Life, 1887-09-29 · page 13 of 16
Life — September 29, 1887 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical humor pieces reflecting late-19th-century social attitudes: **"Modern Superstition"** mocks the wealthy by contrasting a fortune hunter's disappointment that a woman's father *honorably* paid his debts (leaving no fortune) with a nobleman's romantic interest only in her money. The satire targets the era's marriage-market culture where wealth determined desirability. **"Wanted Her Money's Worth"** depicts a penny-pinching woman at a circus demanding better value—criticizing the elephant's light coloring and the camels' single humps. The joke ridicules miserly, complaining customers who nitpick entertainments. **The Jones/Smith dialogue** humorously captures a social mishap: Smith accidentally insults Miss Brown's appearance to her suitor, Mr. Helia, stammering through an awkward recovery when he realizes his blunder. The remainder is period advertising (tar soap, champagne, tailoring services, steel pens, patent medicine). These pieces reflect genteel humor about courtship, class pretension, and social embarrassment—typical of Life's satirical commentary on American manners.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Sa AT NLL MODERN SUPERSTITION. FORTUNE HUNTER: say your father has failed ? Miss Beauty: Oh, no, not failed ; but he is no longer rich, you know. Noble man! then Sh? What? Do you meanto he has paid up every dollar; He’ refused to take advantage of his creditors, WANTED HER MONEY'S WORTH, “WHaT's the nationality of them?” said a tall woman with a determined eye, as she pointed her parasol at the elephant in the circus which recently exhibited at Sioux Falls. * African, mum,” replied the man in attendance. ‘Awful light-colored for coming from Africa, seems to me," con- tinued the determined-eyed woman. ‘* And see here, you just tell the owners of this show that I say I think they've got a mighty poor lot of camels—all of ‘em single-humped except one. When I pay fifty cents cash for myself and one seventy-five for the children to get in, I want to sce more double-humpers and less hair rubbed off of ‘em ‘round in spots! You just tell ‘em what I say !"—Dakota Bell. ** Yes, he owes no man a penny, but it will be a long time before he can retrieve himself, be very small, only thirteen hundred.” “ My dear, we'd better wait, Omaha World. Sout: Jones: Swiri: JONES: Smith, I believe I have met my fate. Situ: Indeed! I congratulate you. seeing this inamorata of yours ? Joxes: Indeed you shall! introduce you. Smit: No need of it, Budget, Oh, it's delightful! And the folks at the hotel ? Have you used Packer’s ‘Tar Soap for Shampooing ?) It’s immens THE WINE OF yeepecr RAGE I RICH, EXTRA ORY, OR BRUT. “DuVivierxCo. | STP EIOD ‘49 Broan Sr, New Yor. Fine Wines, BraNnoies xc. Thirteen is an unlucky number.” Well, my boy, how do you like Nantasket ? They are very nice indeed. The ladies are charming. Will I have a chance of Why, here she is coming now; old fellow; that's my wife.—Boston | #6 SELECTED PENS | He said, however, that if we married next month, as we desired, he could give me a small dowry, but it would a inted. PRe Disappointed ? In what way 2” “Why, you see, we got the race-course all laid out, and the base- ball field up nice and handy, and everything was getting on splendidly, when we found that we had no room for go-as-you-please pedestrian races. You don't say so sn’t the worst of it. There's a lot of old fossits who want to exhibit cattle, vegetables and all that sort o° stuff."— Boston Transcript. Miss Jones: Don't you think, Mr. Heha, that Miss Brown, whom t evening, is a very plain person > : Yes, indeed, I think she is the homeliest girl I ever saw, present company of course always ex—er—um—that—is—yes, yes, she's mighty plain.— Philadelphia News, let me JRRAKAVER, LADIES’ TAILOR, Habit me and Hatter, CELEBRATED HATS ano LADIES' ROUND HATS. 178 & 180 Fifth Ave., bet. 22d & 23d Sts., and 181 Broadway, near Cortland St., NEW YORK. Palmer House, Chicago. 914 Chestout St., Phila. KIMBALL 8 SATIN 19 East 21st a 2d door East of Broadway. LONDON, JAMES PILE & CO., 288-290 Kegent St. NEWPORT, Son, andieos. 105 py leery 176 Bellevue Ave. WM.8.¥ KIMBALL & Co. SPENCE RIAN |STEEL PENS Ivison, Blakemar & C, | Are the Best.| sew voax. NEW YORK. CROSBY’S VITALIZED PITOSPHITES. Strengthens the intellect, restores lost functions, builds up worn-out nerves, promotes good digestion, cures all weaknesses and nervousness. g6 West agra Sreaer, Naw York. For Sate sy Davoarers, on Man SENT FOR TRIAL, POST PAID, TWENTY-FIVE CTS, comicbooks.com