Life, 1887-07-07 · page 12 of 16
Life — July 7, 1887 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page Analysis This page from *Life* (a 19th-century satirical weekly) contains several brief humorous sketches mocking American society: **"Must Be Preserved"** jokes about President Cleveland asking aide Dan Lamont to buy moth exterminator for the War Department's flags—a pun on preserving both literal flags and "the Union." **"Examination Week"** satirizes academic dishonesty: a student admits to cheating during an exam, and the professor—caught—lowers his grade anyway, implying the professor was also complicit or caught off-guard. **"Not Known to the Profession"** mocks a New York woman's ignorance: a rector discusses the Star of Bethlehem (a biblical/astronomical reference), but she mistakes it for an actress, asking what she "plays in." **"A Misunderstanding"** depicts a confused Westerner at a theater production of *Romeo and Juliet*, mishearing it as "Omaha and Joliet" (two Midwestern cities)—poking fun at rural/uncultured audiences unfamiliar with Shakespeare. The humor relies on wordplay, social pretension, and regional stereotypes typical of *Life's* satirical voice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
12 MUST BE PRESERVED. “cs ILL you be passing a drug- store to-day, Dan?" inquired the President. “ Quite likely,” returned Mr. Lamont. “ Well, | wish you would step in and buy.a bottle of moth exterminator and send it to the War Department with my compliments blown on the label. Like the Union, Dan, those flags must and shall be preserved.” “cc ID you fire off many fireworks, inquired Mr. Featherly?” Bobby. “I didn’t fire off any, Bobby.” “Well, that’s funny,” commented Bobby. ‘Pa told ma you were at the Eagle Hotel all day celebrating the Fourth, EXAMINATION WEEK. ROFESSOR (cheerily): Yes, 1 have examined your paper, Mr. Skinner. You have some ideas on the subject, but you don't express yourself very clearly. You don’t seem to have the power of bringing your knowledge out. STUDENT (hastily): How could I bring my knowledge out when you didn’t turn your back to me for a second? Then, as he sees the professor care- fully erase his mark and substitute a much lower one, he realizes that he has given himself away, and that “in the bright examination of youth, there is such a word as ‘fail.’ AF = AN EXCITING MOMENT. WILL HE CATCH IT? NOT KNOWN TO THE PROFESSION. Rector: (T 18 INTERESTING TO THINK THAT THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM WILL SOON APPEAR TO US. Miss F— (from New York): Reaucy, MR. Prior, I Don'T KNOW WHO SHE 18: AND WHAT DOES SHE PLAY IN? SUGGESTIONS. T is better to swear just before jamming your finger than just after. do it with more repose and dignity. You can F you can’t afford to hire the Tantivy, ‘you can lie in bed and blow a tin horn. A whole horn is better than no coach. . * . HE power of a great newspaper is often illustrated in a street-car, where, when properly spread before the face, it enables a man to save both his seat and his politeness. NO MAN INFALLIBLE. ES,” boasted Robinson, I am blessed with a wonderfully retentive mem- ory. I rarely forget anything I hear or read.” “You couldn't remember anything yesterday,” remarked Dumley. “No, I was on the witness-stand all day. Of course, no man’s memory is infallible.” A MISUNDERSTANDING, «67 SAY, stranger,” whispered a Western man, who had strayed into an up-town theatre where the play of “ Romeo and Juliet" was going on, “I can’t make head nor tail of this thing. What's the name of this play, anyhow?” “Romeo and Juliet.” “Well, if I'd known that,” said the disgusted Westerner, ‘I would’nt have come in. I understood the feller at the door to say it was something about Omaha and Joliet.” comicbooks.com