Life, 1887-08-18 · page 3 of 16
Life — August 18, 1887 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The main cartoon illustrates the satirical caption "The Deacon Goes Fishing and by Using Proper Bait Catches the Sea Serpent." It depicts a religious figure (identifiable by his formal dress) successfully catching a mythical sea serpent using fishing tackle—a visual metaphor for effective strategy. The accompanying text criticisms address religious hypocrisy and moral failures within Christianity. The article "Mr. Foo is Excusable" sarcastically defends a Chinese man's heathenism, arguing that Christian leaders' dishonesty, corruption, and moral compromises make Christianity itself disreputable. The second piece discusses electric motors' practicality, seemingly unrelated to the religious satire above. The page appears to be social/religious commentary typical of *Life* magazine's satirical approach to institutional criticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MR. FOO IS EXCUSABLE. We CHIN FOO writes to the North American Review to tell why he is a heathen. In these days when Sunday-school superintendents remove to Canada with the funds of others; when prominent church- men accuse others of dishonesty and insanity for advancing original thought; when archbishops indulge in unseemly quarrels with insubordinate priests; when trusted Christian executors rob the children of their dead friends; when the hand of nearly every Christian man in the land is plunged in the pocket of nearly every other Christian man in the land ; when one good turn does not deserve another; when virtue goes to the wall that vice may thrive; when water is thicker than blood, and when honor is based not on moral worth, but on financial worth,—an article on why I am a Christian would seem to be in greater demand. WRITER on electric motors cries “The horse must go!” It seems to us that the horse does go, and gives points on going to electric motors. THREE DOLLARS WILL SEND A CHILD TO THE COUNTRY FOR A FORTNIGHT. E are glad to note that our appeal of last week has already re- sulted in an addition of $75 to the Fresh Air Fund. The amount is not large, but it means two weeks of healthful country life to twenty-five children to whom green fields and pastures new have hitherto been naught but an impossible dream. Our thanks are due to the following contributors : $3.00 6.00 $.00 3.00 3.00 25.00 6.00 $.00 3.00 10.co 6.00 “Fresh Air” PLE, Tersham Unknown. H.C. Folger, Jr. Hector Pockes “Ruth and Swazey * GWM. Judge” Fiat Justitia Pro Bono Publico $75.00 If every man and woman who has written letters to the press under the last two names would follow the good example of our friends above,"there would hardly be a child left in the city for the balance of the summer. Let us have more! comicbooks.com