the English nobil- ity ostracize a man like Mr. Glad- stone in the hope of defeating the ends of justice, one party to the schism is not unlike the ostrich. Apropos of this, the Church should change their prayer to be delivered from heresy and schism, BELIEVE absence is a great element of charm,” said Beaconsfield, and the small boy who is allowed to stay away from school is inclined to agree with him. * * * A RECENT paragraph of ours calling attention to the fact that man is ninety per cent. water, leads a pro- hibitionist to remark that this won’t put out the fire for us | some centuries hence. Weare obliged to the temperate gentleman for the infor- | mation, and beg to assure him that he need not worry about | us, as we are laying in a good supply of firewater for future use. * * * EELY, the motor man, seems to have really discovered a perpetual-motion engine. The engine he has been at work on is always going —to go very soon! * * * HERE is one thing about impracticable men that we honor. They never indulge in practical jokes. * * * HE Act that the theatrical. people don’t care much for is the Interstate Commerce Act. * * * ILBERT, the English librettist, has not seen one of his plays acted for fourteen years, owing to _excessive nervousness.—Exchange. Shakespeare, the English playist, never saw one of his plays acted for fourteen years either. It was no due to nervousness, but because no one of his plays was ever acted for fourteen years. * * * HEAR there's a fast set liv- ing down here,” said the Chief of Police as he knocked at the door of Sheol. “You're entirely mistaken,” re- plied His Satanic Majesty, as his {nose turned blue in the cold draft, “ we're all total abstainers; not even drop of water passes through this door.” 3 to one against hearsay and ostra- cism, as a measure against scandal and its effects. * * Te ssiies of a telephone op- erator are generally down to hello level. A CONSISTENT CONVERT. First Uncommercial Traveler : FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING ? Second ditto: Ou, I'VE BEEN CONVERTED. F. U. T,: CONVERTED TO WHAT? S. ditto: WHY TO THE HENRY GEORGE THEORY OF THE NON-PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF LAND, AND I'M GETTING RID OF ALL I own, \much noise,” “Well, you mustn't make so said the Chief as he turned away; “we're bad enough in New York with one prohibition day in the week; but if there are seven of them here it must be a very devil of a place.” ~ comicbooks. com