Life, 1887-09-01 · page 5 of 16
Life — September 1, 1887 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis The cartoon titled "Religion As She Is Known" depicts a classroom scene where a teacher instructs children. The caption reads: "Teacher: Can anyone help Johnny to finish the Fourth Commandment? Small Boy: Yeth'm. And the Lord blethed the Thaturday and made it a holiday." **The satire:** The joke mocks the shallow religiosity of the period. Instead of understanding the Fourth Commandment's spiritual meaning (keeping the Sabbath holy), the child interprets it materialistically—as a day off from work/school, a "holiday." This suggests that actual religious instruction has been replaced by secular attitudes about leisure time. The lisp adds childish innocence to highlight the adults' failure to teach genuine faith. The page also contains a fundraising appeal for poor children and contributor acknowledgments—typical Life magazine content mixing humor with social advocacy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RELIGION AS SHE IS KNOWN. Teacher: CAN ANYONE HELP JOHNNY TO FINISH THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT ? Small Boy: Vetw'm, AND THE LORD RLETHED THE THATURDAY AND MADE IT A HOLIDAY. THREE DOLLARS WILL SEND A CHILD TO We acknowledge with our best thanks the following contributions : THE COUNTRY FOR TWO WEEKS. a. «0 eee Anonymous . . 14.00 EPTEMBER is here and so are thousands of poor children whose CCFH . 1 eee 36.00 vacations are yet unprovided for. A fraction over one hundred RHW. 2 2 1 ee + 6.00 and eighty-three of them have been made happy by the generosity of YB. Adams . : 2.50 our readers, and we hope that before we close our subscription list for EVR 2 6. : + + 200 the year, twice and thrice that number may have been given their Miss H.L. Varnum soe 12,00 share of good country air. A great many people have asked, ** Is there Thaxter see 00 not some joke about Lire’s Fresh Air Fund 2” 300 There is. It is the best, most humane joke of the season, if a ‘i 5.09 joke consists in something said or done for the sake of exciting Roms ss : soe 3.00 laughter. If our readers could hear the merry laughter which their G.E. Throop . nd contributions have evoked from the happy little ones who have been Goo. soe 3.00 bettered in health and spirits by means of the dollars which have Toodles, os + 6.00 been sent them through us, they, too, would smile and say that this eNell & 1" sore 6.00 is the merriest, most gladdening jest that has ever appeared in LiFe’s H.S.G.. : + + 100 pages. BK. 2 2. . 3.00 And, dear readers, there are countless more peals of merry childish KJ... 2 laughter which a very few of our spare dollars will serve to bring Thee. - - ee eee 2.50 forth, but which may never come if we put off until to-morrow what aaa we should do to-day. Are all the returns in ? comicbooks.com