Life, 1888-05-17 · page 12 of 18
Life — May 17, 1888 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This page contains several satirical vignettes typical of *Life* magazine's social humor: **"In Church"**: A man sits beside a woman wearing his roses, questioning why he should pray when already satisfied—satirizing romantic distraction during worship. **"An Offer"**: A boy seeks employment at $3/week, but only plans to "wait" for payday Saturday—mocking lazy workers and poor work ethic. **"They Were Not Friends"**: A joke where Soakem being sober (unusual) makes him feel worse than being drunk—absurdist humor about contradiction. **"Not in a Proper Frame of Mind"**: A Dakota minister asks if his sermon pleased the congregation. A deacon reveals the men were gambling during the service; one man found the sermon "ornery" only because he'd just lost at poker—satirizing rural frontier morality and inattentiveness to religion. The cartoons mock human hypocrisy, idleness, and misplaced priorities across social classes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IN CHURCH. i a preacher prays we may be blest— She wears my roses on her breast, While I sit wondering at her side, If one be wholly satisfied, Why should one pray? Not prayer but praise I speak to-day. aT S. AN OFFER. Boy: WANT A BOY, SIR? Hobson : WHAT FOR? Boy: Wuy, TER Pay $3 A WEEK TO SATURDAY NIGHT. Hobson: FOR DOING WHAT? Boy: WHY, FUR WAITING ALL THE WEEK FOR IT. strictures, and feels bad because his (American) countrymen do not feel as badly as he does. To a man who lives in England, English opinion is important ; but to people who keep the ocean between them and John Bull, it may be interesting, but that is all. Come home, Mr. Smalley, and learn how different this country is since you lived here last. When we compare ourselves to the English at all in these days, we measure ourselves, not by their opinion of us, but by our opinion of them. Dear Mr. Smalley, do you understand the difference. ES. HM. THEY WERE NOT FRIENDS. AGLEY: I've heard that Soakem is very sick this morning. Wagley: Polite way of saying he’s drunk, of course. Bagley : No; 'pon honor, he’s sober—perfectly. Wagley : No wonder he feels queer, then. NOT IN A PROPER FRAME OF MIND. T3 ELL, deacon,” said the new minister of a Dakota church, “did my initial sermon seem to please the congregation?” “Yes ; some of the boys were havin’ a little game of draw after the meetin’ was over, an’ the general sentiment among ‘em was ‘bout unanimous in your favor. Home-stretch Mike allowed the sermon wasn’t much, but he hed jest run up agin’ fours with a king full, an’ under them circumstances a’most anythin’ would natterly seem kind o’ ornery.” comicbooks.com