Life, 1888-05-31 · page 14 of 20
Life — May 31, 1888 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple short humorous sketches typical of Life's satirical style: **"A Private Rehearsal"** (top): A theatrical scene showing actors rehearsing dramatic lines about betrayal and handwriting denial—likely satirizing melodramatic stage performances of the era. **"The Old Inhabitant Still Ahead"**: Jokes about an elderly man who claims to remember impossibly distant events (like before John Sherman was a presidential candidate), mocking the "old timer" trope of exaggerating past experiences. **Brief jokes** on drinking abstinence, courtship progress, and mortality play on common social situations and human nature rather than specific political figures. **"The Widow's Might"** (illustration): Depicts two women in dark clothing, likely widows, though the specific reference is unclear from visible text. The page represents Life's editorial approach: mixing theatrical satire, generational humor, and domestic comedy without targeting particular politicians or events—focusing instead on universal human foibles and social pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A PRIVATE REHEARSAL. Spazzoni: DO YOU DENY YOUR HANDWRITING ? Veronica: GREAT HEAVINS! GUZMAN HAS BETRAYED ME, AN’ I AM LosT! AN a mill-race be properly classified among aquatic THE OLD INHABITANT STILL AHEAD. sports ? LD INHABITANT (retrospectively): Why, I can ocr ee remember the time— BILE OF THE PLAv-—bill Shakespeare. YouNG MAN: Don’t give us any snow-storm stories, MOURNING ENVELOPES—Dressing-gowns. please; the recent blizzard beat anything of the kind you A PRIVATE Box—The Sentry’s. can remember. Sd OLD INHABITANT: Yes, I'm knocked out on storms ; but T is said that no one can arrest the flight of Time; but was going to say that I can remember the time when John who is there who is not able to stop a minute. Sherman wasn’t a candidate for the Presidency, and that’s more than you can do. ABSTEMIOUS TO A FAULT. “ RE you drinking much now, Colonel?” he asked. “No,” responded the Colonel; “I haven’t touched a drop since nine o'clock this morning. PROCEEDING GRADUALLY. “cc \ K J ELL, Edith, did Mr. Lambrequin make you an offer of his hand last night?” “No, mamma; he’s so shy, you know—has never got any further than offering me his arm, so far.” DESTINATION ABOUT THE SAME. i 73 M Y friend,” he said to a young man who bore signs of dissipation, “do you realize that the road you are following leads eventually to death ?” “Er—well, yes, sir.” “ Aye, it leads eventually to death! And do you know where the road of sobriety and virtue leads to?” “Yes, sir; that leads eventually to death, also.” THE WIDOW'S MIGHT. comicbooks.com