Life, 1888-04-26 · page 11 of 18
Life — April 26, 1888 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Life" Magazine Page 241: Victorian-Era Social Satire This page contains several short humorous sketches satirizing Victorian social hypocrisy and class dynamics: **"A Conscientious Child"**: A minister asks young Flossie what kind of man she'll marry. Her answer—that she mustn't think about marriage until her older sister Clara is settled—mocks both rigid social conventions (daughters must marry in birth order) and children's naive parroting of adult morality. **"A Promising Outlook"**: A labor striker celebrates getting laundry work, boasting they'll make "the company get down on its knees." The satire targets strikers' unrealistic optimism despite accepting low-wage work—undermining their own cause. **"One Cause for Complaint"**: A convict complains about sitting next to "shoutin' Methodists" in chapel, despite his Presbyterian upbringing. This mocks denominational snobbery even in prison. **"Two Richmonds in the Field"**: Guffins brags about his poker club where he "rakes in the ante" while others lose money—satirizing self-serving social clubs masked as innocent entertainment. The left-side illustrations ("Tale of a Dog") appear to show domestic dog scenes, likely separate comic strips.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TALE OF A DOG. A CONSCIENTIOUS CHILD. The Minister: AND WHAT KIND OF A MAN, FLOSSIE, DO YOU THINK YOU WILL MARRY WHEN YOU GROW UP? Clara: WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER, FLOsSIE? Flossie; 1 HARDLY KNOW, SIR; I DON’T THINK IT’S RIGHT FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT MARRIAGE UNTIL SISTER CLARA IS OUT OF THE WAY. A PROMISING OUTLOOK. TRIKER (fo wife): Well, what success ? WIFE: Very good, John. Mrs. Smith will give me a week's wash to-morrow, and she thinks she can find some plain sewing for me to do. STRIKER (enthusiastically): Splendid! We'll make the company get down on its knees yet ! ONE CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT. ISITOR (Zo convict): 1 s’pose they treat you well here, my friend ? Convict: Yes, sir; 1 have no complaints to make; but there is one thing I don’t like. Every Sunday mornin’ in the chapel, they set me next to one of these ’ere shoutin’ Methodists, an’ ’tain’t pleasant fer a man wot was born an’ brought up a ’Piscopalian. GAY young coquette is Miss Julia, With flattery seeks she to rulia ; But 'twere best to beware, Else you'll find that, though fair, This maiden is seeking to fulia. “TWO RICHMONDS IN THE FIELD.” TARVELY: I didn’t see you at McGlynn’s lecture last night. GurFins: No; I’ve started a little society of my own— poker club, you know—I rake in the ante, and the other fellows take the poverty. comicbooks.com