Life, 1887-07-21 · page 12 of 16
Life — July 21, 1887 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political-Social Satire Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains multiple brief satirical pieces mocking 1890s American society: **"Respect and Deference"**: A young man yields his streetcar seat to an elderly gentleman—appearing virtuous until revealed his motive is purely mercenary (the old man is wealthy). The satire critiques superficial courtesy masking materialistic values. **Coal Hole Complaint**: A citizen injured by an uncovered coal hole on Broadway appeals to Mayor Hewitt, who dismissively offers bureaucratic theater ("send a letter") rather than actual remedies. This mocks municipal incompetence and indifference to public safety hazards. **Dialect Dialogue** ("Uncle Jeff"): Uses offensive period racial stereotypes in a conversation about smoking's life-shortening effects—likely intended as crude humor. **Minor Items**: Brief jokes about forgetfulness, dudes (fashionable young men) eating sugar-canes as walking sticks, and baseball mascots. The bottom series of sketches illustrates "the value of that last minute to the suburban resident"—presumably showing frantic commuter behavior catching trains. The overall tone is cynical, targeting greed, bureaucratic failure, and social pretense.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Uncle Jeff.: LOOK a’ HEAH, you Hes'y Clay Waite. How MANY TIMES HAS I TOLE YO' SMOKEN' 'LL SHAWTEN YO! LIFE MO'N HALF? Young H.C.: Wevt, Unc’ Jerr, YO" BEEN SMOKEN’ MOS’ ALL YO! LIFE, AN’ YO" IS A PUTTY OLE MAN. U. J.: DAT'S ALL RIGHT, YOU FOOL NIGGA’! I'SE EIGHTY-FO" NOW, AN’ EF I HAD'N’ SMOKED WHEN I WAS A BOY I MIGHT ‘a’ BEEN MO'N A HUNDRED YEARS OLE BY DIS TIME. RESPECT AND DEFERENCE. YOUNG man politely offered his seat in a street-car to an old gentleman, and then went and stood on the platform. “Tam glad to see, sir,” said a fellow passenger, “a young man like you pay that respect and deference to old age which it should always command,” “Yes, sir,” replied the youth, “that old codger is worth a million dollars.” «¢ CIR,” said the angry citizen to Mayor Hewitt, “I have fallen on a coal hole on Broadway, and injured my back.” “All right,” said the Mayor, “I will send a letter to the Board of Aldermen at once. If that does not remedy the evil. you had better apply a porous plaster.” NEVER cultivate forgetfulness lest, peradventure, you i should acquire several simultaneous wives. I* order to meet the wants of callow youths who seek nutriment from the handles of their walking-sticks, it is recommended that dudes this summer shall carry sugar- canes or sticks of candy. A GREAT baseball mascot—total abstinence. THE VALUE OF THAT LAST MINUTE TO THE SUBURBAN RESIDENT, comicbooks.com