Life, 1888-06-14 · page 12 of 16
Life — June 14, 1888 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 342: Political Satire and Domestic Humor **Top Section—"Political Weather Bureau":** Eight caricatured figures represent political conditions as weather patterns. Without dates or clear labels, the specific politicians are unclear, but the metaphor compares political instability to meteorological unpredictability ("Very Changeable," "Stormy with Hot Waves," "Blusterly"). **Domestic Humor Sections:** The page contains four separate joke-dialogues mocking everyday situations: - **"Harsh Treatment"**: A child observes inconsistent parenting—a horse is coaxed while he receives harsh discipline. - **"Overdoing the Matter"**: A father's complaint that financing his son's college education contradicts the mother's emphasis on its value. - **"Laughing Waters"**: A woman misunderstands "brook" as "brood" (children). - **"Fitted for the Business"**: An ice dealer hires a boy based solely on arithmetic ability, ignoring actual experience. The remaining sections employ heavy dialect caricature ("Dar am," "jus' holler") stereotyping working-class and African American speech patterns—reflecting period publication conventions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
> LIFE: LIFE'S POLITICAL WEATHER BUREAU. ** Stormy, with Hot Waves.” “ Very Changeable.” “Very Hot, with Thunder and Lightning.” HARSH TREATMENT. OBBY (looking out of the window): What's the matter with that horse, Mamma? MOTHER: The horse is. balky, Bobby; he won't obey his driver. Borsy: Well, what's the man patting him for? MOTHER: He is coaxing him. Bossy (with an injured atr): That ain't the way you treat me when I'm balky. OVERDOING THE MATTER. [OND MOTHER: I do so hope that George has studied hard at college. I have tried to impress upon his mind the value of a liberal education. FATHER: I am afraid, my dear, that you have rather overdone the matter. I had to send him a check for an extra two hundred dollars to-day. LAUGHING WATERS. HEY were seated on a grassy bank. “Maude,” he said “do you not love to listen to the music of the brook as it babbles ceaselessly on? “Yes, dear,” she replied, “the babbling of a droo4 is very pleasant.” * Settled."” TW, “ Blastery."” “ Mild and Pleasant, but fol- lowed by severe frosts.”” “Warm and Clear, with occa- sional etorms."* (Irishmen had better seek shelter when this weather prevails.) + Foggy; Misty; Uncertain ; Cautionary signals will be con: tinued over the entire country. Outgoing vessels should keep well to the windward.” FITTED FOR THE BUSINESS. I= DEALER (to applicant): Ever been in the ice business, boy ? Boy: No, sir. IcE DEALER: H-m, arithmetic ? Boy: Yes, sir. Ice DEALER: H-m. What would twenty pounds of ice amount to at accent and a half a pound ? Boy : Seventy-five cents, sir. Ick DEALER: H-m. You seem a likely I guess I'll give you a trial. Know anything about lad. GETTING HIS MONEY’S WORTH. DRE : That hat's worth two dollars and a half, but I let you, as a friend, have it for two dollars. Brow) Allright; but say, the fifty cents goes with the hat, don’t it? A STIRRING EVANGELIST. RS. JOHNSING: Dar am a mighty pow‘ful preacher down at de chu’ch, Cicely; yo’ oughter come hear ‘im. Mrs. YALLERBY: What he done preach on yest'day. MRS. JOHNSING : I disremember jus’ now; but, O Lordy! how he can jus’ holler an’ stomp! comicbooks.com